4 Nutrional Epiphanys That Changed My Life - #3 was a Game Changer
One of my favorite health quotes is, “Exercise is king, nutrition is queen. Put the them both together and you have a kingdom.” Exercise and training have so many amazing benefits. Improved strength, it speeds up a slumbered metabolism, increased self confidence, and that sweet release of dopamine release just to name a few. But, what about the other side of the kingdom? The proverbial queen so to speak. I became a certified nutritionist to help my clients improve the entire kingdom of health. Here are 4 nutritional/habitual epiphanies that have changed my nutritional game and ones that have helped my buddies poke fun of me for having abs at 37 :)
“Are you hungry? Or just bored?”
The question that made me rethink my whole dietary approach in my 20’s. As an athlete at university, with training 6-7 days per week I felt like I was always hungry! I would eat supper, then an hour later be hungry. Sound familiar? I would eat popcorn, crackers, chips, cookies etc. I knew I had to make a change, my playing weight in season was usually around 190 lbs, and I was sitting at 208 lbs. I chatted with a friend of mine who was going to school to become a dietician, and she asked me this game changing question, “Are you hungry? Or just bored?” So we made a deal. If I was in fact hungry, then the plan was to eat whole foods, and not snack. I thought I was going to consume too many calories, but it turns out it was the opposite! No more popcorn and instead I would have a salad with graded cheese and salsa, or a banana with peanut butter to fill the void. I went from 208 lbs, and 16% body fat, to 192 lbs and 9% body fat in 2 months (and over the holiday months too!) A great epiphany that I still benefit from to this day. So if you suffered from snacking like I did, ask yourself, “ Am I hungry? Or just bored?”
I committed to no sugar in my drinks
There are always exceptions to the rules, and that would be wine. I made this deal with myself because I love pie, cheesecake, and white carbs, but, you can’t haver it all, if you try to at some point you will be forced to make some very challenging dietary adjustments. But, that is why this epiphany was so useful! I got ahead of the game and began to empower myself and said no more pop, fruit juices, sports drinks, and sugar in my coffee or tea. Easily one of the most beneficial habits I improved on in my 20’s. My doctor accredits my healthy hormone tests to the fact that I do not consume a lot of refined sugar in my diet anymore. It’s not to say that sugar is completely omitted. I just pick my battles.
No more Sunday Fun Days
Well lets just say I re defined what the ever popular #SundayFunDay hashtag meant to me. Sunday fun day used to mean sleeping in, meeting up with the pals to watch some NFL or MLB at the pub, ordering a Caesar, and having a nice greasy breakfast to kickstart the day. I would get home around 3 pm, kick back and relax, then I would wonder why I felt sluggish on Monday morning. Now, I was programmer at this time, and things were getting busier, and I needed to be spry and primed for a 5 am start and long Monday of work. So, I decided to not wait for Monday morning to prime my week, and I began to prime my week on Sunday. I began to get up at 8 am, get a 9 am workout in, have a coffee and a read after, then take my dog out and run some errands. Before I knew it, it was 3 pm and I felt amazing! I felt like this I was getting the edge and I loved it. I was rolling on Monday with a purpose and being more productive than I had ever been before, and frankly more motivated. I re defined what Sunday Fun day meant, and it no doubt has been a game changer.
Alcohol Free Monday-Friday
Do you ever drink Trainer? The answer is yes. Just infrequently. This means I would save a nice cocktail or scotch for those Saturday nights with my grandpa or dad, or have my beer for the MLB game of the week. No more wing night temptation with the fellas, or happy hour on Friday with the co workers. I made Saturday night my night to have a drink and enjoy the week of hard work. I have a drink or two guilt free on Saturday’s because I know I’ll be back on the health train on Sunday and priming my week the way I like to. Less fuzzy headed mornings, more money in the pocket, and yes those 36 year old abs my buddies joke about :)
Stay healthy my friends! The key to change is within you. What has helped you make improvements?