Oh boy, we're down to the top 2 ways to Maintain your Brain! And today's is a biggie!!!
HEALTHY DIET!
Before my journey in health and fitness began, DIET was where I lacked. DIET was something everyone was doing, and as soon as they were off the DIET, they'd gain back what they lost plus some. No fun.
DIET is not my favorite 4-lettered word. The idea behind it makes me cringe now, and it annoys me when I'm asked how my diet it going. It annoys me because I'm not on a diet. I'm on a healthy lifestyle plan, where I'm allowed to have cheat meals now and again, but most of the time I eat according to my goals. And my #1 goal is to be healthy. So call it a diet if you want, but don't mistake my diet for the person who isn't eating anything because they want to lose weight. My diet has me eating every 2 hours, 6am - 8pm. And I'm eating a well-balanced diet, with a variety of food, of the right portion size for me. Can you tell it's tense subject for me?! HA!
But enough about me, let's talk about why YOU should ALWAYS be eating a healthy, balanced diet.
A balanced diet is a diet consisting of the proper quantities and proportions of foods needed to maintain health or growth.
There are so many things out there now telling you what to eat, how to eat, when to eat, what type to eat, what to drink, what not to drink, when to drink, etc. So many things!!! It can get confusing! Makes a person want to give up, say "screw it" and go grab a bag of chips! Am I right?
But don't. Remember why you started looking into eating right.
Chances are it was to lose weight and be healthy.
Here's a couple easy tips you can do to start making it a LIFESTYLE CHANGE vs just a diet.
1. When it comes to drinks, keep it simple. WATER should be your best friend. A good rule of thumb for how much water to drink each day is to take your weight and divide it in half. For example, someone weighting 140lbs should drink 70oz of water daily. Avoid sugary drinks (they are packed with calories and bad for your teeth!), and drinks packed with caffeine (they will dehydrate you!).
2. EAT BREAKFAST already! You're just waking up from hopefully 8 great hours of sleep, which means you haven't eaten in at least 8 hours. Do your body and brain some good and feed it! You need the fuel for energy and to jump start your metabolism. Skipping breakfast, or any meal, can put your body into starvation mode - meaning your body will hold on to what you do feed it, thinking it's not getting anything else for a while, and if losing weight is your goal you're likely to plateau very quickly. I know mornings can be rushed, but find something easy that you can take on the go. Here's one great idea, that also gives you the vitamins and nutrients you need on a daily basis...it's the healthiest meal of the day!
3. Snacking is good for you! As I mentioned above, I eat every 2 hours. My biggest meal is usually lunch, everything else is a healthy snack :) Try it!
4. Join one of my upcoming FREE 5-Day Clean Eating Challenges!
This is what did it for me. I tried a free 5 day challenge and my life hasn't been the same!
My next one begins next tuesday, May 26th! And I'd love to have you in it!
Contact me if you're interested!
5. Don't think of food as the enemy. It's not. It's here to help us survive and be healthy.
If you want to take the guess work out of knowing what to eat at what portion sizes, I've found the 21 Day Fix to be GREAT for that! It's a program that combines fitness and nutrition, and helps you form the habit of eating the right amounts of the right foods. Take a look at it, and if you have questions, let me know :)
***Please remember that I am not a specialist, Dr., therapist, psychiatrist, or anything along those lines.
I'm simply giving you some information that I've found helpful in keeping my mental health in check. ***
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