THINGS TO REMEMBER

Here are some things to remember when wanting to lose weight or become healthier (which leads me to the first strategy).
 
01. Instead of saying weight loss or I need or want to lose weight, replace those words with... I am becoming healthier. If you lose something, you will possibly find it again. The words we speak are important because they are powerful. What we think about becomes what we speak about, and what we speak about will become what we do and who we are.
 
02. Walk. It is the choices we make on a minute to minute, second to second basis that make up what we do on a daily basis. We don't have to be perfect, but if you have a choice to use an elevator for 2 or 3 floors or take the stairs; take the stairs. And remember to take a walk everyday. If you cannot walk outside and don't have access to a tread mill, then create a path in your house...and walk.
 
03. Eat smaller portions several times a day. We were not meant to eat 3 big meals a day, nor were we meant to skip eating either. Our stomach was meant to handle a fistful of food at one time. That is really not that much. Make a fist and look at the size. Most of us eat about 3 to 4 fistfuls when we eat; therefore, consuming a lot more calories and fat than we should.
 
04. Drink water. Water will fill you up more and help you to eat less; in addition to that it will help your body work better. Since our body is made up of mostly water your cells will love you for it as it allows your body to increase its performance, look better, and feel better. If you have a hard time drinking water, add some sliced fruit to it.
 
05. Make better food choices. And this is the one that usually gets us, but if you can do the first 4, this one becomes easier because the first 4 will help you to feel better. As you feel better it makes you want to continue to do better and feel better, and this is the next logical step. A good question to ask yourself when eating is, what nutritional value am I getting from this food? For instance, is it a good source of fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals? Sugar, preservatives, chemicals, white flour, and no vitamins or few vitamins are not a good source to gain food value from If it doesn't have value then you might be wasting your calories and you might be better off eating something else.
 
06. Eat more fiber. Most Americans do not get enough fiber. Fiber is so important in our diets. It cleanses our body and more. I try to first pick foods that contain fiber before picking my extra foods for the day. Some good fiber picks are: apples, oatmeal, beans or legumes, whole wheat bread or double fiber bread, and popcorn (for those whose digestive system handles this well).
In addition to cleansing, fiber will make you feel full faster than other foods so you won't eat as much.
 
07. Take time for yourself and by yourself. As much as we do for other people and can contribute to the world, it is important to take time by ourselves and have that "God time". Pray. Meditate. Envision. I find it is important to do this at the beginning and end of the day. It may be that you only have 5 minutes to do this each time. If you can do more then do more, but take this time to re-balance yourself. It is so important for your body; physically, mentally, emotionally spiritually.
 
08. Remember you are the average of what you do. A good friend of mine once told me this and since this I have really appreciated this statement. There are times when I make bad choices. I may not walk that day or I ate more calories or fat than I wanted to. Remember, you don't have to be perfect. You are allowed mess ups but try to make more good decisions than bad. At the same time I know I have been guilty of saying, "Oh I will do better next time," and I then repeated this phrase day after day. This will also average out and not in your favor. Help yourself make enough good choices that it will average out in your favor and then you can begin to help someone else do the same by teaching them this concept.