5 Proven Ways to Overpower Your Cravings/ THIS IS TOUGH

I am posting this because my #1 issue with clients is breaking bad nutritional habits. I have many times broken through by getting very early physical results and therefor motivating them to stay focused. Of course, this is not always the case so an article like this one can be beneficial. These are actually some exercises we can practice to prevent, or use in the moment, to stop us from that ever so uncontrollable crave.

1. Learn to pause. By learning how to be mindful of what we are hungry for, we can train the mind to notice but not automatically react, based on habitual patterns. In other words, we can notice we want the cookie but not eat it without thinking first.

2. Get enough sleep. Research reveals that we aren’t able to make the best choices about food when we are sleep deprived. I would also include that we are more irritable and have less ability to concentrate and focus, and our overall capacity to deal with life is diminished, when we have less sleep.

3. Learn to label your feelings. Research has shown that labeling what we experience in the moment lessens our emotional reactivity to the stressor. All of our feelings have needs, so by tuning into your feeling, you can tune into what you need.

4. Surf the urge. We have many different desires all day long, but if we acted on each one, we would be 2 year olds, not well-meaning, mature adults. If you really want something (sex, those new shoes, food, etc.), notice the desire and then ask, “Can I be with this desire for 20 minutes?” Yes, of course you can. Practice waiting, and if you still want it 20 minutes later, then go for it. What normally happens is the original desire isn’t so captivating anymore, and it passes (then we want something else).

5. Practice patience. Much of our reaching for the pleasant is due to our impatience with the unpleasant. We can learn to build our patience muscle by slowing down and accepting what is.  I personally find impatience with traffic, so I have a little Post-it in my car that says, “Practice patience.” This gentle reminder helps a lot when I do encounter traffic. We all know the saying, “Good things come to those who wait.”

These are practices of mindfulness. I have mentioned this in a few posts in the past. This practice is specially successful at helping with stress and cortisol which is what is released by the body in a highly stressful state. Depending on the person and the situation the amount of cortisol released varies. The anxiety to get bills paid can be healthy by causing you to get it done in a timely fashion. If a dog starts chasing you, you will run faster than you ever thought you could. These are both stressful situations that cortisol take affect on the body. There are a lot of technical terminologies to this and we can go on and on with this. For the sake of this post, stress is the most common reason most reach for that sugary food. It is the way some brains/bodies react to this chemical reaction. Use these 5 steps Carley wrote about, see if it helps you stay in control.

4 Habits of Healthy People

Learning about the common habits of healthy people can be a particularly motivational experience, even for people who are already living an active lifestyle. Sometimes these extra reminders can be just the boost that we need to get back on track or even encourage us to continue on the path to a healthier lifestyle.

It’s generally pretty easy to spot someone that is living a healthy life and it’s usually pretty admirable—they seem to smile a little brighter, they always appear to be happy, and they are constantly on-the-go and productive. Learn about four of the most common habits that these people have mastered and how you can emulate these to improve and build upon your own fitness regimen.

They Are Actively Aware of Their Food Choices

Healthy people know exactly what type of food they put in their body and often make sacrifices to help keep their bodies running optimally. This means, when they go out to eat with friends, they won’t always be delving into a large serving of nachos or ordering that extra round.

They always read nutritional labels and scan for artificial sweeteners, tricky food additives, and preservatives, because they prefer avoiding over processed foods when possible.

While they are not always 100% perfect with their nutrition, healthy people often abide by general rules of thumb, such as, no alcoholic beverages during the week, no more than one soda a month, or other methods to do their best to avoid food that is unhealthy.

What this doesn’t mean, is that they are over top or obnoxious about their habits—they choose to lead by example. To start developing this healthy habit, pay close attention to the foods that you eat. Keep a food log that documents what sort of foods you eat and how often you eat them. If you noticed any questionable or unhealthy food choices, work on weaning them out of your diet.

Consistently Monitor Their Health

Aside from tracking their food and nutritional intake, healthy people also monitor their overall physical performance by regularly exercising to gauge whether or not their health has improved or worsened over time.

This means that they’ll often experiment with jogging longer distances or lifting heavier weights just to see how well their body responds to a more intense workout. If these exercises were more difficult than they had expected, it could be an indication that they should be scaling their efforts.

You should be consistent aware of how your body is supposed to feel so that you can understand when you aren’t working out enough, or even if you are working out too hard. Additionally, you should not be afraid to monitor your health by visiting a doctor for a checkup or consulting with a physical trainer when an outside examination is necessary.

Stay the Course Even When It’s Difficult

There are often going to be times when your fitness goals become unclear, you become physically exhausted, or you lose much of your motivation—hey, it happens to the best of us. But one habit that healthy people proudly focus on is a continual drive to fight onward, even when their health goals become overwhelming difficult.

Instead of painstakingly giving up, they stay consistent and add variety to their routine by incorporating new exercises which can make their healthy habits fresh again. They find other activities that make their lives more enjoyable, such as joining a gym with a friend, hiking with their dogs, or playing football with the kids.

To adopt this habit, focus on breaking any health plateaus that you experience by first realizing that it’s okay to not always be perfect. When times get tough and you start to struggle or question your motivation, this shouldn’t be considered a sign of weakness—this is a sign of growth and change, embrace the challenge.

Experiment with New Habits

Healthy people are always on the lookout for new habits, suggestions, or technology that can help them continue to grow stronger throughout their lives. They understand that their life really begins when they venture outside of their comfort zones and even avoid activity ruts by setting new goals and trying new sports.

Additionally, healthy people transition their new habit building beyond physical changes and introduce a variety of exciting new modifications to their diet—they cook new foods to surprise their metabolism and find new ways to balance their essential nutrients.

Think about how you can incorporate new habits to find the exercise and fitness routines that work best for you. Consider drinking more water, reading nutrition labels, getting annual checkups, scheduling more time for sleep, working out with a friend, trying new outdoor adventures, etc.

What are some of the healthiest habits that you have experienced? What are some of the areas that you are succeeding in and where could you use more help? Do you find developing healthy habits to be a beneficial process in your fitness routine, or more intimidating?

Summary

Healthy individuals have tips to staying on track and getting back on track when they’ve slipped. Watch what you eat. Regularly monitor against your performance goals. Consistently make time for your workouts. And keep on the lookout for new, healthy habits.

A lot of us do not know where and how to get informed. Most magazines and internet articles are being sponsored by a particular company so they will push that brand and or program. Ask a fitness professional for advise and start turning your life around. You are always welcomed to contact me with any fitness inquiries you might have through here, Face Book etc. You can tab on FaceBook link on the upper right corner and it will send you to my OEG page. You can also email me on this site in Contact Us section.

This is awesome information from Healthy Living on how to start and what knowledge to acquire.

Salmon Cucumber Rolls Nice And Easy For Those On The Go

This is a great little recipe when not trying to have protein shakes. As we all know eating whole foods is the way to go. Unfortunately our lifestyle is to work work work. This leaves very limited time for proper nutrition. I went ahead and got a big salmon fillet and cooked it on the grill (George Foreman, best invention of our time for health conscious folks) then tried to cube it, as best I could, then prepped as recipe called. I timed myself and from beginning to end took me 20min. Not bad as far as timing is concerned. If you have the time this meal keeps really well so you can make extra for next day or late night meal, for those in muscling up season.

Salmon Cucumber Rolls

Ingredients

  • 3 large English cucumbers
  • 2 (213-gram) cans wild-caught salmon, drained
  • 1 small carrot, grated
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed dill
  • 1/2 medium lemon, juiced
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Toothpicks, to secure the rolls
  • Sunflower sprouts, to garnish

Directions

Using a sharp knife, trim the ends off of the cucumbers.

Starting at one end, cut a thin strip off of the cucumber, trying to keep the thickness even. It might take a few slices until you start to get them right, but it’s not difficult. Alternatively, you can use a mandoline slicer. You’ll need about 10–12 strips.

Drain the salmon; in a bowl, mash it with the back of a fork. Add the grated carrot, dill, lemon juice and black pepper. Stir until incorporated.

Using a spoon, scoop up about 2 tablespoons of the salmon mixture and pack it into a ball. Place it at one end of a cucumber strip, then roll the cucumber up as shown in the recipe photo.

Secure the roll with a toothpick, then place a few sunflower sprouts on the top.

Repeat for all remaining rolls and salmon.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 10 |  Serving Size: 1 cucumber roll 

Per serving: Calories: 53; Total Fat: 2g; Saturated Fat: 0g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 5mg; Sodium: 60mg; Carbohydrate: 4g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Sugar: 2g; Protein: 6g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 29mg; Iron: 2%; Vitamin A: 17%; Vitamin C: 10%; Calcium: 3%

 

Thank you Angela with Eat Spin Run Repeat. Great Recipe year round for me.