There is Nothing Crazy about Embracing Healthy
Someone I know posted on Facebook that some people think she is crazy.
Why?
Because she dared to change her eating habits to a healthy lifestyle two weeks before Thanksgiving.
I balked at the notion that she was crazy. In fact, I applauded her. In my eyes, choosing to start a healthy lifestyle before Thanksgiving is brilliant.
Let me tell you why I believe that.
A Healthy Lifestyle is for Life
Life continues each day until it ends. Duh. We all know that.
My point is that a healthy lifestyle is a way of living. It is something we strive to do everyday. Yes, there will be days, even weeks, where we are challenged with doing so, but the goal is to live healthy every single day no matter the day.
Is it challenging to live a healthy lifestyle on vacations, on special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and holidays such as Thanksgiving?
Sure it is, but when we live a healthy lifestyle, we face those challenges differently.
Embracing a healthy lifestyle is a mindset.
You will see what I mean next.
Those Living a Healthy Lifestyle Know Before they Go
In my family, our Thanksgiving consists of vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, and string beans. Not too bad.
We also may have pasta dishes like lasagne or baked ziti. Macaroni and cheese is a given. ALWAYS.
Also included is stuffing made with cornbread and other ingredients, candied yams, dinner rolls, and garlic bread to go with the lasagne.
Do we have protein?
We sure do.
That includes turkey, ham, fried chicken, baked chicken, grilled chicken and pot roast.
Usually desserts take up their own table.
There are cakes like my mom's Seven-Up cake. When she feels like going through the trouble, she makes a sock-it-to-me cake. There's also sweet potato pie, marshmallow treats, and banana budding. My family LOVES Mom's banana pudding. I am not a fan. Lucky me.
Because I am living a healthy lifestyle, it is key that I consider ALL of that before I go. My focus is not to think about all the yummy food I will partake in, but on how I plan to maintain a healthy frame of mind that day.
When You Live a Healthy Lifestyle You Plan Ahead
So, in addition to knowing what the day will likely look like before I go, I plan ahead.
In Chapters 9 and 10 of my book, Diet-Free Me: How to Stop Struggling, Lose Weight, and Embrace a Healthy Lifestyle, I go into this topic in great detail. If you do not own the book check it out. It is a fun relatable read.
What I do is plan ahead by bringing healthy options. If I am hosting, I prepare several healthy options that I know I would not get otherwise.
In addition, on days such as Thanksgiving, I ramp up my workouts. I do not do that so I can eat more. I do that to remind me that I am living healthy.
Living a Healthy Lifestyle Requires Adjustments
Above I referenced planning ahead. Part of planning ahead includes making adjustments.
Take a favorite dish that is not all that healthy and modify it to make it healthier.
How do you do that?
One method is to take the current recipe and do a Google search for healthier ingredients. Substitute the not so healthy ingredient with a healthier ingredient. Pinterest is another great place to look. Some people have taken the time to make substitution charts.
Below I share a couple of dishes where we have done that at my house using the method above.
One dish is macaroni and cheese. I LOVE my mother's macaroni and cheese. Check out Chapter 3: Get That C.R.A.P. Out of My House of my book to see what I mean.
To limit how much I have of it, I found a recipe to act as an alternative; cauliflower mac and cheese. Don't turn up your nose. It tastes good and comes with fewer calories. Try it.
Another dish that we have modified is candied yams. Those too are good.
Healthy Life Changes at Any Time are Brilliant
Everything I shared above is what we do when live healthy all year round. We constantly think about how we can live healthy.
That means that whenever you start, it is always a good time. There is nothing crazy about it.
Besides, at some point in life you will face challenges and run into temptations. Those who avoid challenges and who do not work around temptations will not gain as much as those who step towards change.
So do the brilliant thing. Start living your healthy lifestyle today. In those times that are challenging or tempting, know before you go, plan ahead, and make adjustments where necessary.
Let's talk about this: When will you start living a healthy lifestyle? Share in the post comments, on Facebook, or Twitter.
For additional assistance check out these blog posts:
You Only Need One Thing for Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving: Remember to be Grateful