So many people, women especially, are very overwhelmed by the thought of healthy eating. I think most women think of healthy eating as going on diet, eating lots of vegetables, eliminating bread or soy, meal prepping, spending lots of money, dirty dishes, screaming kids at their feet, stress, or even sacrifice. To be overwhelmed by the pure thought of eating healthy means one thing: that you need to start small, and that you need to make it easy. I have learned through my own experiences and through helping other women that making healthy eating simple is what makes it so much more attainable.
Everyday I scroll through my social media accounts and see picture after picture of tasty new recipes. I probably have at least two dozen screen shots of recipes I’ve thought about making but never got around to. Anyone else do the same thing? Several days a week I think about how it would be fun to make healthy treats with my kids but the idea of figuring the macros on each one sounds too exhausting so I don’t bother. My point here is, you don’t have to! Start making small, simple changes every day, week, or month, and those small changes will add up to big results. Making the decision to eat healthier shouldn’t be complicated and overwhelming. If it is, it becomes unsustainable and you’ll quit before you ever see any results.
If you hate to cook, don’t. If you hate green concoction smoothies(me!!), don’t make them. If you hate recipes with 20+ ingredients, don’t use them. I suggest avoiding things that are overwhelming or scary to you and finding a way around them, or an alternative. Don’t set the bar so high for yourself that you can’t make it through the month of January without quitting.
What may be simple to me, is not necessarily simple to you. I’m going to use myself as an example here, so bare with me. I have found that when it comes to dinner I’m a spur of the moment kind of gal. I don’t typically plan meals for the week and often find myself going to the store every few days. I buy the things I know I like and we tend to eat a lot of the same meals. Making a menu for the whole week and then creating a whole list of grocery items I need to buy stresses me out, so I avoid it. I enjoy cooking, but I hate having to chop up vegetables all the time because it’s so time consuming. So…I usually pre chop any fresh vegetables I buy at the store and put them in a ziplock bags for the week or I just use frozen vegetables from the freezer. These are things that work for ME, and help me to keep healthy eating simple.
For you healthy eating might be made simple by planning your meals for the week, making grocery lists, buying only what you plan to cook with, buying pre chopped vegetables, buying frozen prepared meals, or even using a service like Blue Apron. These things are all okay because they’re what work for YOU in your life and they help youk to make better choices. You might think some of these things are extravagant, and I’m all for saving a buck, but when it comes to living healthy I don’t think we should put a price on that. If you need to spend money on a cooking classes, a nutrition coach, or a deep freezer to store healthy foods, go for it!
These are just some thoughts I’ve had on my mind this past month because I know a lot of women like to make a fresh start this time of year, which is awesome! However, if you’re struggling with your New Year’s resolution to eat healthier already take a step back and simplify. This isn’t a sprint ladies. If you want long term, lasting results, you need to run the marathon.
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