What YOU put in your mouth

What’s going in your mouth matters! This might be the most crucial realization you face.

Your health and well-being mainly comes down to what you decide to put in your mouth to eat. Every day all of us choose what we will eat. We typically are driven by cravings, how much time we have, how we are feeling, and if we want to cook or not. I’m sure there are many other factors I haven’t listed, but we might make the wrong choice based on several factors.

If I am stressed at work and simply want to go home to relax and release the stress, I usually make a bad choice on the drive home! The dreaded “FAST FOOD” swing in the drive-thru. But there are other weeks when I PLAN ahead, meal prep on Sunday nights so it’s all in containers for me to reheat when I get home during the week. My meal prep is veggies/salad and protein. It’s in those weeks when I’ve planned ahead, I eat better and FEEL better.

What we chose to eat also affects how we feel on the inside. When I have a day of sugar/sweets my body feels sluggish and I want to take a nap! Our bodies are incredible when we really think about it. It responds well when we feed it well. The flip side is the same. When we feed it poorly it responds poorly.

For me, I’m trying to be more mindful about food and what I put in my mouth. “Sugar” is addictive and extremely bad for our bodies. Eat fresh, out-of-the-ground food that you can chop with a knife or peel – not food typically on the inside isles of the grocery store with so many preservatives you have no idea what the words on the label mean.

I know it’s not always easy. My road is an up and down one with my weight and health. I think “it’s never to late to make a change”. Try to plan your meals to avoid last-minute choices. That’s where I get hung up – it’s in the last-minute choices when I make terrible choices!

You have heard all of this before – What I’m sharing is more food for thought.

Here’s to our health and well-being! Keep going….

Deanna

What Happened to my Great Body?

Where did my college body go? What happened to my strong resolve to say “no” when offered a piece of cake? After having two babies, menopause, and postmenopause, fast forward to middle age. My body, while remarkable as God made it, has changed dramatically since my twenties. I’ve made a lot of bad food choices on top of experiencing major life events. The question now is – How do I get my body back? Can I do this at my age? Will my body resist or appreciate the effort to change back to healthy?

My body is different, so a new game plan needs to be figured out. I do think the old “no” to cake or sugar is the first start. Saying no to sugar is always a good plan. This will be week one of my journey. I’m active in walking and moving every hour but I will shoot to add some simple weight lifting twice a week for the upper body and lower body.

I want this to be easy and simple. Week 1 – Say no to sugar. Weight lift – easy sets 2 times this week. Move my body more. Drink MORE water.

I will report next week on my progress. Small repetitive steps are key! Just like doing accounting – it’s about being consistent.

Have a GREAT WEEK….

Here’s to BETTER HEALTH.

Deanna

Exercise is a state of mind

Sit back and let me tell you a tale about one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done in my life.

Many moons ago, I was married to an extremely smart professor who lifted weights six days a week and rested on the Sabbath. I never felt the need to work out (weight lift), but he encouraged me to at least work out 2 days a week with him. One day for the upper body, and the second for the lower body. I didn’t feel my body was that out of shape, but I did give birth to two kids. Ladies, you can certainly relate to how our body changes to accommodate giving birth. But I digress, so back on to the story.

After a few months of working out with the smart professor, my body got firm in areas I wasn’t previously firm. I liked the look, the feel, and boy did it do wonders for my self-esteem. I could wear a mini skirt again! Back then, that was HOT!

One thing I didn’t like was being forced to work out. I had to do sit-ups before bed and in the morning. He’d comment on what I ate if he felt it wasn’t what I should be eating. You probably guessed by now, that he was a control freak. I don’t like the word freak, but it conveys what I need to get across in this tale.

We ended up getting a divorce for lots of reasons. I wished him well and left with two kids in tow. I was grateful for the tight thighs and feeling great about my body, which I owed all that to him and his control. BUT in my rebellion of not wanting to be controlled, I STOPPED working out from that point on! That was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. So so wrong…

Fast forward fifteen years, here I am mid-fifties struggling to lose because it’s even harder at my age now! I get up at 5:45 am to get my butt to the gym and work out at least 3 times a week. BUT I LOVE to work out now. I FEEL so much better and have more energy than when I don’t work out. I notice a high feeling on the days I do work on my body. The only difference is – No one is forcing me now. I simply do it for myself and my own health.

I’m glad this tale has a happy ending, but I sure wish I could go back in time and change that stupid moment in time! (LOL) Life is a journey… ups and downs… good and bad.

Exercise is really a state of mind! It’s all in how you look at it.

Love and blessings – and here’s to our health.

Deanna