Tuesday, May 17, 2011

There's Nothing Little About Small Steps (Part I)

Tell me if you relate to this story:

You decide you want to eat a little healthier, exercise a little more and maybe even live a little greener. So... you buy more veggies but then don't know what to do with them so they rot in your fridge and you end up throwing them out. Or maybe you end up eating them (reluctantly) but then feel guilty because you didn't buy organic. Then you buy new running shoes but barely make it to the end of your street before you feel like you're going to have a heart attack. Or maybe you spend a couple hundred bucks for the latest exercise program (P90X anyone?) but after a few minutes you end up watching good old Tony do his thing while you drink a Gatorade. It's okay though because you recycle that Gatorade bottle. In fact, you even bought a case of organic energy bars at Costco for this new diet.

I think we're all trying our best. And while we may start off with good intentions I think many us get overwhelmed, feel like we need to revamp our whole life and then end up doing nothing. Well, here's where I think small steps are highly underrated. I think little changes, smart choices, and a whole lot of high fives and pats on the back are just what we need to live a healthier, happier life.

If you want to eat healthier, don't feel like you have to change your entire diet overnight. Here are some simple ideas:
- Start with adding fresher ingredients. Check out your local farmer's market and get some greens. Have fun with it. Feel good about it. You can even ask the farmers for suggestions on how to prepare your new goodies.
- Try adding one more vegetable to your cart and one less processed, packaged snack each time you go to the grocery store. By the end of the month you'll have a bunch of fresh new veggies in your diet and ideally a lot less things you could really live without.
- "Shop the perimeter". I don't know who came up with the term but the concept is fantastic. Basically, you want to spend less time in the middle aisles where items tend to be more processed. Instead, fill your basket with items from the perimeter of the grocery store: fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, seafood and dairy products.

The bottom line - the more opportunities you give yourself to eat fresh whole foods, the more your body will appreciate it. So be good to yourself, one bite at a time.

Kim

9 comments:

  1. Rotten food, CHECK! Hate throwing out food.
    P90X - Day 1 - 10 minutes; Day 2 - 15 minutes; Day 3 - 15 minutes. Day 4...P90Xtinct. Good thing I borrowed it. I'll try again soon. Thanks for the encouragement!

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  2. Hey, good job getting to 15 minutes...twice. There's comfort in knowing we're all trying our best.

    Thank you my faithful commenter :)

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  3. Wow Kim... Thanks! Also beautiful veggies and beautiful pictures! Keep the blog coming! xoxo Tam

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  4. I dropped 48 pounds in 10 weeks with a crazy diet and massive amounts of exercise and if anything, I learned one thing. (Actually, I already knew it) It's that its all in your head. Your body can handle a lot more without your brain mucking it up for you....Eat, exercise, and enjoy it. It'll go by or down a lot easier.

    Just don't tell my Noah and Maya that rice and spam aren't actual food groups. It would just crush them....lol

    Mike.

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  5. Hi Tam! Thanks for reading. Yes, the garden is like another baby. I have to take pictures every week and show off how much they've grown :) xoxo

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  6. Michael,

    First of all, I can't imagine you had 48 lbs to lose. And even if you did, 10 weeks?? Really? I bet there was some kind of competition involved. You guys are crazy when it comes to those things.

    As for Noah and Maya, I won't tell them that spam and rice aren't food groups as long as you don't tell Sierra that mommy puts kale in her smoothies. Deal? :)

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  7. Yoga and meditation. They were my new Year's resolutions and I step over my $200 Zabuton (meditation cushion) every morning. I avoid it like the plague. My goal is just 10 minutes a day of each but everything seems more important than that (Oprah's last season, dishes, laundry, new book, ET announcing Schwarzennegger's affair etc. ). I once read "the most important things in life are usually not urgent and the urgent things in life are usually not important"

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  8. I like the shopping the perimeter concept ... Anything to shorten the amount of time spent at the grocery store !

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  9. You're right. Competition, not a better lifestyle was my motivation. You know me too well.....

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