So, maintaining consistency in a healthy diet is something that still today everyone is searching for that magical.... unicorn of sorts... answer. Many famous dietitians, fitness celebrities and every other form thereof have spouted their words of wisdom about this, however, like many things, no one answer applies to everyone. So then here we are again at square one... how do we find that true consistency? how do we maintain our healthy streak for the long term so that we don't end up breaking it, then going on an all out buffet trip down junk food way for a week or so, promising to ourselves and god and whoever else may be listening "It's all good, I'll just start over again on Monday." I'm sure you have read and heard time and time again how bad it is for our bodies to crash diet, then gorge yourself, then crash diet again... and so on and so forth.
Ok, so what am I getting at here?? here's the deal, there is no magic pill, there is no secret cave with the hidden answer to all diet questions. But, there are a few things you can do to give yourself that nudge or reminder that may stop you mid package of cookies or pint of ice cream and say "hey... what are ya doin there?? goin for worlds best midnight snacker??"
Here are a few things which I have implemented into my daily life, which seem to be helping me reach my goal of self acceptance and more importantly CONSISTENCY in my healthy eating.
1) Put up some pictures of someone you idolize - however!! I do not mean put up pictures of Victoria Secret models, because those are definitely freaks of nature, those are NOT REAL women. What I mean here is, put up pictures of a woman or women whom you idolize for who they are as a person, and not for their superficial aesthetics. But instead because they are confident in who they are, they have said things that make you feel good about yourself etc.. For example; for me I have a picture of Kate Winslet up next to my mirror. It's a picture of her from quite a few years ago in one of those People Magazine editions of "the 100 most beautiful people" or something like that. She has a few statements on the page about what she thinks is beautiful. Which for me, every time I read it, it makes me stop and think and it makes me want to be more like her, and quite honestly, because of how she thinks (and how she looks) I think she is far more beautiful than any other totally toned celeb out there. I mean honestly, she is a REAL woman and is beautiful both outside AND inside.
As you can see here, she is just awesome. Feel free to use this for yourself.
2) Post positive notes to yourself around your house. If you have roommates and you think they may find it odd, then post them around your room in areas that you look often (example the mirror) in your closet etc..
a few examples: - "you are beautiful just the way you are" or "smile, sweat and say at least one positive thing about yourself, everyday." "plant an expectation, reap a disappointment" just a few to get ya started. (At some point I will post all of my various quotations, still trying to get in the swing of this whole blog thingy.)
3) Put up a wipe board next to your door, and list weekly goals for yourself. And I don't mean goals like "lose 5 pounds", that's total crap. What I mean are goals that lean towards creating a positive thought process going on up there in your cranium. Believe me, I know how hard this is, I'm not gonna lie here and say I am totally a positive happy go lucky thinker. I still struggle with this, but it is getting better and that my friends is the ultimate goal. The more you integrate positive thoughts, the more your on your way towards self acceptance. Back to the goals, I mean goals such as: Smile at least 5 times a day (smile to yourself in the mirror, to a stranger, to your neighbor etc.) or stand in front of the mirror naked and list at least 3 things about yourself that you like, drink more water........ you get my point.
4) This one may be a bit hard... but, STOP READING THOSE COOKIE CUTTER MAGAZINES!!! Let's face it, they area all the same, every single issue has the same crap in it!! I'd say the only semi good one's out there are Runners world (it has more functional training information) and......... perhaps Health magazine. Women's health magazine is o...k.... but it is becoming more and more like Shape, Self and all those other magazines which claim to be women power magazines, but all of them talk about loving your shape blah blah blah... meanwhile the pictures of they have throughout all the pages are of women who are thin and all with sculpted muscles.
5) Make sure you always start your day off right, by having a well balanced breakfast which includes lots of fiber and fruit. This will ensure that you are energized as well as keep you full through lunch. By beginning your day right it will also make sure to keep you on better track throughout the day. I know for me, whenever I eat fresh fruit and vegetables, it just overall makes me feel better, and therefore automatically makes me make smarter food choices and I don't tend to crave junk food very much.
So those are my top 5 words of wisdom.... or paragraphs of advice. I hope they shed any if at all new light on the topic. Or at the very least maybe it gave you one new idea to try out and see if it works for you.
Just remember, every single one of us unique and beautiful women are different. Different in how we look, function, work and think. Therefore not every diet, workout plan, philosophy works for everyone. So if you're trying something out and beating yourself up about it because it doesn't seem to be working like it says it should, then it very well may be that your body and its chemical makeup just isn't responding physically to it. So, try tweaking it a bit until you find that right equation that does in fact work for you.
Oh! and one more thing, in terms of time of day for working out.... chose a time of day in which you truly have the most genuine energy. If you are dragging yourself out of bed at 5am and are still tired by the end of your workout, then you are not getting your best work out. You might as well just not work out (that would be the equivalent to working out while still exhausted and tired.) Chose a time of day in which a) you have the time b) you are most awake or c.) split up your work out into 2 workouts. For example, cardio in the am and weights or yoga or resistance workout in the evening, or vice versa.
I'm slowly getting the hang of this blog writing thing, as I have mentioned before.... so I hope to be updating more frequently now.
Ciao Bella's!!
