We all have food that we love. Unfortunately, most the time those foods are bad for you. Whether a fast food burger and fries, excessive sweets, or globs of mayo on your Reuben Sandwich, we feel a strong desire to chow down and partake of all that greasy goodness. After all, just one won't hurt, right?
Problem is, they do hurt, they hurt several years down the road in knee and back issues, they hurt in having your hot girlfriend dump you for her gym instructor, they hurt your wallet for the cost of restaurant food, then your wallet for the cost of that triple bypass heart surgery.
Exercising is a positive thing to do, you go put on your gym clothes and run around for an hour, feel sweaty and clean up. Life is good. Far harder, in my opinion, is to NOT do certain behaviors. Only for 1-2 hours do we have to be motivated to do something in the day, to not do something, we have to be motivated 24 hours. This is much more difficult.
1) Make a change that you can live with FOREVER. Pick the lowest fruit first. Would it be easier to buy a 12 oz soda instead of a 1 liter in your daily routine? Start there. Many men and women will go on a turbo diet where they cut out everything but lettuce and kale, exercise for 3 hours every day......for a few weeks and then quit. That didn't do them really any good, and it trained their body to respond to famines by storing up fat for the next time.
2) Make your small change a habit. Do this for a month or so, and keep at it. Once you feel like you are comfortable with your change, move onto something else.
3) Learn to cook, and see that your wife and kids do to. Lots of families have a similar shape. This is due to cooking habits. Learn to use flour and milk, rather than sour cream and cheese for that plate of chicken enchiladas. Read labels for processed foods or minimize them as much as possible. Instead of syrup, get a bag of blueberries and cook them up with just a little sugar, water, and cornstarch.
4) Meals over snacks. Unless you are really disciplined, a few cooked meals is better than snacking throughout the day. A quick snack usually ends up being a PBJ sandwich, a fried egg, or something that is less healthy. A good meal takes more preparation, but will typically be healthier. If you are more disciplined, you could prepare healthy small meals in advance.
Conclusion:
This isn't anything you don't know, but a good reminder is nice. Plus, I thought that would make a good headline.
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