FREE YOUR MIND

I thank you all for taking time to join me on this path of creating a better lifestyle not just for yourself but potentially all you care about in your life. This a big step that is being taken, either for better or worse but potentially one that would change the course of your life entirely.

Most of us struggling with changing into a fitness lifestyle are primarily in the working class (as am I), working 9-5’s with little acquisition over what we put into our bodies and limited time and motivation to keep *working* after work. Having a healthy mindset and an energizing body to keep up with all the changes in life is one of the main benefits of this change. Let’s start

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Losing Weight

To start off, I won’t be giving specific details unto what you can do to lose weight, however it will be a generalizing set of ideas and habits that everyone can implement slowly and daily that will see lasting benefits in the long run. As long as you are willing to put in the effort this won’t be anything that can’t be done.

1. SLOW EATING – Before I started to lose weight, looking into diet fads and specific foods to lose weight faster was my goal. Impatience. Very impatient on losing weight and wanted it right then and there. Thus, all areas of my life were filled also, with impatience. Learn patience and control while eating. Slow down the digestion process by chewing food slowly and taking breaks in between the foods on your plate. It might not sound like a lot, however it is a small and very effective way to notice how full you get; especially if you are extremely hungry and will eat anything. Once you start to notice how much food you’re body is in-taking and how full you get from how much you eat, lessening the amount of food on the plate will be easier (being able to track how much you’re supposed to put into the body).

2. CHANGE BREAD – I know this kinda sounds weird and basic, but trust me this is a key part in understanding how detrimental refined carbs are. They pretty much are the bulk of our meals besides protein. Whenever we go to the grocery store and see the cheaper options of wheat or white bread instead of the whole grain bread, it’s for a reason. It’s cheaper because it is easier to maintain and create with limited resources. Refined carbs pack a lot of integrated sugar and take your body on a super high, and after an hour your body crashes. Change your bread to one that contains more protein and less processed carbs (all bread’s are processed carbs). Dave’s Whole Grain Bread is one that I use regularly. If it’s too nasty then toast it and put oil or butter on it. As long as you aren’t eating 3 -4 pieces of bread a day it’ll be fine.

3. EAT YOUR CALORIES – I say this as I mean it; if you are drinking you’re calories then there is a major. major. major problem. This means anything in the form of high sugary drinks like juices, drinks, etc. To even beer which contains yeast that expands the stomach leaving you bloated and inflated for no reason. We live in an age where yes, drinking drinks is more delicious than drinking water; trust me you would want to drink water anyway. It’s the specific and only drink designed to keep us quenched and energized. If you eat you’re calories instead of drinking them, you’ll find that keeping a regulated calorie count is a lot easier even if the drinks are 180 – 200 calories per 8 oz. Which brings me to my 4th point…

4. FOCUS ON MACROS – Macros are the centrifugal aspects of food and drinks. The ingredients, the vitamins, the essentials. Calories mean nothing in the face of macros. Let’s say you eat 2000 calories worth of twinkies vs 2000 calories worth of protein (hypothetically), which one would keep you from crashing out every 20 minutes? Obviously the protein, because protein is such a strong macro designed to keep you full with little calories in it, and twinkies are designed to make you eat them more. Not just because they taste good, but because refined and added sugars have no fiber within them, causing your body to *feel* full even though it isn’t. After 30 minutes or even 15, you feel hungry again because there isn’t substance in a twinkie… just straight sugar. This is a level for every stage of the fitness journey whether you are a beginner or an expert, macros are a lot more than calories especially for maintaining a specific weight goal. Not saying to cut it out entirely, however be mindful of the foods being put in and the ones you’ve already put into you’re body.

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Conclusion

A lifestyle of change comes slowly and it will be a task to implement, even when working 9-5 jobs that provide healthy options (restaurants). These are just small daily habits and ideas to think about and use to make that transition a little bit easier. Nobody else can make the change but you, nobody can force you or tell you to do this. It’s a choice; one that must be made and understood if you truly want to find a lifestyle that suits you…

Thank you.