motherlymess

Since its New year’s soon, most of us must have started making their New Years Resolution lists. And one of the most common resolution is “getting fit and starting to eat healthy”. But somehow, our resolutions last only for a couple of months, like our gym visits. This is because we usually look for or turn towards short term and short cut measures to achieve them. And not just as a new year’s resolution, but lot many of us decide to eat healthy every now and then and lose our way soon.

What we don’t realise is, that eating healthy is a ‘lifestyle change’. It should be such that you can follow easily and that lasts you the entire year.

Developing sustainable habits is very important in this journey. Most of our eating habits are established during our childhood, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change them later in life. As I always say, ‘getting fit & eating healthy’ is a conscious effort. It takes a lot of work and time as well.

Here are a few pointers that have helped me with my healthy eating journey over the past year.

Plan ahead- until last year I never planned our meals ahead. So many a times, when you cant decide what to cook, we ended up ordering outside food. This not only burns a hole in your pockets, but stocks up on unnecessary calories on you. This was the first step that I took on my healthy eating journey. To start with, I started to meal plan for the next 2 days. When I succeeded in following that, I started planning for the entire week. So, after stocking up on the groceries, I sit down and plan all the meals for the whole week or you can even do it the other way around, plan your meals and then stock up on groceries accordingly, and post it on the fridge. So every morning I know what all I have to prep for the day. This will help you staying away from junk. Having a break once in a while is ok and needed too. But for the most part of the week, follow as planned.

Maintain a food journal/ app- to be honest I am not very good at this. I always end up missing days together. But if you do this religiously, it helps a lot. Every night, before going to bed, note down what all you have eaten that entire day. Do this for a week. At the end of the week, REFLECT on those notes. It will give you an account what all bad and good food choices you made and where you need to cut down. This is especially helpful with snacking.
Read the labels on packaged foods- packaged foods contain high amounts of preservatives, fats, sugar, salts, man made food colourings and other chemicals. These foods aim at convenience and lack the necessary nutrients and fibres.

Mindful Stocking up of groceries- stock up on everything fresh (fruits and vegetables). Stock up on pulses and other wholesome foods. Do not get any fried foods or ready to eat or 2-minute foods. I know we crave for these things when we want to snack on something. But when it won’t be available to you, you will look to other healthy food choices. Snack on cucumbers and carrots, include nuts in your daily diet. This point has worked best for me. I always ended up eating French fries and smileys as snacks. But now when I don’t see them, I don’t crave for them. As I read somewhere “Put the treats out of sight and the fruit bowl on the counter”.

Cook often- cook as much as possible. Home cooked food is any time better and nutritious than packaged or take-home food. If you are not able to cook every day, do all the meal prep once or twice a week. This will save up on cooking time plus and you will eat home cooked healthy food. You can even play with spices and flavours according to your palette. Plus it’s the best way to know what’s on your plate and in your system.

Mindful eating- it is your foundation for adapting healthy eating. Be aware of what you are eating/ what you are putting in your mouth. This is very important for making healthy food choices. Never eat in front of the TV or while scrolling on the phone. Stay away from any sort of distraction and pay more attention to what you are putting on your plate. You will automatically stop eating when full and will feel more satisfied.
Eating slowly- I remember, my father telling me as a child, that I need to chew every bite 32 times. He used to tell me no. of times= no. of teeth. Now, I realise that he was making sure that eat slowly. This helps in proper break down and digestion of the food. Plus, it also makes us aware of our hunger levels. Gobbling up the entire food mindlessly is a bad habit. You will end up eating more than what your body wants or needs. Pause before taking a bite, and chew slowly & intentionally.

Eat 5 to 6 meals a day- instead of eating your whole meal at once, and gobbling it up to clear your plate, divide your food portions. Like for example you are used to eating 2 rotis for lunch, so make a change by eating 1 at lunch and the other 2 to 3 hours later. Eating small and frequent meals helps keep the body metabolism up, which is very important for getting fit and weight loss. This will also help you to control your portion sizes.

Eat all the colours/ seasonal fruits- every fruit & vegetable has a different colour because of the constituting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants etc. and each of these have a specific role to play. So it is very important that we fill our plates with all the available colours. This way, we get more variation nutrient wise. Plus, the colourful presentation will be interesting to eat. It will also give you an opportunity to try new food groups.

Water first- I have personally realised, that lot many times, when we feel that we are hungry or we have the urge to put something in our mouth for no reason whatsoever, we are actually thirsty. Drinking a glass of water before eating anything, will help you in such situations. And trust me, I have tried this and it has turned out to be true most of the times. Water is an essential for life. It is required for absorption, digestion and transportation of nutrients, it is also needed for removal of body wastes and regulating body temperature. So use this method to stay hydrated.

Eat early/ at least 2 hours before bed time- post dinner the usual thing we do is lie down on the bed. And since there is no or very less physical activity post dinner, our food is burned and digested properly. Plus we feel full and groggy the next morning. The best way to avoid this is to have a minimum of 2hours gap post your dinner. What I usually do is, I try and complete my 10k steps during this time. So I either take my kids out to gaze at the stars and moon, or I do some chores for the next day like soaking the nuts for the morning etc. the idea behind it is not to sleep immediately post meals.

Snacking- Snacking is the best way to curb our cravings and also doesn’t let us starve. With our daily office work, household chores, kids etc. we forget to keep a tab of what and when we have eaten, often leading to starving and then we give in to unhealthy cravings. Snacking throughout the day and especially in between meals will keep us from staving. Snack on healthy options like nuts, fruits, carrots and cucumbers with hummus, fox nuts, puffed rice etc.

Life is a race. Every year each one of us makes a new year resolution to stay healthy and happy. But how many of us actually succeed in accomplishing those? To be happy and healthy does not require lot of money and time- just a little desire and motivation. It is difficult to change ingrained habits, but if we work gradually then the chances of achieving those goals are higher. Practicing small lifestyle changes like the following in our daily routine can transform our life and give it a new perspective.

Early to bed early to rise- we all are used to using our phones and tablets or watch tv till the last minute before we fall asleep. This in turn causes disturbed or inadequate sleep. You often wake up tired and leads to a stressful day ahead. So, instead turn off your devices one to 2 hours before bedtime and get a nice and sound 6 to 7 hours of sleep. Wake up fresh and have a great day ahead.

Have plenty of water- have a glass of warm water first thing after you wake up. It helps to wake you up and your body as well. If you can remember to have a glass of water every 1 to 2 hours then its fine. But if you are someone like me, who sucks at that, then download a water reminder app. Drinking at least 2 to 3 litres of water everyday is very necessary. We need to keep our body hydrated. If it goes into dehydration you are bound to have headaches and stay groggy through out the day. And we need to avoid that.

Eat fresh and local food- Every week go visit the local market and get fresh supplies. Get in a habit of cooking your own meals. If you are unable to do so everyday, prepare your food in a batch every Sunday, so you automatically wont eat unhealthy. Throw away all that junk and packaged food. The best way is to not get it in the house in the first place. When you don’t have it in your reach, you would not crave for it. Eat all seasonal fruits and vegetable. There is a reason why you get them in a particular season. Get in a habit of planning out your meals in advance. So this way you know what you need to get from the stores. And try not to put packaged food in your trolley. And, this is very important, never skip any meal. Especially your breakfast. It should be filling and of course healthy so as to avoid cravings through out the day. Also get in to the habit of eating every 2 to 3 hours. This helps maintain blood sugar levels and keeps up the body metabolism.

Planning- Plan out your next day today. Invest in a good to do list and scheduler or planner. Some people can do it for the entire week and someone like me does it every night only for the next day. You can even find many apps for the same in your play store. Go through this list every morning while sipping your water or morning tea. So automatically your brain prepares itself for what lies ahead. Plus you don’t need to stress about things. And this includes planning for food as well. I, usually make two lists. 1 is a to do list with all that I plan to accomplish in a week and the 2nd is a daily planner wherein I chalk out my tasks for the entire day. This includes my blog, other social media, household chores and stuff related to kids. Trust me, this helps a lot in getting hold of your daily life. And so less stress and happier you.

Get your ass off that couch- Get moving honey! Sitting on that couch is not gonna help any way. Start exercising. It might be something as simple as a brisk walk. But do it every day. As we all know we need to do at least 10k steps everyday. Start with a small goal of say 3k steps and gradually go up to 10k. But this doesn’t mean you do 3k steps in one single go. No!!! You have to be active through out the day. Choose zumba or aerobics or bollywood dancing. But make sure to sweat it out. Exercising daily leaves you with lesser lethary and more energy. It makes you feel good about yourself. People having desk jobs should make it a point to take a break and leave the desk every couple of hours. Take a small walk, or Just do some stretching exercises near your desk.

Practice gratitude- everyday before going to bed, think about the best thing that happened to you that day. And be thankful for that. Be thankful for the everyday small things that we often take for granted. Practicing gratitude makes you happy like nothing else can.

Self care- everyday make sure to take out a little time only for yourself. Even 10 mins in your happy place with a cup of tea/ coffee is enough. Stand in front of the mirror and praise yourself. Every day say good things to yourself. Go to a spa or a movie or a dinner date or just chill at home. We need to nourish ourselves to be able to do that to others. Love yourself the way you do to others, or maybe more than that.

Declutter- get rid of all the excess baggage that we usually carry around with us. Declutter your closet, kitchen, house and your mind. Make room for more light, fresh air and happy thoughts. Practice positivity in your life. Give your surroundings and your Mind that much needed makeover and see that glow on your face.

Get away from haters- say goodbye to all those you put you down, who say and do bad things for you. Don’t let anybody take you for granted. Haters are gonna hate, no matter how nice you are to them. So isn’t it better to chuck them out of your life. Surround yourself with people who know you for the good in you, people who uplift you and friends who stuck with you even during your worst times.

Small things great joys- This is one thing that I always say that we need to learn from kids ‘Appreciating small things’. With the aim of achieving higher goals, we often forget our smaller goals. Unknowingly we ignore the small everyday joys that come our way. And so we miss out on many important moments in life. We should learn to appreciate these small things to stay happy. Achieving the bigger goal is going to take time, till then soak in these small joys and stay happy.

Learn to say no- Whether its unhealthy food or toxic people. Learn to say no. Often we do things just for someone else’s happiness and in the process upset ourselves. We have to stop that. We stay in a relationship with someone only because they need us, but we ignore the fact that that very person is hurting us constantly. Break away from such people. it might be someone from your family or a friend or your boss. Say no when someone offers you unhealthy food. Practicing this is difficult, but is for our best in the long run.

“Your life doesn’t get better by chance, it gets better by change..”

In this fast paced and stressful lives of ours, we often forget to be thankful for the things we have. We tend to take these things for granted. Gratitude is from a Latin word gratus. It is a feeling of appreciation felt by and/ or similar positive response shown by the recipient of kindness, gifts, helps, favors, or other types of generosity, towards the giver of such gifts.

The thing is, that we aren’t hardwired to be grateful. And like any other skill, gratitude needs practice. It takes only 8 weeks of gratitude practice for people to start showing changed brain patterns that lead to greater empathy and happiness. We usually show gratitude only when we are benefitted from someone’s actions.

Gratitude helps us to differentiate the good from the bad. It helps us realize what we have. In all, it strengthens our relationships, reduces stress, and makes us even more happier. Some studies even show that feeling grateful makes people less likely to turn aggressive when provoked.

Ways to practice gratitude:

Gratitude journal/ Jar: It is as simple as noting down one or two things daily, which you are grateful for. You can note it down in a fancy notebook or even a simple one, or maybe makes notes and put them in a glass jar. The idea is to think back on the past few days and remember things we are extremely grateful for. This helps us to change our perception to various situations by adjusting what we focus on. Also, if you are unable to do it everyday, start by doing it once a week or maybe every alternate day, any which way suits you. You can make it fun by taking pictures of things you are grateful for and pasting them in.

Compliment: Give at least one compliment to someone. Or maybe to yourself. Tell someone you love them and how much you appreciate them. Practice self love.

Gratitude walk in Nature: Interact with nature. Take a walk in your nearby park or go trekking or sky diving. Notice the natural beauty around you and compliment it. Be aware of the nature, the colour of the trees & leaves, the various flowers you see, the sounds of birds and such .

Act of kindness: Do one act of kindness everyday. Feeding the stray dog, or helping an old man to cross the road. Or even work for a social cause. When you give something, you automatically feel grateful.

Quality time: Spend quality time with your friends, family, spouse, kids, or even pets.

Positivity: Surround yourself with positivity. Cut out negative people, negative media from your lives. Even if you are in a negative situation, try to focus on the good that it will bring, what you will learn from it.

Complaint less: Try and be satisfied and happy with what you have. Stop running after everything. If your friend has a particular thing doesn’t mean you should also. Learn to differentiate between ‘want’ and ‘need’. Enjoy the little things.

Thankfulness: Thank others. Not for something big they Did, but for the small things people around do for us, that we often forget to notice or appreciate. Say thank you when your colleague offers you a glass of water, or when some unknown person helps you at the store.

Catching up: Spend some quality time with family and friends. With ourbusy schedules, we hardly get any time to catchup with our loved ones. Make an conscious effort to meet your parents, relatives and friends once a month or every 3 months, whatever suits. The number of times you meet is not important. Meeting once in 6 months and spending quality loved time with them is what matters. When you give love and happiness, it will automatically come back to you .

Meditation: Gratitude mediation is a little different from normal meditation. During normal meditation we focus on our breath, keep our mind clear and focus on a particular thing. Gratitude meditation is visualizing things in our life that we are grateful for. Show gratitude for things we take for granted like having a house to live in, three meals a day, physical ability and such. There can be hundreds of reasons to meditate. Take stock of such things that you are grateful for and you will feel much better afterward.

As I read somewhere “ Developing an attitude of gratitude isn’t just a pop psychology trend. It has been linked to an overall better quality of life.”In this overly negative world, we all could use a little more TLC. Feeling gratitude is one of the easiest ways to feel inner peace. What happens around us is not in our control, but reacting to it is. People who practice gratitude are more easy going, happier and secure.

There are numerous ways of practicing gratitude. Choose what works best for you. And after sometime if you feel that it has lost its freshness or you are bored of that particular way, make a change in how, when and how often you express yourself.