This isn’t to suggest that maintaining healthy eating habits is simple. It’s not. You have to be dedicated to the practice of choosing the right foods and treating nutrition as fuel, not enjoyment. Still, the more focus you put on your overall wellness, the better off you’ll be.
Though you don’t need an excuse to start maintaining healthy eating habits, you may want a little nudge to get your mind moving in a positive direction. Therefore, check out the following life situations where nibbling on healthier bites just makes great sense.
You Want to Save Money
Who wouldn’t want to save more of their money, right? As it turns out, preserving your wealth could have a food-related connection.
For instance, did you realize that around 10% of the average person’s spending cash goes toward fast food purchases? In other words, if someone has $1000 each month in disposable income to use on anything, $100 will go toward burgers, pizza, fries, and other bad-for-you items.
Instead of spending your life running from one drive-through to the next or trying the latest and greatest coffee concoction, start maintaining healthy eating habits. Your wallet and bank account will appreciate your thoughtfulness. This doesn’t mean you can never treat yourself, but do it occasionally and thoughtfully rather than every morning or evening.
Not sure you’ll really save a bundle? Test yourself. Put a big jar in your house. Every time you avoid going to a fast-food restaurant, add money to the jar. Make the amount about what you would spend, such as $5 or $10. At the end of the month, count the cash. No doubt you’ll be pleasantly surprised to realize you have socked away enough to buy something more lasting than an ice cream cone or soda.
You Are Getting Married
Many brides and grooms use their upcoming nuptials as reasons to begin maintaining healthy eating habits. Usually, the impetus is to look great on their wedding day in a dress, tuxedo, or whatever attire they’re wearing. However, sometimes couples also just want to be able to start their lives together on a healthier note.
As an example, let’s say you’re getting married next year. Now is a terrific time to start thinking about how you can start maintaining healthy eating habits. Even if you just cut out some unhealthy foods every week and start going to the gym more frequently, you’re bound to see incredible changes by the time you say “I do” and give each other a wedding ring.
As an added incentive, why not agree as a team that if you stay on track that you’ll splurge a little on an active honeymoon. You could trek high mountains or even run a 10K as a dynamic duo. Whatever keeps you on course is worth trying as you’re maintaining healthy eating habits. You may even want to set aside the money you save on fast food, as mentioned above, to squirrel away for a new house. Being newly wedded and a home buyer can make married life even more exciting and wonderful!
You Are Having a Baby
Congratulations! You just found out that you’re going to have a baby. In between figuring out how to decorate your nursery and investigating locations to have a baby shower close to the due date, give some serious thought to maintaining healthy eating habits.
Remember: You’ll be eating for two. That doesn’t mean you should overeat, though. It just means that you need to start thinking about how what you put in your mouth could affect the growth of your child.
Most doctors recommend that pregnant women increase their intake of nutrient-rich foods. These include items containing lots of calcium, vitamins, and minerals. Yes, you can satisfy your sweet tooth cravings once in a while. Just resist the urge to go overboard. You’re going to gain weight while pregnant, but you don’t want the weight gain to be so excessive that you can’t get back to a healthy weight after you bring your baby home.
Are you unsure how best to rearrange your typical diet so you can keep maintaining healthy eating habits during your pregnancy and while you’re nursing? Ask your physician for some advice. Many doctors will be able to point to special diets online that include what to eat, when to eat it, and even some great recipes to try so you don’t get bored of certain foods.
When you see your newborn’s face, you’ll be glad you took the time to begin maintaining healthy eating habits.
You Were Injured
The unthinkable happened and now you’re nursing a bad injury. Maybe it happened when you tripped running through a crowded airport to catch your connector flight. Perhaps it was the result of an awful car accident that left you with a personal injury, mounting medical bills, and insurance claim frustrations. Whatever the reason, you’re tempted by the kitchen cupboard more and more often. After all, you can’t go anywhere, and food seems to be the only thing that comforts you.
Before you continue on this self-destructive path, stop. Take a deep breath and think about your situation. The smartest way to get better is to follow the advice of your healthcare providers. In addition to attending all your scheduled appointments and therapy sessions, do your body a favor and eat as healthy as you can.
Maintaining healthy eating habits is especially critical when you’re getting less exercise than you were prior to your injury. You’re naturally burning fewer calories because you’re sitting or lying down more often. And that means you shouldn’t be eating as much as before. However, you don’t have to go hungry, either. Choose high-fiber, full-flavor dishes that will satisfy you without adding too many calories to your daily intake.
Want a few recommendations for replacing healthy foods with not-as-healthy ones? When you’re in the mood for ice cream, treat yourself to plain yogurt drizzled with honey, a few dried cranberries, and almond slivers. If you are just going crazy to drink a cream-based hot beverage, make yourself cocoa or coffee, and use skim milk. Oh, and always load up on colorful salads drenched in a light vinaigrette dressing. Having one with or before every meal will give you the chance to fill up without filling out.
Your Kids Are Learning From Home
It’s a part of modern-day life for many parents: kids learning their school work at home. Even if you love helping your children get a good education, you might also feel a little stressed out at the prospect of being a surrogate teacher. As a result, you might reach for comforting foods such as candies or chips throughout the day.
Here’s the issue: Not only are you sabotaging your own wellness, but you’re illustrating poor behaviors that your kids could take into their teenage and adult years. Therefore, get on the track of maintaining healthy eating habits by limiting snacking. When you do want to eat something, nibble on fruit or slices of veggies. In fact, when you think you’re hungry, drink a glass of water first. You may discover you were thirsty all along. If you’re still famished after the water, munch on something nutritious before allowing yourself to grab salty or sweet items.
Over time, making these little changes will ensure that your kids will realize that part of taking care of themselves is eating for life, not for fun.
You Want to Reinvent Yourself
Are you tired of looking in the mirror and feeling like you could be so much more? Is building your personal brand important to you? You’ll absolutely want to start maintaining healthy eating habits.
Giving yourself a personal refresh is healthy, particularly if it’s done for all the right reasons. Nevertheless, reinvention takes a lot of commitment. For example, if you’ve never jogged a day in your life and you’ve decided to become a marathoner, you’ll need to do more than buy a pair of great-looking running sneakers. You’ll have to plan out a way to get from where you are today to where you’d like to be tomorrow or a month from now.
Here’s the really cool thing, though: you can reset your life at any age and for any reason. Some people like to go on personal vision quests when they lose a job, get a divorce, or have another major life change. Whatever your reason for embarking on a reinvention, embrace the experience fully. Write down everything during your journey. It’ll be something you’ll want to look back on when you reach the destination that you’ve dreamed about for so long.
You Want to Lose Weight
Obviously, maintaining healthy eating habits is essential if your overarching goal is to lose weight. However, don’t get too stuck on the idea of weight loss alone. Losing some pounds and inches is terrific and can lead to a much happier life. With that being said, you should always combine your weight loss with activity.
Don’t worry: You aren’t supposed to begin swimming miles in the pool every day or lifting super-heavy weights. Start small. Join a gym or begin to take walks in your neighborhood. Buy a bike and ride it to work a few days a week as part of a health-conscious commute. Make activity a daily must-do that you never avoid.
You can cut back on calories and detox like crazy, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll stay fit after you stop your diet. The easiest way to keep the weight from coming back is by maintaining healthy eating habits and supplementing those habits with regular physical exercise.
You Want a Higher Energy Level
Does it feel like you’re always dragging through your day? You may have low energy stores due to the foods you’re eating. What you put in your body will affect your vim and vigor, causing you to feel tired when you shouldn’t.
When you first focus on maintaining healthy eating habits, you’ll probably notice a spike in your energy. Suddenly, your brain won’t feel as foggy, and you won’t be drained by five o’clock. Make note of these wonderful changes, and prepare to capitalize on them.
Not sure what to eat to give your energy stores a jumpstart? Try foods that are closer to their original states and haven’t been altered with added fats or sodium. For instance, instead of eating corn chips, make yourself a fresh corn, bean, lime juice, cilantro, and chili powder salad. You’ll be more satisfied and you’ll also get a natural pick-me-up from the ingredients.
Eventually, you’ll start reaching for all the right foods in your cupboard and wonder why you didn’t begin maintaining healthy eating habits sooner!
You’re Moving Into Another Decade of Life
Your birthday is approaching and it’s a ten-year milestone. Whether you’re turning 30 or 70, you should take time to reconsider your eating habits. You may even want to start to fight off the risk of developing age-related diseases and chronic conditions.
Even if you’re in the best shape of your life, you can always benefit from gravitating toward healthier meals. Include more fiber in your diet and pull back on your use of salt. Stop frying items that could be baked instead. Make more dishes from scratch instead of buying the pre-made versions. All of these little switches can help you move into your next decade without courting medical problems.
Are you already starting to notice some annoyances related to aging, such as feeling more tired at night, having memory blips, or experiencing muscles and joint aches in the days after a light workout? Then you need to start eating healthy even more. The next time you go to the grocery store, bring a list based on the recipes you want to make for the week and follow the list to a T. Try maintaining healthy eating habits for at least three weeks to a month. At that point, you can evaluate how it’s helped. No doubt you’ll be impressed with all the differences you can see and feel! And that’s a great birthday present to give yourself and your loved ones: the gift of more years to live and learn.
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