Kids Cuisine

I am sharing some concepts that were new (and some very foreign) to me in the early stages of my quest for healthy living, and I hope they may provide some insight to those seeking ways to living healthier. First and foremost, have fun with your journey! Do not take yourself too seriously. If your goal is to release excess weight, it is important to understand you will not have to completely eliminate the foods you love, which was a misconception I had.

Learning how to tweak your views of nutrition, (eating smaller portions, saving indulgence foods for the weekends, etc.) is an important key to successfully releasing weight. Healthy living is not about depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy, but is a process of learning how to replace unhealthy foods with healthier choices. If you still crave unhealthy foods, you can learn how to allow yourself a splurge meal every once in a while.

Q: I don’t know how to live healthy, where do I begin?
A: I am frequently asked this question. The very first step to living healthy is making the decision to live healthy and believe in yourself that you can reach your goal. Create a few, small goals you know are realistic and achievable and establish a reward for yourself once your goals are realized. Today is a great day to buy a journal so you can start keeping track your goals and progress.

For example, if you currently eat fast foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a daily basis (as my husband, Jeremy, used to do), chances are you are not in an optimal state of physical or mental well-being. Some goals to consider would be replacing one of those fast food meals with a healthier option, perhaps eating a breakfast parfait at home. Another way to slowly introduce a healthier habit is to replace drinking soda every day by reducing your consumption to one small serving of soda a day and increasing your daily water intake. If you usually super-size your meals, you may want to eliminate that habit. Give yourself a timeline of 4 weeks to achieve these goals.

New habits are typically formed within 30 days. This will give you time to incorporate your goals in a manner where you won’t be changing your routine all at one time. If your daily nutrition is based on fast food, it probably took you some time to develop that habit. Do not expect to create healthier habits overnight or strive for perfection. Keep focused on moving in the right direction – toward your goals.

For more info on goal setting, visit: http://goldensummitinc.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=127

Create Goals & Rewards

INGREDIENTS:

If you have a hiccup during your goal-getting phase and stumble off track, journal it, explain what led you to lose sight of your focus and how you felt about it, then move on. No need to beat yourself up about not being perfect. Life if not about being perfect, it is about progress and having fun.

Make it a priority to laugh every day (but not at the expense of hurting someone’s feelings)! Watching my puppy chase her tail is always amusing, as is laughing at myself whenever I trip walking up the stairs.

It is also important to gauge your mental thoughts and focus on positive mindset. People’s internal thoughts have a powerful impact on their reality surrounding them. Have you ever heard someone say, “If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” Usually the person who makes this statement has a life overflowing with chaos and drama. The winds of life blow on all of us, opportunity, tragedy, abundance, scarcity. What makes each and every one of us unique is how we choose to handle the situations that come our way. An example is when a woman’s purse is stolen. Lady A complains and cries about all the money that was in her purse. Lady B thinks that perhaps the person who stole the purse was in greater need for the money than herself.

What each one of us thinks of internally, day in and day out, materializes at some point. I used to be an incredibly envious person focusing on what other people had. Throughout the past few years, I’ve learned to celebrate my gifts and talents and not be concerned about what I do not have. Throughout that process I discovered I already have everything I could ever want. Do you find yourself quick to judge people and point out what you believe to be their flaws? This type of behavior does not provide any purpose (other than feeding your ego) or positive energy between you and the person(s) you are criticizing. Start considering how to offer suggestions in a positive manner and, more importantly, start considering how you can improve your attitudes. There is an old saying that holds true, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

Life is so much sweeter with a positive mindset.

Warmly,
Doreen