3 Ways To Look After Yourself And Your Health In 2020 That Have Absolutely Nothing To Do With Restriction Or Obsession.
So Often We Think Of Health, And Getting Healthy, As ‘Things That I Must Do Less Of’.
When we have been through something as big as weight loss surgery and all that life after entails, it is very easy to get into a mindset of “I can’t have that” or “I am not allowed that”.
My nutrition coaching philosophy is not to take things away. It is not to count what we are not doing for ourselves and it is not to be restrictive. What I advocate for, and what I would love for us to do for ourselves in 2020, is to add more things in. Yes, ADD MORE THINGS IN!
And if you ask any of my clients, we do a whole exercise on adding up the things we are doing for ourselves and our health, instead of counting backwards and beating ourselves up over the things that we think we are not doing.
We are not looking for fad diets and magic solutions.
We focus on nailing the basics. We simplify things. We don’t overcomplicate it. We find what works for us (as individuals) - and sustain that.
So today I wanted to talk about my top three ways to immediately start looking after yourself and your health that don’t involve a lot of planning and preparation, they don’t require spending lots of dollars and they aren’t too taxing - on anyone! We are simply talking about focusing on a choice few of the weight loss surgery success habits so that in time, we can continue to add in the others.
Go to Bed. Not getting enough sleep, or allowing stress to get the better of you, can bump up hunger hormone ghrelin, mess with your mood and boost cravings for sugar. Get to sleep half an hour earlier - or wake up a little later. Sleep has huge benefits for our overall health and well-being and keeping to a regular bedtime and wake up time sets a great schedule for the week. And in addition, establish a routine that allows you to wind down for bed.
Don’t let yourself get too hungry. When you are ‘trying to be good’, most people end up under-eating which then means you get ‘hangry’ and eat everything in sight... only to feel like a failure. Strive for consistency over perfection. It’s better to be 80% compliant every day while enjoying your food, training & life…than killing yourself for the 100% but then falling off track to 0% every couple of days. This is just one way of eating but I find having a satisfying lunch with a mix of complex carbs, fat and protein means I don’t get ravenous in the afternoon. Stop viewing food as just macros, calories and portions. Enjoy the food but be aware of your intake.
Cook at home more. Sure... you can make some healthy choices when you get takeaway but nothing beats home-cooked meals. It doesn’t have to be time consuming or boring. Given that it is currently summer, this should be even more simple with loads of summer salad and vegetable options - plus you can stand outside at the BBQ. If you need quick healthy recipes, then check out the recommendations in our newsletters or on this site. Get on Google! Pick your favourite protein and just add coleslaw and some kumara. Simply try to cook at home one more night a week.
.The moral is that small ‘add-ins’ can make a big difference to your health. You don’t have to suffer to get results. The more restrictive or deprived you are doesn’t mean you will be guaranteed better progress - often this leads to binges, falling way off track and an unhealthy relationship with food.
If being healthy makes you feel overly hungry, grumpy or restricted - it’s actually not healthy and it’s time to ditch that obsessive thinking for a gentler - and much more effective approach to health.
Have a nap. I prescribe it!