I bring this up because I wanted to talk about habits and support. Unfortunately, we live in a world where food-like products are available to us 100% of the time. Not just in grocery stores but on every street corner, a phone call or online order away, and even when we stop for gas for goodness sake. This constant bombardment of food advertisements and products everywhere we turn makes it nearly impossible to eat well all the time. Which is exactly why you need support.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been teased about eating “rabbit food” or heard “you’ve got to die somehow.” No kidding, jerk. Here is the thing though. Whether I’m 25 or 75 I want to be active. I don’t want to carry the burden of having to swallowing a pill or inject myself with insulin daily nor do I want any of the 38972349 side effects that come along with popping pills daily. This is, of course, unavoidable for some but the best prevention is exercise and proper nutrition. That is all it takes. So why tease someone for making a healthy decision? Now considering you are taking the time to read this my guess (okay my hope) is that you don’t pollute your body with the chemical trash (notice I didn’t say food) you’d find in a gas station. Maybe you have even experienced this teasing as well. I bet you’ve also seen how easy it is to eat like garbage when those around you are doing the same. Almost as if it’s okay to be “bad” because the other person isn’t going to judge you. This is why you need support. Act like Lily and Marshall and tell your nutrition friend everything you had to eat that day. You want to make them proud, don’t you? You can email me every day with a rundown of your intake if you want. It helps having someone tell you that you did a great job and it gives you motivation to do it all over again the next day.
Even more important than asking for support is giving it. Mothers (and I know I have many reading this) are particularly important in this because the decisions they make affect themselves as well as their children (and fetuses Jill and Em!). Each and every one of us should be encouraging those around us. If everyone got a high-five for spinach and sardines airlines wouldn’t need seat belt extenders and that would make my world traveling a whole lot easier.
Selfish travel reasons aside I like you guys. I’d like you to be a part of my life for awhile and I’d like you to be healthy and happy to enjoy yours. So this is my virtual high-five to you for taking the time to read this and making the effort to improve your health and well-being. Pound it. I’m so proud, in fact, that I decided to write a few suggested New Years Resolutions for you. Feel free to comment with your own!
1. Eat more freaking vegetables. 50% of your plate, all day, errryday.
2. Make liver a regular part of your diet.
3. Make trashing your liver via alcohol not a regular part of your diet.
4. Go pasture-raised for all meats.
5. Give yourself a high-five.
6. Stop beating yourself up for not being perfect. If you did better today than you did yesterday that is a step in the right direction.
7. Eliminate vegetable oils from your diet.
8. Move more. I know you’ve heard this a million times but the Center for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. Maybe you aren’t there yet, but even 15 minutes is better than no minutes. No one is that busy that they cannot spare 15 minutes.
9. Do better than yesterday.
10. Eat fish more often.
11. Smile more.
12. Try new foods or foods you didn’t used to like. Exposure enhances liking. So maybe leafy greens were not your thing but after making yourself eat it multiple times you may find you like it.
Happy New Year from my family (aka Kayda and I) to yours. Thank you so much for supporting me.
