Ready for Life

I have been on a strict regimen of simplicity in diet and workout lately. The motivation is to get past the “do things better a little bit at a time.” The incremental is not working. I have been saying I will do better for months, and there is always some justification or excuse. Once the slippery slope started sliding, I realized I needed drastic changes.

The two biggest take aways so far?

1. Simple is hard work. There is a reason things are called “convenience foods” and prepackaged does save time.
2. Simple diet. It works to cleanse and heal the body on it’s natural rhythms.

One of the goals has been to not eat prepackaged foods, processed sugars, no added salt and buy local and organic when possible. I find planning out the shopping trips and meals VERY time consuming. I have been relying on energy bars, energy shakes and pre-cooked meals for a long time. I ate fairly healthy, no sodas, no trans or hydrogenated extras, but would let a little (sometimes a lot) of sodium sneak in for convenience. Now I am constantly steaming vegetables and buying fruit, trying to dehydrate when possible and cook healthy proteins. Between shopping, working, cooking, working out, eating and getting a full recuperative night of sleep, there isn’t much time. Whew. Not easy, but the results are worth it so far.

I have only been at this for a month, and plan on a 90 strict regimen with an evaluation of goals at that point. Then I can decide, what can I reintroduce back in my life, and if I will scale back workouts? We will see what the next set of goals requires. Why so strict? Because it is working! I have a much more even level of energy throughout the day both physically and mentally. Clothes feel better and I am working on functional exercises designed to let my body move and perform instead of just lose weight or gain muscle. Increased health benefits are totally worth the investment. It doesn’t seem so rigid when I consider both the short and long term return on my health.

With concern over health care and cost of health care, taking care of your body seems wise. Many people find themselves laid off in the flailing economy and without benefits as their COBRA runs out. Long term, it is really unclear what our healthcare industry will look like in years to come. Considering so many ailments are directly related to how we live our lives (not all, but many), I am feeling a lot better about getting back on track to a more sustainable diet and physical regimen.

Again, this isn’t as easy as just buying off the shelf what is provided and prepared. It is work and very conscious effort. At first it was a bit of sacrifice, but not the rewards are making the choices easier. I really wish the food industry would do much more to make healthy foods available. Not just foods advertised as healthy!