“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” And many times, that first step is the hardest to take.
Many people see healthy eating as a massive shift in lifestyle that requires months of preparation, research, and Zen like focus on the ideal physical image or health. In addition to this approach being simply wrong and misinformed, it is devastating to to your hopes of ever getting started.
Here is a little secret about getting healthy again… your health did not suddenly disappear, leaving you out of shape, tired, and overweight in the blink of an eye. It was a gradual process. So why do you think getting healthy needs to happen overnight as well?
Start small. Look at one single aspect of your eating habits, like snacks. Make a list of all the snacks you keep around the house, and all the things you impulse buy in the checkout line or at the gas station. Then see what you can substitute, and start swapping things out. Are you a microwave popcorn fan? Try a light butter alternative, and shake on a little bit of dry, low fat dressing mixes. Do you scream for ice cream? Try some frozen yogurt or a coconut milk brand. Love a quick bag of chips after you fill up the gastank? See what your local gas staton convenience store also has roasted almonds or trail mix.
Spend a few minutes online and find some recipes for low fat snacks and healthy dessert ideas. You can find flourless cakes, low calorie cookies, and dozens of delicious and healthy alternatives to the prepackaged snacks and treats we all know and love. Make a healthy food list devoted solely to low calorie, low fat snacks, and every once in a while, when a craving hits you, swap out the Twinkies for a handful of almonds and cranberries. Check off what you swapped, then look at that list at the end of the week to see how many times you made the healthy choice.
Small changes, with small goals, will do more for your health goals than all the preparation and self motivational talks in the world. Because that first step is SO important. Until you take it, you are just going nowhere.