Getting Started-The First Steps
Clean eating, paleo, whole food diet... these are all buzz words going on right now in the health and diet world. The basic concepts of these are mostly the same: Eat more foods from nature (nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits) and eliminate or minimize processed foods (sugar, dairy, grains).
It seems like common sense, right? Once you cut out the fillers and start nourishing your body with nutrient dense foods you'll not only feel great, increase your energy, stabilize your moods, increase your quality of sleep... but you'll also get rid of inflamation. Inflamation causes a whole host of problems, from food aversions to chronic disease!
This mindful concept of healthy eating sounds great, but how do you get started without being overwhelmed? The task may sound daunting at first, but as you start to make changes, you'll fee more and more amazing, which will motivate you to keep taking steps in the right direction!
To start, simply pay attention to what you're putting into your mouth-purposely cut down on foods that you know aren't good for you. Don't completely deprive yourself. Go ahead, eat that slice of pizza for lunch, just make sure you eat a cup of broccoli BEFORE you take that first bite! The first steps are getting you accustomed to healthier foods...if you flat out swap every dessert or piece of junk food for a cup of vegetables, you won't transition easily. Remember, this isn't a diet, it's a way of life. You want healthy and nutritious foods to be your default, baseline...not boundaries or punishments!
Second, and most importantly: FOCUS and put your full energy into some daily additions- the new essentials to get in every day: lemon water, green drinks, daily sunshine time, staying properly hydrated and intermittent fasting. Do these every day.
Intermittent fasting: What is it? It's having a 12-16 hour window between your last meal of 1 day and your first meal of the next day. For example, you eat dinner at 5pm on Monday evening and then refrain from eating anything else until breakfast on Tuesday morning (not earlier then 5am). That doesn't sound too crazy, right?! Fasting every day has magical benefits. It takes an entire 8 hours for your body to fully digest a meal. By not eating beyond that 8 hours, you're giving your body time to detoxify, reset, regenerate and recharge!
Lemon water: Starting your day with lemon water is the perfect way to break your fast and let your body know that it's time to wake up! Mix 2 Tbs squeezed lemon juice into a glass of warm water. It balances our bodies PH levels, provides electrolytes, aids in muscle and joint pain, detoxifies
aids in digestion and metabolism, cleanses blood and liver...and starting your day with a healthy action makes you feel good and sets you up for success for the rest of the day! Tip: I squeeze a bunch of lemons every few weeks and freeze the juice in an ice cube tray. That way each morning it's all ready, I just pop a cube into my water!
Sunshine time: Each morning, I start my day with "sunshine time" I schedule it in, like the important meeting (with nature & me) that it is! It's a quick 20-30 minutes of cardio- outside. The fresh air, sunshine and alone time is invigorating and sets the tone for the rest of my day. Give it a try!
Staying properly hydrated: Drink half your body weight in ounces of water. Example: If you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of water. Easy peasy!
Green drinks: Calorie for calorie greens hold the most concentrated nutrition of any food. It's easy to get all of the recommended vegetable servings in if you start with a few servings right off the bat- in a green drink! Here are some delicious variations on ways to jazz up a green smoothie!
Basic Base:
3 cups mixed greens (spinach, kale, chard)
2 Tb plain Greek yogurt
1 Tb ground flax seeds
1 tsp chia seeds
½ Cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
Variations: Add the basic base to one of the following:
Basic Fruit
½ cup frozen blueberries
¼ cup frozen strawberries
¼- ½ banana
Orange Julius
1 orange
splash of vanilla
½ cup crushed ice
Chocolate Peanut Butter:
2 Tb unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tb stevia
1 scoop peanut butter powder or peanut butter
½ cup crushed ice
Pina Colada
1 cup pineapple
splash of vanilla
½ cup crushed ice
2 Tb shredded coconut
(use coconut milk in the base)
**If you need more liquid you can add water or more unsweetened milk
Now you've got the information and some basic tools to get started! I know you can do it and I know you're gonna start feeling amazing! After you've got the additions down to being second nature in your daily routine, the next step is focusing on cutting the junk-starting with SUGAR! We'll get into that next!
