The real key to continuously making healthier lifestyle choices is to create your environment so that HEALTHY, MINDFUL CHOICES ARE THE EASY CHOICES!!
In coaching I do not believe that deprivation is a healthy approach to anything!
It is likely you are used to diets that start you off with a list of foods to avoid. When you are constantly focusing on what you can't have, it eventually leaves you feeling as if you are "missing out". Eventually you drop the diet all together and you go right back to your old eating habits.
When studying to become a Health Coach, I was taught a concept we call “CROWDING OUT” to refer to the natural process that happens when you ADD MORE OF THE GOOD STUFF in first.
The more healthy foods you add to your existing diet, the less room you’ll have for junk, and the more sensitive your palette will become to ultimately appreciate a greater variety of healthy ingredients. You’ll literally crowd out the unhealthy foods until you reach a balanced diet that is sustainable and makes you feel great – even if that still includes an occasional guilt-free indulgence!
This concept is so real for me when I juice in the mornings!! I crave green vegetables ALL DAY LONG afterward. I shared an Instagram post a few weeks back about keeping breakfast simple with real foods AND WITHOUT COOKING! When I eat these very simple bowls in the morning, my body doesn't crave anything because it is so full of fiber and nutrients from whole foods that I literally missed lunch one day. And this girl does NOT MISS MEALS!
Here are a few simple ways to start the process of creating your HEALTHY HAVEN (WHERE HEALTHY CHOICES ARE THE EASY CHOICES!) in your home:
1. Food Replacements - One of my favorite things to do is to raid a clients pantry (They give me a pantry pass first!) and see what foods they typically eat and/or crave. We actually do this together and it is a FUN PROCESS, not a shameful process, it is all about learning and creating a sustainable lifestyle. This inevitably ends in a grocery trip! If candy bars are your thing, let's grab some raw organic cocoa nibs or coconut maple cashews instead of a conventional candy bar. Corn syrup = honey or maple syrup. Canned vegetables = fresh or frozen. White rice = quinoa. The list goes on. It is all about getting your body the nutrients it needs to feel full and healthy! When you don't have the nutrients you need, your body will constantly crave something.
2. More Vegetables - Include more of the NUTRIENT-RICH FOODS THAT HELP YOUR BODY THRIVE, especially vegetables! Try new recipes! Throw veggies into sauces (My kids have NO IDEA how many veggies are in our homemade pasta sauce!) and soups, throw a veggie tray together after work and on the weekends. Maybe add in hummus vs. typical veggie dip or make your own with full fat yogurt, there are so many recipes out there. Do not force yourself to eat the vegetables you don't like.
3. ALLOW YOURSELF TIME AND MINDFULNESS - This is your space darn it!! I am a mother and a wife and I know you may think I am crazy to say this BUT, give yourself time to cook dinner and space to breathe. Kick those crazy people OUT OF YOUR KITCHEN and maybe a glass of red wine is in order! There is LOVE in that pan sister (or brother), it is pure delicious LOVE, don't be rushed. You have more than likely been rushing all day.
MINDFUL EATING is very important. Slow down, don't eat at the counter. Don't eat at your desk. Actually sit down at your table and breathe.
Our incessant internal chatter prevents us from easily quieting our minds. Television, the Internet and social media have all been contributing factors towards overstimulation.
This often leads to absent-minded eating or eating out of boredom. Being more mindful helps us to eat when we experience hunger. It is a good way to bring your attention to the present moment, to relax or to spend time with your friends or family.
Mindful eating can help replace negative eating patterns with positive ones. FOOD IS YOUR FRIEND, NOT YOUR ENEMY! THE RIGHT FOODS HELP YOUR BODY HEAL!
4. Mindful Space - CLAIM IT! My husband came home one day and our dining room table was gone. I had moved it to another space. There were yoga mats, mediation pillows, mediation blankets, candles, Buddha, Jesus, incense and two of us meditating and creating a beautiful space! The photo is below, isn't it a peaceful space?!
I am not saying to ditch the dining room table that I just told you to eat at mindfully. But, DO CREATE A LITTLE SPACE FOR YOU! Put your favorite things in this space. Maybe a favorite chair so you can read or your meditation cushion and a few blankets. Whatever those special things are for you, bring them to that space and allow yourself a few moments each day to breathe.
Mindfulness is the art of focusing on the present, without being hindered by judgments, such as: good or bad, fair or unfair, right or wrong, etc. Recognize your thoughts but let them pass like clouds. This practice can help improve our daily lives and make our lives rich, happy and fulfilled.
"The thing about meditation is: you become more and more you.” – David Lynch
Create your HEALTHY HAVEN with so much "GOOD STUFF" that the "BAD STUFF" JUST DOESN'T HAVE ROOM ANYMORE!!
Namaste - Amy Sanzone
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