As humans, we are hard-wired to eat! We are meant to consume food for energy, growth, and repair. We often use food for many things though: to celebrate, soothe, comfort, and for some a career. A general focus on nourishment with a few easy-to-implement ideas will help your metabolic health immediately.
Learn to cook: I don't mean reheat frozen meals. I mean to take a 1 ingredient
food such as a pound of ground beef and make it into a meal. This skill will save you money, and improve your health and waistline. The added benefit is the confidence you gain in yourself. Look at cooking as something to be enjoyed and experimented with! The reward is amazing flavors and experiences!
2. Eat whole unprocessed foods 80 to 90 percent of the time: The other 10 to 20 percent, eat what you like. Eating is meant to be a pleasurable experience that keeps your body functioning optimally. When switching the mindset to "nourishment" from "what am I craving" making a healthy choice becomes easier.
3. Don't eat distracted. Put away your phone, and the TV, and sit down and enjoy your food. Your digestion will thank you. Remind yourself it is ok not to finish all your food. Listen to your body, it is giving you signs, slow down enough to listen.
4. Put your body on a regular schedule of eating. Shoot for eating within 12 hours at a minimum. Eat breakfast by 6 or 7 am and be done with dinner by 6 or 7 pm. This signals to your body that it can focus on other processes besides digestion. Digestion is a very labor-intensive process. Your cells need time to clean out the old dead cells and repair without focusing on digestion.
5. Stop eating at least 3 or 4 hours before bed. This simple habit enables your body to focus on sleep and repairing itself. As the sun goes down so does the effectiveness of our digestion.
6. Sync up your eating with the daylight hours. You are designed to eat more in the morning when your metabolism is burning higher. Eat like a queen for breakfast, especially protein in the morning. Watch your cravings and hanger begin to disappear.
7. Chew your food slowly. Digestion is enhanced through the chewing process. Chewing until your food is almost liquified lets your body absorb the nutrients found in your food.
8. Assess how much water you have drank today. Are you hungry or dehydrated? We often mistake hunger for dehydration. Shooting for one-half of your body weight in ounces is a great place to start. Adding lemon, fruit, or vegetables enhances the mineral content of your water to enhance absorption.
9. Eat a savory protein-forward breakfast, and eat breakfast. Think at least 30 grams of protein to help sustain you the whole day and set up your blood sugar for stability not a trip on Six Flags' highest roller coaster.
10. Take a walk after eating, especially dinner. Utilizing the glycogen stored in your muscles allows the food you have just eaten to be transported into your cells. It can even bypass insulin and be transported straight to your cells by giving your pancreas a break.
One of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself is an investment in your health. This investment will always deliver a great ROI. You are worth the effort, every time! It does not have to be complicated, focus on real whole foods and balanced meals. Pick up heavy things a couple of times a week, walk as much as you can, and get some sleep! You are meant to thrive!
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