Healthy Living

@intellectualSummer86

Consistency can be challenging. I’m with you on that. I use to have a “all or nothing” approach when it came to my diet. So, it helped when I got rid of this mindset. “One less-than-ideal choice doesn’t have to snowball into a full day’s worth of similar choices.” 💜

@intellectualSummer86

I’m a little late, but I think trying to make it manageable is helpful for consistency - try and ask yourself, is this something I would be willing to do for the next 5years? For some people it is sustainable to spend 3hrs a day, everyday at the gym. For others - this is not. Don’t be hard on yourself and just do what you can manage. Becoming a better you is a journey and there will be ups and downs. A bad day, week or month does not define you. It might help to have really clear goals. For example, I want to walk x miles today or I want to eat x grams of protein etc. keep them manageable but it may help you stay consistent. We are here for you! Keep going! Good luck 💜

@intellectualSummer86

This is a very individual thing, so I will just share what has worked for me over the years. And I'll try to keep it brief.

I've never seen dieting lead to longterm, sustainable change. I try to think about my diet in terms of nutrition.

I buy the freshest, tastiest produce I can find. It's a bit more expensive, but I'm less likely to let it go to waste, more motivated to eat it because it's pleasurable, and I'll eat it sooner, before it's started losing nutrients.

I try to eat at least 2 fruits and 3 vegetables a day, and worry less about the rest. The fiber fills me up so I'm less inclined to eat empty calories. Over time, I've actually come to crave produce, like I used to crave junk food.

Another thing is to look for nutrient dense food...things like nuts, seeds, lentils, beans, rice, healthy fats, etc.

As for exercise, if I fall off my habits, I always start back up with walking. Even if it's only around the block. I've started noticed exercise (and diet) having more immediate effects on improving my mood, energy, and motivation, so that makes me want to get back to my habits, even after a slump. I think exercise needs to be enjoyable, or it's hard to stick with.

Flexibility, range of motion, balance, and strength all become more important the older you get, so I try to lift weights sometimes and stretch.

Imagine going to a gym and heading right for the 100 lb. weight, being unable to lift it, getting discouraged, and quitting. That used to be me. Now I'll go for the 15 lb. weight and lift that until I get bored or notice the genuine internal motivation of wanting to challenge myself.

I try not to force myself to do any of this. When I've done that in the past, I just get resentful and eventually have a lapse (eating a ton of junk food, skipping exercise for weeks). So I try to notice when genuine internal motivation wells up in me. Feels better that way.

I also try to focus on the longterm...I want to be a healthy older person when I get there. I understand the desire to look better, lose weight, and have more energy. In my life, those short term goals have led to me getting discouraged and quitting when I don't make any progress or backslide.

These days I try to be more gentle with myself, and think of that long term goal. And I like the word 'wellbeing' here, because it covers so much more than just diet or exercise, but both those things are fundamental to it.

Good luck!

@intellectualSummer86

iam on a low carb diet my second diet i ever been on this ones good i like it

what kind of diet are you on?

@intellectualSummer86

For diet consistency,
I stay very consistent by always using the same pre-planned menu for the week:

• The foods and portions I use are all pre-analyzed for nutrition balance for each day
  (I did the analysis one time and now I just keep things consistent)
• I only buy foods on my menu list
• Each day of the week I follow the menu plan for that day
• I use measuring cups for consistency
• I only eat very healthy foods that are also my very favorite foods too. Yummy! 🌝
• I stopped buying foods with added sugar, added fat, or added salt.
  I only eat "real foods", which are
  minimally-processed foods,
  with minimal added-ingredients if any.
• I cut out most sugar, especially foods with fructose
  because they mess with the sense of satiation
  and they make one feel hungry all the time
• I stopped using juices or other foods that get digested very quickly
  because they cause blood sugar to spike,
  which is very unhealthy and messes with sense of satiation also
• I spread eat mini-meals rather than big huge meals.
  That way, I'm not overloading my body with too much food at one time.
• I sip water very often through the day.
  And if I start getting food cravings, I drink more water before eating.
  Then my craving usually goes away.
• I make notes if any problems or any improvement ideas

For exercise consistency, I use a combined Tiny Habits / Mini Habits / Atomic Habits approach.
And I also use fun exercise dance videos:

• I create recipes for my Tiny Habits
• I do my exercise Tiny Habits per the recipes
• If I want to do more exercise than the tiny amount
  it's always optional but never required. Yay! 🌝

You can learn all about Tiny Habits and exercise
with 7Cups Community free Growth Paths here:

• https://www.7cups.com/path/modifier/
  
• Click "Community"
• Search for: habits or exercise

There are lots of free fun exercise videos there too! Yay! 🌝