I saw a post that there is only 7 weeks left in this decade. In. This. Decade.
It honestly hadn't even dawned on me that 2020 was the start of a new decade. But I feel like it seems fitting for a new decade since I myself am starting fresh and going back the the beginning. I've spent most of the past 10 years trying to live a healthy lifestyle. Actually it was 9 years ago last week I started on my journey. This is the first year I didn't celebrate my healthversary. Over the past few years I've done a 180 and haven't really been living healthy at all. I'd like to refer to it as going from Fat to Fit to Fat again. Recently I've been dealing with a health issue that has lead me to realize just how off course I've gotten. I stepped on the scale and I'm at the heaviest I've ever been. It's time get serious not just for me but also for my health. I need to turn that 180 into a 360 and turn things around.
Truth be told I've known for awhile I've needed start doing something but the doing seems to be the hard part. How do I change that? Well I'm going to start small, Rome wasn't built in a day lol. I'm going to work on my food first. Meal planning and prepping so I'm actually eating a good breakfast. (A fig bar with 20 g of sugar has probably not been my best option). As recommended by my doctor I'm also going to be using a guide I first started my healthy living journey with, Low GI foods. GI stands for Glycemic Index, it gives you an idea about how fast your body converts the carbs in a food into glucose. Some foods can make your blood sugar shoot up very fast. That's because carbohydrates like refined sugars and bread are easier for your body to change into glucose, the sugar your body uses for energy. While other foods like those in vegetables and whole grains are slowly digested carbs. So the Glycemic Index is basically a ranking system and eating food with a smaller number has less impact on your blood sugar and slowly converts the carbs into energy then food with a higher number. Here is what the ranking looks like:
55 or less = Low (good)
56- 69 = Medium
70 or higher = High (bad)
Even the way you prepare a food can change the GI number like pasta for instance. There is a reason why Italians cook their pasta Al dente. The longer the starches cook the higher the GI number will be. So I will be eating more whole grains, nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables and other foods with a low GI. Luckily since I've done this before I already have a handy magnet on my fridge with a list of what's good and bad.
Another source I will be using as reference is the Canada Food guide. The guide was recently updated with an emphasizes on getting protein from plant-based sources such as beans, lentils and nuts (can you see a theme here) rather than always choosing animal-based foods such as milk, meat and poultry. A few more tips from the Food Guide are:
Be mindful of your eating habits.
Cook more often.
Enjoy your food.
Eat meals with others.
Use food labels.
Limit foods high in sodium, sugars or saturated fat.
Be aware of food marketing.
Most importantly, Eat well. Live well.
So as much as I don't want to restrict what I eat I know it will be beneficial. I do still want to be able to enjoy life by having wine and chips (in moderation of course). I really think the Food Guide has is right with there tip about enjoying your food. You have to have balance and not feel guilty about going to a fast food place or indulging once in awhile. Go to the party and eat the damn cake! Eating one not so healthy food isn't going to ruin your long term results. Being consistent over time will make the most difference.
So with consistency comes making goals. By this time next year I will have been on this journey towards living healthy for a whole Decade. I know what it takes and I know I am capable of achieving my goals. I hate to focus on the number on the scale and would like to just go by how I'm feeling but I need to make an improvement for my health. I know that a small goal over time can lead to something big. If I focus on losing just 5 pounds a month while that doesn't seem like a whole lot over one year that's 60 pounds. That is a big goal that would seem daunting but 5 pounds that seems doable. So that is what I'm starting with and I know another main aspect of living healthy is moving your body. But for the first bit I will focus just on my food. I know I'm gonna have to get this lazy ass moving and exercise lol. Bring on year 10 of this lifelong journey, I've got goals and I can do this!
Cook more often.
Enjoy your food.
Eat meals with others.
Use food labels.
Limit foods high in sodium, sugars or saturated fat.
Be aware of food marketing.
Most importantly, Eat well. Live well.
So as much as I don't want to restrict what I eat I know it will be beneficial. I do still want to be able to enjoy life by having wine and chips (in moderation of course). I really think the Food Guide has is right with there tip about enjoying your food. You have to have balance and not feel guilty about going to a fast food place or indulging once in awhile. Go to the party and eat the damn cake! Eating one not so healthy food isn't going to ruin your long term results. Being consistent over time will make the most difference.
So with consistency comes making goals. By this time next year I will have been on this journey towards living healthy for a whole Decade. I know what it takes and I know I am capable of achieving my goals. I hate to focus on the number on the scale and would like to just go by how I'm feeling but I need to make an improvement for my health. I know that a small goal over time can lead to something big. If I focus on losing just 5 pounds a month while that doesn't seem like a whole lot over one year that's 60 pounds. That is a big goal that would seem daunting but 5 pounds that seems doable. So that is what I'm starting with and I know another main aspect of living healthy is moving your body. But for the first bit I will focus just on my food. I know I'm gonna have to get this lazy ass moving and exercise lol. Bring on year 10 of this lifelong journey, I've got goals and I can do this!
