Fuel Your Body

Image
I came across this article today while browsing online that discusses how Tyra Banks talks to women about their weight. The article goes on to explain how Tyra believes all girls need to shape their bodies for their own individual shapes and not try to look like anyone else. While I think she has some valid points and I’m sure she has helped many women improve their self-esteem – I think there needs to be a bigger issue addressed to both women and men looking to go down the road of weight-loss and that is: STOP FOCUSING ON LOSING WEIGHT!!!

I know that statement sounds crazy but hear me out. Yes, I know, who doesn’t want to lose a few pounds? That cellulite behind your legs? Well guess what, we all have it and I’m sure it would be awesome if it would magically disappear. I’m not advocating for you to stop paying attention to what your body looks like entirely but what I am saying is instead of focusing on your PHYSICAL attributes try working on your INTERNAL health.

When’s the last time you had your cholesterol checked? I mention this only because that’s exactly what kicked my butt into action. Even though I was somewhat PHYSICALLY in shape, INTERNALLY I was a mess with my cholesterol levels being around 220 (anything below 200 is recommended). You know how you get INTERNALLY healthy? By eating better. You don’t have to eat like a bird to eat better.

Think of it this way. Would you put super cheap gas in your brand new luxury car? HECK NO! You should treat your body with the exact same mindset. If you start treating food as fuel to power up your brain, heart, blood, muscles, etc – the PHYSICAL results will follow before you know it. I want to leave you with a few tips that I started off doing when I decided to take back my life and fuel my body with nutritious foods.

1. How many times a week are you eating red meat? I was up to about 5. I’m not saying cut it out entirely (it has great benefits) – but try subbing in ground chicken or turkey for your favorite red meat meals (turkey burgers, turkey meatloaf, ground turkey spaghetti, turkey chili). The argument around red meat is how much cholesterol it contains. There are other options as well – flanks steak and a supreme ground beef (90% fat free and up) will do the trick!

2. What are you eating for breakfast? Man I LOVED  Capt’n Crunch!! I started subbing out a bowl of cereal everyday for good old fashioned oats and  chose to only eat cereal on the weekends (now I don’t eat it at all… but we’re striving for baby steps).

3. Watch your sodium levels! My favorite foods used to be Ramen Noodles and frozen pizza and I would have each multiple times a week. The problem with these foods, in my opinion, is how much sodium is carried over. The FDA recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. Most Americans consume about 3,400 milligrams. The excessive amount can lead to high blood pressure and other risks. If you look at something like Ramen or other processed foods – there’s 861 mg of sodium in this one meal alone.

4. Water, water, water. I’m pretty sure I walked around dehydrated for most of my childhood to adult life. We hear this everywhere, but water has so many benefits – including healthy looking skin, digesting food, etc. Think of a plant that is starting to whither – what happens if you water it? Usually, it springs to life. Think of your body the same way .

Feel free to try some of these tips and remember, baby steps are better than no steps.

Also I would like to point out – my favorite food still is pizza (and ice cream) – there should be treats and moderation in everything you do in life. Heather

THE LATEST ON INSTAGRAM