You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet.  –Mark Hyman, MD

Exercise is a critical component to overall health and has an abundance of benefits! While individuals can slim down without exercise, it makes the process a lot faster when exercise is involved.  Not only that, exercise helps tone muscle so that YOU appear more fit and firm!

But talking about exercise and doing exercise are two different things.  Carving out time to move, sweat and get your heart rate elevated can be quite the challenge!  Most individuals have good intentions but their day gets busy… Ever said that?!  

So, how do we make the leap from ‘good intentions’ to lifestyle habit?  These are 4 action steps you can take to slim down and take your fitness to the next level!  

1. Add On 5 Minutes

The biggest myth people believe is that they don’t have enough time to exercise.  It is easy to create a perfect scenario in our heads that exercise must look a certain way and last a specific length to be “worth it.”  But if you keep believing that lie, you will stay stuck.  

If you don’t believe that 5 minutes of exercise each day can boost your health and fitness level, then prepare to be amazed when you read this article.  And, this researched exercise method is proven to give you awesome results in less time!

What must happen is adapting the belief that “something is always better than nothing.” Always.  If you begin to think that way, you begin to look at your schedule differently. Instead of seeing ‘no time,’ you will begin to see little pockets of time OR how small tweaks can help you add it in.

While the American College of Sports Medicine recommends individuals participate in 30-60 minutes of exercise most days per week, it is important to begin by taking 1 step exactly where you are.  Everyone can find 5 minutes!  Believe me- it’s waiting to be found!  If you are already exercising, then tack those 5 minutes on to what you are doing right now.  If exercise is not a habit, then begin with 5.  

Interestingly, it is important to note that exercise benefits exist even if a workout is broken up into shorter sessions through the day.  While most individuals find it easier to complete an entire workout at one time, others may find it easier to break it up.

This 5-minute cardio workout will get you sweating in no time.  There are many more that can be found using a search engine.  All you need to do is have your sneakers ready to go!

ACTION STEP: Realistically assess how much exercise you currently get on average.  Set a goal of your current exercise time + 5 minutes.  Commit to this each day this week!  

2. Commit to the Habit…Like Brushing Your Teeth

Every morning you wake up and brush your teeth.  Then, 18 hours later, you brush your teeth (and maybe floss) and go to bed.  It’s non-negotiable – you just do it!  Regardless of whether you are traveling, on vacation, exhausted from a long day or have in-laws visiting for a long weekend, you still do it.  The goal with exercise is for it to become habit – the way you live.  That’s when you know it’s a lifestyle.

It’s not about IF you will exercise today, but WHEN you will exercise today.  People don’t ask themselves if they want to brush their teeth, they do it because they want to have teeth when they are 75 and enjoying retirement!  Decide to make exercise a non-negotiable activity.  It won’t look the same every day – that’s okay!  You likely won’t be able to devote the same time every single day either.  Even when you are out of town, there are creative solutions to fit in fitness.  If you decide exercise is what you do every, single, day, then you will make it happen.

ACTION STEP: Create a mantra or find an inspiring quote and put it in 2 or 3 places in your home, office, car, etc, to remind you of your commitment to yourself and motivate you when the day has been tough.

3. Allow for 1 Grace Day

The reality is that life happens and interferes with well-intentioned plans.  While you may set out each day to exercise, you might oversleep or need to leave the house an hour early for a meeting or be traveling all day long.  The probability that something will occur each week to interrupt your plans is very high.  So, learn to be okay with that and even plan for it.  

For some, the grace or rest day may need to change each week, and for others, it might be consistent.  Some individuals choose Sunday to rest, no matter what.  Others find that the weekend is easier to fit in exercise than weekdays.  Decide what will work best for you and your schedule.  

On these grace days, allow yourself the mental rest along with the physical rest.  Don’t shame yourself or guilt yourself to doubling your workout the next day.  Give yourself 1 day off each week and be okay with that.  

Remind yourself of the importance of rest, rejuvenation, and fun!  It’s okay to be active on these days!  God gave us bodies to move!  But, you don’t need to plan a workout.

ACTION STEP: Look at your calendar this week and choose 1 day to allow for rest.  Consider which day it might be difficult to work in exercise due to scheduled events.

4. Plan WorkOuts 1 Week In Advance

Have you ever wasted 10 minutes trying to figure out what type of exercise you were in the mood to do?  I have!  Those are precious minutes you can’t reclaim!  Instead, look at your calendar once a week and plan out when you will workout, how long and what you will do.  This allows you to observe any potential conflicts and visualize busy days so that you can prepare your mind and schedule to make YOU a priority.  

While some individuals might keep workouts at the same time every day, others might need to change it up depending on a work or family activities schedule.  You don’t need to do what someone else is doing.  Just do what will work for you.  

Good intentions are not actions so make sure that your plan is realistic.  It needs to be challenging enough to be motivating, but not overwhelming.

ACTION STEP: Review your calendar and schedule 1 week of exercise workouts, fitting them into your day.  Make sure that they are an appointment like any other scheduled commitment.  Decide what activity you will do that day and how long you will spend.  Also, consider what items you may need to have with you or how you can troubleshoot potential conflicts.  For example, keep a backup pair of sneakers, socks and workout clothes in the car if you forget to pack them.

So, what’s the play call?

The way to see consistent results is a consistent lifestyle.  The definition of lifestyle is “the way in which a person or group lives life.”  If exercise (or eating habits) fluctuate, it’s unlikely you will see consistent results.  

The most frustrating part of attempting to “slim down” is when we expect to see results but they don’t show up.  Creating patterns and habits that are consistent with your health values are the best way to guarantee you will feel and see results you desire.  

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. –Ecclesiastes 4:11(TLB)

You hold the change you want to see.  You can move beyond good intentions and actually create exercise habits that stick.  But if you keep waiting for the perfect week to start, you will be disappointed – it won’t come.  

Choose change today.
Take action.
Then, give yourself a pat on the back – most people can’t do that.
Be the one who can.

Yes! I would like prayer. Please pray for me.

Let Food Be Thy Medicine

What if we actually believed that?  Would we eat differently?  God gave us “every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.” He said, “They will be yours for food.” (Genesis 1:29, NIV)

There are dozens, if not hundreds of occasions in the Bible where food is a part of a celebration, a means of pleasure and enjoyment.  Food can taste amazing and rightfully so – God created it!  But, He also gave it as a means to nourish and care for our bodies – the dwelling place of the Spirit of God.

We know that almost 69% of adults are either overweight or obese in the United States. While obesity is a complex issue that is not independently connected to food, it certainly plays a significant role!  Sadly, the very thing that has the potential to nourish, heal, and energize our bodies has been manipulated and abused by manufacturing companies. The result?

• Type 2  Diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Some types of cancer
• Chronic inflammation

We know that food is not moral – it is not good or bad – it is just food.  But, our behaviors, relationship, and choices within the context of food hugely affect our overall health.

Previous Good Health articles have addressed our relationship and behaviors with food.  Today, we are going to discuss identifying the best food choices to promote health, wellness, vitality, and longevity.  This doesn’t require a gigantic food budget or shopping at a specialty organic market.  It’s actually pretty simple…

Eat More Real Living Food

Dr. Don Colbert describes it this way: There are living foods and dead foods – choose more living foods.

Living foods promote health by:

• Supplying the body with an abundance of vitamins and minerals for healthy metabolism, muscle and nerve function, blood pressure control, glucose regulation.
• Reducing inflammation deep in the body that contributes to cancers, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, some skin conditions, and even some GI conditions like Crohn’s disease.
• Stockpiling the body with an abundance of antioxidants that keep your skin, hair, and nails healthy.

What Are “Living Foods”?

Living foods are grown or cultivated foods that can spoil or rot.  Essentially, they have enzymes that eventually cause decomposition.  Dead foods have substances like preservatives that keep them from spoiling for an extended period of time.  They are processed, packaged, and sold on shelves with “sell by” dates that allow for months of storage.

This is not about a guilt trip. This is about nourishing your body in a way that allows you to energetically fulfill your calling.  Let’s face it, dead foods give us cravings. They make us lethargic and contribute to diseases that take up mental and physical energy – energy we could be devoting to our purpose.

Here are 4 easy-to-follow strategies that will help you implement a living food approach within your daily eating pattern.

1. Eat ½ Plate of Veggies

At lunch and dinner, make it a goal to cover half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables. These include greens, summer squash, green beans, carrots, eggplant, salad and so much more!  For a full list, read here.  

For many meals, this means rethinking the recipe or how the meal is served. But often, it doesn’t mean you need to toss out a meal altogether.  For example,

• Spaghetti – ½ plate of salad OR ½ plate of sauteed veggies along with ¼ plate of whole grain pasta and ¼ plate of tomato and meat sauce.
• Tacos – make a taco salad with greens, sauteed onions and peppers, and tomatoes; top with a mixture of lean ground meat and black beans with a dollop of light sour cream and salsa.
• Stir Fry – include more veggies and cut back on the rice to ¼ of the plate.
• Lasagna – replace some of the pasta layered with sliced zucchini or eggplant and add a side salad.

Meals can easily be modified to add in veggies and remove some of the processed foods without a lot of effort.  

TAKE ACTION: Begin by thinking about your top 5 family favorite meals and how you can make a few tweaks to add in more veggies.  

2. Add Variety to Either Your Vegetable Choices or Vegetable Preparation Each Week

Growing up, my family ate about 10 different types of veggies.  We liked all of them, but when you look at this list, there are dozens of veggies just waiting to be tasted! Sometimes, veggies are boring because we make them the same way every week.  So, try something new!

You can choose an entirely new vegetable recipe or create a simple change to your current preparation methods.  Maybe this week you add a squeeze of lemon and some slivered almonds to your steamed green beans.  Or, maybe you try making some guacamole dip for fresh veggies instead of the traditional ranch dressing.  Could you try adding some fresh herbs on top of the grilled veggies before serving? Maybe you have always wanted to try roasting veggies but just haven’t given it a shot yet?  

TAKE ACTION: Choose 1 new vegetable you haven’t tried or tweak your traditional vegetable preparation to add some new spice and flavor. Which one of your favorite vegetable dishes needs a make-over?

3. Visit the Farmer’s Market

When feeling uninspired, just take a spin around the local Farmer’s Market!  There are dozens of farmers just waiting to talk with you about their beautiful produce and they have a wealth of creative ideas on how to prepare these tasty vegetables.  It is not like a grocery store that is simply selling a product.  These are individuals who have chosen to grow these foods and eat them as well!

Don’t be afraid to ask about a fruit or vegetable and how to prepare it.  They aren’t there to judge your knowledge. No, they want to inspire the shoppers with mouth-watering ideas so that they want to buy the produce!  

TAKE ACTION: Plan 1 family trip to the local market within the next 2 weeks. Give each person the job of choosing 1 different food to learn about and try.  Allow that person to take the lead (or assist) in making a dish with that type of produce. Go discover together!

4. Add 1 Plant-Based Meal Per Week

Meatless Monday is not just a fad. It’s a way of living that encourages the consumption of more plant-based meals. The goal isn’t about removing the meat or poultry so people feel deprived.  On the contrary, it’s about making the veggies, beans, legumes and living foods the star!  

When considering recipes for a meatless meal, you must change your way of thinking so that it is not one of elimination but of addition.  For example, add in veggies and lentils to the tomato sauce for spaghetti night.  Add in edamame and chickpeas to the stir fry. Otherwise, your family will feel deprived and the meal won’t satisfy.

If the family members are opposed to meatless meals, try reducing the amount of meat you prepare by half and adding another bean or vegetable side dish to the meal to make up for the reduction.  For example, make tacos with ½ pound of ground beef instead of 1 pound and add in 1 or 2 cans of black or pinto beans into the mixture.  

TAKE ACTION: Plan 1 meatless OR mostly meatless meal to make this week.  If unable to take action for a family meal, then choose a lunch you can make meatless like my Quinoa Edamame Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette.   

So, what’s the play call?

Learning to steward and care for our bodies the way God intended takes practice and intentionality, especially in a culture where we are bombarded with clever messages from brands that don’t have our wellness in mind.  While there isn’t any guilt about eating a french fry every now and then, there also isn’t a ton of benefits to eating it, either.  

“See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction…Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deuteronomy 30:15,19 NIV).”

You always have a choice.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR ‘SLIM DOWN?’

Jennifer Hunt, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, can help you get where you want to go! Contact her or find more resources, articles, and recipes on her website, Healthy Inspiration.

UPCOMING…

Don’t miss the final article in the Summer Slim Down series on August 11th!

Yes! I would like prayer. Please pray for me.