In the last lesson you learned that in order to stop hating exercise you’ll have to think differently about it and do less of it – at least in the beginning. Now you are going to learn to focus more on making healthier decisions today than you did yesterday.
Your decision to create a healthy lifestyle that you want wasn’t easy This is especially true if you’ve had years of dropping weight and then gaining it back, which can be emotionally and physically draining.
So instead of a specific diet that isn’t one you want to be on anyway – start making simple healthy choices every day. The key isn’t to jump right in overhaul mode and overwhelm yourself – you’ll stop before you even get started. What you need to do is to take one day at a time.
Make better health choices today than yesterday.
Creating healthy habits is the goal. Why? Because once you’ve gotten one habit down it becomes automatic and is no longer a choice you actively make. Tackle one small change move onto the next Before you know it, you’ll be making better choices regarding your health – snacks, foods, drinks, and fitness.
You won’t automatically go to the deep fried section of your local store when you want to pick up a quick snack – instead you’ll head towards the fruits and vegetables. Our bad food choices are so ingrained into us that it is automatic. Unfortunately our society naturally thinks of the unhealthy choices instead of the ones that are good for us.
But by making healthier decisions today you’ll feel better about yourself and not be overwhelmed doing it each day. Don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t have a good day yesterday. Just concentrate on today.
By doing better each day, you’ll feel better emotionally. When you are consistently making progress in any area of your life – you are going to feel good about yourself. By only focusing on doing a better job today then yesterday you are not setting yourself up for failure, but success. In fact you’ll see several small successes each day.
Understanding the numbers can make a big difference
You’ll also start to notice a difference in your physical appearance. Let’s say today you’ve made the decision to stop drinking your one 20-ounce soda a day (or you’ve taken one away). You might not think this will have a big impact, but look at the numbers. On average a 20-ounce soda is 250 calories. Take that number and times is by 365 and you’ll get 91,250. To lose a pound you have to eliminate eating or drinking 3,500 calories or exercise to get rid of it.
Photo: Joelk73=5/flickr
The point is that by making one small healthy change (without adding another bad habit) – you could lose up to 26 pounds in a year. That is how much weight drinking one of those soda’s keeps on you. So if you drink water instead you will be making a huge impact on your life.
When you make healthier decisions today than you did yesterday you will be successful. Being successful means exercising for five minutes today when you did nothing yesterday. Success could also be buying whole wheat for your lunch instead of refined bread. Success would be picking the fruit instead of that tempting piece of cake.
Ideas for small healthy changes
Here are a few healthy choices you can start making today. The list will help you start to recognize what small changes you can make that fit your situation to make healthier decisions today than yesterday. Sometimes we’re not sure what counts or what we should try, so here are ideas:
- Measure your coffee creamer
- Use a smaller plate
- Eat one less piece of candy or treat
- Do 5 minutes of exercise
- Walk to the mailbox
- Park farther away from the store
- Drink more water
- Drink one less energy drink
- Do 25 jumping jacks
- Make your fruits visible on the counter or table
- Put a banana in your lunch
- Eat oatmeal for breakfast
- Put more salad or vegetables on your plate
- Brush your teeth after dinner
- Only have one serving of lunch or dinner
- Pick grilled chicken sandwich instead of a hamburger
- Use beans in a recipe
- Don’t use as much salt on your food
- Add vegetables to your dinner dish (cut them up for soup and casseroles)
- Go for a walk around the block
- Learn to read labels and use them
- Eat only one serving
- Nothing is “off limits” – just remember moderation is the key
- Eat more greens today
- Have a smoothie
You’ll still have ups and downs, but don’t worry. This is normal. Remember that every day is a new day to make better choices. As long as you have more days that you are making healthy choices you will be working towards a better and healthier you!
Make today healthier than yesterday. Get enough water today and do something active. As you learned yesterday it doesn’t have to be a certain amount of minutes, just do something! If you’re just getting in on the challenge, see previous days’ posts here. It’s never too late to get started! Plus, if you join here, you’ll get tomorrow’s post sent directly to your inbox plus an invitation to our Facebook group!
Stay tuned for tomorrow – you’ll learn why goals are important and how to make them.
