“The mind has great influence over the body, and maladies often have their origin there.” — Moliere
Have you ever found yourself wondering why everyone is always “trying” to lose weight?
Which excuses have you heard? Or better yet, given yourself?
“Healthy food tastes gross.” “It’s too expensive.” “It takes too much time to make.”
Which is it?
Instead, we decide to follow these weight-loss plans that put too much emphasis on expelling more calories in a workout than what we consume in our food. So does that mean if I eat a bag of marshmallows, I just have to run extra hard tomorrow? How about a Big Mac!
Do you really think this is healthy? Do you ever wonder why we find ourselves attempting these diets for a few weeks, then just not having the will power to eat the tasteless low-calorie options and then have tendencies to binge on all the bad foods that we used to love.
And then following this is a workout fiasco to try to expel all those calories once again.
It can really lead to a serious struggle!
What’s important to understand is that achieving your ideal weight is not only achievable, but the food can be inexpensive, quick and taste great.
If you are trying to lose weight, you need to first start by digging a little deeper.
Becoming healthy requires a more holistic approach … looking at yourself from a ‘whole’ perspective. We all have different tastes, lifestyles, social influences, emotional attachments and physical addictions to the foods we eat. In order to truly better our health, we need to gain a better relationship with our self.
I have three suggestions to get you started:
• Start keeping a daily journal. Write down what you eat and how you feel. Every day. And each week, look back on it. This will show you your relationship with food.
• Never take foods away from your diet . Rather, start adding some of the things you know are good for you that you like. Everyone has a favourite fruit or vegetable. Start there.
• Maintain a positive intention. We all have such limiting beliefs when it comes to our health. Excuses will not get you healthy! You have to start believing that it is possible. Start to believe that healthy food does taste good. The most flavourful foods are the ones that are the best for us: garlic, onions, cilantro, herbs and spices. It’s just about finding the right combinations. Think about all the delicious fruits and vegetables out there. We all love to pick fresh strawberries, raspberries or pick up some juicy peaches. These are all good for you!
If you just dig a little deeper you will find some simple, great tasting, and healthy recipes that will start to become routine in your daily eating habits before you know it.
With positive intention, your journey to health will unfold before you. Monitor your daily thoughts and keep them positive. You are a beautiful/handsome, healthy being just waiting to shine through.
Keep going and know that it’s not just about food and exercise. It’s also about thoughts, emotions and intentions. I’ll be here to help you on this journey. So stay tuned!
Healthy, easy, tasty breakfast
1 cup cooked 10-grain porridge (Red Mills)
½ cup fresh berries (blueberries, strawberries, your choice!)
¼ cup coconut flakes
1 tsp cinnamon
½ handful of raisins
½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Kristin Fraser, BSc, is a local freelance columnist. She can be reached at kristin_fraser@hotmail.com