Information Overload
Everywhere I turn, I feel like there is something telling me this is what I need to get healthy. Or here is the right diet. Or make this one change and your life will turn around. I'm overwhelmed by the intake of information. So when I started to think about a series about what I've done to make some simple changes in my life to be a little bit healthier each day, I was hesitant. But I'm still going to do it.
Even as someone who has 3 degrees in the health sciences (exercise science, nutrition, and nursing), I still become overwhelmed and uncertain about the information being fed to me. The amount of ads that pop up after looking at one thing or saying one thing out loud - technology is pretty fascinating and also terrifying at the same time. Is anybody with me on this? Sometimes I think, is their a chip in my head?
I've always tried to live a pretty healthy life, but let's be honest, life gets in the way (even with the best of intentions and a lot of knowledge). My food allergies have forced me to not be able to eat out often. But over the last year as we've started down the path of trying to have a family, I've made some additional changes. After the miscarriage, there are more changes we both individually and together as a couple are trying to make.
My hope - is that my journey may help you to sort through all the information you are being bombarded with to help you make the decisions that fit you and your loved ones. Because let's be honest, the road to healthy looks different for everyone! Healthy comes in all shapes and sizes - and I'm not just talking about body shapes, sizes, and colors.
Healthy Isn't Your BMI
Anyone who has had a conversation with me about BMI, knows my thoughts, I absolutely cannot stand it. Unfortunately, without a lot of tools, it is still the easiest way to get a rough estimate of whether a person is "healthy" or not. BMI doesn't take into account whether it's muscle or fat. BMI doesn't take into account if you've had an eating disorder and that maybe being a little bit "over" your recommended BMI is actually much healthier than where you once were. But here is the truth, health is so much more than the numbers on the scale compared to your height.
Health has to do with relationships both people and with things like money, technology, work, food, and exercise. Health has to do with your self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Health has to do with your view of your self-worth. Health has to do with your abilities to set boundaries (and boundaries are about more than just relationships). Health has to do with your mental health - are you in a season where you need a therapist or a friend to walk with to process life? Sometimes the direction to health has to do with facing painful pasts and letting them go. Health has to do with your spiritual life - whatever that may look like to you. Health is SO much more than what we as a society have made it become.
Where do we start?
So, where do we start? I'm hoping to bring in guest bloggers who are experts in other areas, like my husband to talk about mental health. Throughout it, I'll let you know things I've discovered. One of the big things I'll talk about are simple changes we've been making to try and remove as many chemicals as possible. Another thing I'll talk about is food label reading. I've ALWAYS looked at food labels, I have to because of allergies. However, after the miscarriage and our consultation with our fertility specialist, food labels look completely different than before.
I'll also likely share things I've learned through my therapy sessions. And for anyone who knows my love of the enneagram, I will most definitely talk about that! It is such a wonderful tool to help you on your journey towards health.
Let's start off with a few things just for this post that work fro me at this season of my life to help me in my continued journey towards health. Because health truly is a journey not a destination.
Positive Thoughts - Start each day with 3 positive thoughts. This is something my husband recommended to me, and I'm trying to do this. It helps to put you in a positive mindset to start the day!
Start to look at added sugar - don't aim to make any changes yet. I encourage you to just look at what the labels say and start to become familiar. I was SHOCKED when I started to see how much added sugar is put in some "healthy" things.
Daily Harvest - my husband and I are still working our way through the selections, but we truly love their smoothies and so much more! They are great if you are gluten free, dairy free, and looking to reduce your added sugars (all of which are part of my current health journey!). There is so much I could say about this company and their products. They have been SUCH a great addition to our meal planning. They are fresh, frozen, and you can pronounce all the ingredients!
Cons:
You need a lot of freezer space if you're going to order more than just a couple of things.
Should be consumed within one month. But if you order the right amount, this isn't hard at all!
Recommendations:
Smoothies: (I haven't had one I didn't like) We add Califia Farms Toasted Coconut milk to our smoothies. (Sometimes we also add protein powder - note this will require more liquid to be added. We use Amazing Grass Protein and Kale)
The Mint Cacao smoothie is absolutely delicious and does not taste healthy like it is!
Strawberry and Peach
Acai Cherry
Mango and Papaya
Flatbreads: (make sure you cook it long enough)
One of our other favorites is the tomato basil flat bread.
Harvest Bowls
Sweet Potato and Wild Rice hash
Lentil and Tomato Bolognese
Thanks for joining me for the beginning of this journey. If there is a topic you would like addressed, please do not hesitate to reach out! I would love for this to be a conversation :-).
