A lot of our clients come to KW Fitness because they’re looking to make real, lasting change with their health. In the last 5+ years, we’ve helped people lose weight, get stronger, get rid of medications, lower their blood pressure and cholesterol, and make all sorts of amazing life changes! Change doesn’t just happen overnight, though. It needs to be a complete mindset shift. Besides getting in an excellent workout, most of what our coaches do is help clients break bad habits with food.
Getting your nutrition on track will not only help with weight loss, but it also helps your insides and it makes everything better overall! You’ll notice big improvements in those cholesterol numbers, energy levels, improving your blood sugars, the way your clothes fit, and the way you feel overall. In order to see TRUE change, it’s SO important to re-evaluate how we think about food.
Dan John is an author, speaker and strength coach. One of our favorite quotes of his is from his book Mass Made Simple:
“Here is an idea: Eat like an adult. Stop eating fast food, stop eating kid’s cereal, knock it off with all the sweets and comfort foods whenever your favorite show is not on when you want it on, ease up on the snacking and— don’t act like you don’t know this— eat vegetables and fruits more. Really, how difficult is this? Stop with the whining. Stop with the excuses. Act like an adult and stop eating like a television commercial. Grow up.”
Although this quote seems harsh and a little “in your face”, Dan has some really great points that we should reiterate. Here are some tips for “Eating Like An Adult” that are great habits to implement to make 2019 (and beyond) your healthiest year yet:
1) If it was made by a plant, eat it! If it was made IN a plant, avoid it!
We live in a culture where there are SO MANY food-like substances, rather than actual foods. Because we are all so busy and on the go, it’s easy to grab pre-packaged, processed, convenience items. Even the packaging can be deceiving because, for some reason, the FDA let’s companies label food as “healthy” when it’s not! The simple rule of thumb is to try to eat foods that have 3 ingredients or less, and ingredients you can actually pronounce.
2) Avoid foods that you see on commercials
This is pretty self explanatory, but fast food, kids foods, etc. have tons of processed chemicals, they’re typically high in sodium, trans fat and sugar, and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Highly processed foods can wreak havoc on our insides. Like I said above, a lot of packaged, processed foods have commercials and millions of dollars are spent in mass marketing, rather than on the quality of the actual food itself.
3) Find healthier substitutes for cravings
We often have clients that have 40, 50, 60 and even 70 years of bad habits to break! They come to see us, though, because they’re sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. If you tend to have cravings for certain things, find healthier substitutes.
For instance, if you’re used to eating ice cream every night, stop buying it and maybe try changing it up! I like to freeze a banana, put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a bowl and sprinkle in some chocolate chips for a frozen treat with a LOT less calories. I don’t do this every night, but I’ve found this to help curb my ice cream craving every now and then 🙂
Do I have ice cream every now and then? Sure, every now and then. Do I have dessert every night? Absolutely not. When you treat yourself, every now and then, you tend to enjoy it more, rather than eating something unhealthy everyday.
Small, consistent habits over time lead to HUGE results (either good or bad, depending on what that habit is). Will making healthier choices daily show immediate results? No, of course not. Over time, will you notice a difference? Absolutely!!
If you need help in this category, and if you’re ready to make some lasting, sustainable changes, get a hold of us and we will connect you with one of our Food Coaches! They won’t yell at you or make you feel bad for eating kids cereal or ramen noodles, however they will help you change your mindset and get on the right track. They’ll help you view food as FUEL, not as the enemy or an emotional crutch. Let us help you! Go to kwfitnessny.com/consultation for more info