Home Blog Page 27

Can Grocery Delivery Services Help You Eat Better?

In our area, grocery delivery service is expanding.  I found out about it several years ago and used it.  

I was preparing for some minor surgery and part of my recovery was that I could not lift anything heavier than a jug of milk.  Yuck.  So when I found this service from my local supermarket, I tried it out and loved it.

I have gone back to shopping in person, but part of that is because I am reading a lot of labels now and I actually enjoy doing it and I have the time privilege.  

The use of these delivery services I think is great.  I completely agree with all of the points in this article and when I thought about writing an article based on the same thing I thought, why, its all pretty clear here.  Anything to help the hardest part of the process is a good thing.  If having the junk food in the house is an issue for you, try delivery.  

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/can-grocery-delivery-services-help-eat-better/

10 Ways to Enjoy What You Eat

When you are talking about diet, what does that mean to you?

Does that mean, the food you eat?  As in your diet.  Or does it mean a restrictive way of eating?  As in you are ‘on a diet’.  It all depends on your perspective.

There are the people out there that will always see the word ‘diet’ as a dirty word.  It just implies all sorts of negative feelings and it doesn’t matter how you talk about it, it is just an awful word.  If you use the word diet as a way of describing the food you eat, it won't have nearly the same effects emotionally.

I ask this question because when we talk about losing a few pounds, or even talk about losing a lot of weight, the subject comes around to the food you eat.  As it should, but in most people, it has the same feeling as ‘Monday Morning' ugh.

This is where it comes down to perspective.  If you really hate Monday mornings, is it really that day you hate or is it your job you hate?  Once you are retired, the days of the week are completely irrelevant.  So, if eventually, Mondays will no longer be so toxic, will the word diet get that same disregard?  Probably not, because we will still be eating.

If we continue to eat, should we not figure out a way to do it in a way that we enjoy it without it causing us to regret everything we consume?

So, people talk about food as if it had emotions tied to it.  The food does not have emotions tied to us, so why do we eat when dealing with emotions?

I am not an expert in eating disorders.  Let me make that really clear.  What I do know is that nearly everyone I know has a ‘go-to’ food when they are sad and whenever we celebrate we eat.  For whatever reason, we eat in a direct relation to our emotions.  So if this is true, and I really believe it is, shouldn’t we learn to enjoy our food?

We are, believe it or not, wired to receive and experience pleasure.  It is how we are made.  We do our best to make babies laugh.  Not because we are just nice people, but because a baby laugh is one of the most contagious things out there.  Ok, I have to admit, thinking about baby laughs, I just went to youtube and looked up baby laughs and it is now playing in the background.  And then went to my own phone to listen to my own grandson laugh, because after all, it is the best in my world.

I think we love this laugh because it is so real.  They don’t control it. It is not fake.  It is not restricted.  It is so real.  It is also what most of us wish we did more often.  I have talked about this before, Smile.  And it is still the same.  We are wired for pleasure, so we need to make sure we have some, even in our food.

I recently heard a doctor talking about our diet and our diets.  When we choose to restrict our diet and put ourselves on a diet, we stop enjoying the food we are eating.  We look at what we are restricting ourselves from and we no longer get any pleasure from what we are eating.  This causes our brains to want what we have decided to do without.  So by not eating carbs, that is the thing that our brains focus on and it becomes a vicious cycle.  

  • “ I want a bowl of chips.  
  • You can’t have a bowl of chips.
  • Yes , but I want one.
  • Don’t you want that summer body?
  • Right now all I want is a bowl of chips.
  • Fine just have a small bowl.
  • Yum!
  • Why did I do that?
  • I must get back on track.”
  • “I want a bowl of chips.”

Sound familiar?

All of us who have restricted ourselves have felt this.  It is only natural.  The key to overcoming that is by doing everything you can to enjoy what you actually are eating.  If you really are enjoying what you are eating, the pull toward the “forbidden” is not as strong.  And then when you do reward yourself with some ‘not on the program’ food, you don’t need as much to feel fulfilled. And won’t feel the new way of eating as a punishment but rather as a way of fueling your body and comprising on the way to eat vs the cravings of junk.

So, do what you can to enjoy the food you are eating:

  1. Drink from a crystal glass
  2. Use your china
  3. Light a candle
  4. Sit in the dining room
  5. Remember to ‘plate’ your food
  6. Slow down and taste each bite
  7. Use spice to stop boredom
  8. Change it up, try new things
  9. Try not to eat alone, the company is a good thing.
  10. Use colorful food, beige is boring.

It’s your body, your choice.  Choose to enjoy your food.

Looking good and feeling good go hand in hand. If you have a healthy lifestyle, your diet and nutrition are set, and you're working out, you're going to feel good. – Jason Statham

Chia Seed Pudding

Ok, so this is going to be a little different for most of you.  I got introduced to chia a couple of years ago and it has taken a little getting used to.  It is really good for you.  

It completely changes its texture as it soaks in liquid and makes for a really cool thing to add to puddings to get that jelly type texture.

Chia is full of a surprising amount of nutrients for its size.

  • Chia Seeds Deliver a Massive Amount of Nutrients With Very Few Calories
  • Almost All The Carbs in Them Are Fiber
  • Chia Seeds Are Loaded With Antioxidants
  • Chia Seeds Are High in Quality Protein
  • Due to The High Fiber and Protein Content, Chia Seeds Should be Able to Help You Lose Weight
  • Chia Seeds Are High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  • Chia Seeds May Improve Certain Blood Markers, Which Should Lower The Risk of Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes
  • They Are High in Many Important Bone Nutrients
  • Chia Seeds Can Cause Major Improvements in Type 2 Diabetics
  • Chia Seeds Can Improve Exercise Performance as Much as a Sports Drink
  • Chia Seeds Are Easy to Incorporate Into Your Diet

So, if you are going to incorporate something new into your diet, try Chia Seeds.
http://www.alive.com/recipe/chia-seed-pudding/

Learn to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

We, as humans, are creatures of habit and comfort.  We tend to be drawn to things that make us comfortable.  Comfortable is not always a good thing.  You can look all over the internet for sayings about comfort and you will find things like:

  • Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
  • Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.
  • Great things never come from comfort zones

So then my question is this;

  • Why are we so drawn to something that we really shouldn’t be?
  • What are the kinds of things that we are avoiding when we are seeking our comfort zone?
  • Why do we crave it so much?
  • What is NOT there in that zone?
  • What are we avoiding by staying in that zone?

Well, I think like most things that we are drawn to, there is an element of familiar.  But there is also the biggest factor, no conflict.

We generally don’t like conflict.  I actually know people that seem to thrive in actual chaos.  Real chaos.  But most of us are trying to avoid that which is uncomfortable.  We eat the foods we know.  We go to the places that make us feel good.  We socialize with people that make us relax.  We avoid things that bring us pain.  We will do all sorts of things to avoid conflict and sometimes that is good, but sometimes it can really be harmful.

Think of what it would be like if we were never in places of discomfort.  Well, one of the very first things that we do as humans is cry.  We cry out of discomfort.  It’s cold and bright.  But the alternative is not great, so we are born.  But also think of that mother, the only way she begins the process of having a baby is because although uncomfortable for both her and the baby, there will be moments of both comfort and uncomfortable.  It doesn’t last forever, but it is part of the greatest thing ever, a new life.

If we were never made to be in the uncomfortable position of having a job interview, we would be faced with the uncomfortable position of being in the welfare system.  Not the best place to be.

If we never step out and say hi to that new person, we would all still be at home alone with no friends and no chance of making friends.

I could go on for a very long time about things that we have done in our lives that were way out of our comfort zone and we survived.  In fact, in most situations, we thrived.

As another saying goes;  Diamonds are created under pressure.

Don’t let me misguide you, I am the first person to hide away from things that make me uncomfortable, but it will certainly be in different ways than what makes you uncomfortable.  Each of us has our own zone of comfort and uncomfortable.  The key to all of this I believe is finding your zones and deciding which zones you want to stay in, which ones you want to avoid and which ones you will bounce in and out of.

For some of us, the idea of changing our food habits is a really big zone change.  When I started with a trainer years and years ago, I encouraged Doug to join me.  His only motivation was to do it so that he could continue to eat whatever he wanted.  The idea of changing his diet at that time was way too far out of range.  However, when we started 5 ½ years ago with Body by Brandt, both of our attitudes had changed.  We were now willing to do whatever it took to make our bodies healthy and it was food as well as activity that worked for us.  For some people, the idea of sweating is just gross.  Ok, I get that.  That personal funk we get after we sweat can be completely offensive.  It also can last way too long.  Some people think that exercise is just boring and therefore not going to happen.  I agree with that too.  It really can be.  Doug loves to hike.  He could walk forever.  I would rather run.

At the end of the day, we simply need to come to the realization that our comfort zone is actually not our goal.  Most of our days are not spent in the discomfort zone.  It is just a zone, neither good nor bad just there.  So, we need to find a way to tell ourselves that we need to spend some time each day in that discomfort zone.  Not all day, just some of our day.

Your discomfort zone may not look the same as your friend’s, spouse’s, kid’s.  It needs to be where you need to do some challenging things.

Your zone may be;

  • better food choices,
  • time in the gym,
  • time reading,
  • time meditating,
  • joining a team or club,
  • or any number of things.

The thing about making this choice is that once you decide to do something uncomfortable, it is already a little less scary.

I will let you in on my uncomfort zone.  I am really uncomfortable in front a camera.  I am overly critical and judge myself way too harshly.  So now that you know that, guess what I have been trying to do?  I am working on overcoming this.  I am getting ready to start to produce a series of videos for you.  We are learning so much about ways to keep you excited about what we are doing and it seems like we can reach more people by being in front of the camera doing videos.

So as you go forward this week, make a commitment to find a new zone and go there.  You don’t have to live there, just visit until it isn’t so bad and at that time you will find a new challenge to overcome.  You will find that doing what challenges you will actually make you feel way better.

 

I want to challenge you today to get out of your comfort zone. You have so much incredible potential on the inside. God has put gifts and talents in you that you probably don't know anything about. – Joel Osteen