Written by: Georgette LePage, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Summer is here and so is the perfect time of year to take your health off the shelf and take a few small steps in the direction of a healthier lifestyle! The overwhelmed of where to start can be a very common stressor when beginning your healthy journey. There is so much information available that it can feel as if you are not sure where to start. That is why so many people simply give up trying before they even start! However, if changing old habits is important enough to you, then you will commit to making mindset shifts and habit changes to make them automatic and part of your everyday routine. Here are some simple ways to take action today!
A Small Plate Is Great
Eat your meals on smaller plates to get a better handle of portion sizes. Make it even more special by using fancy dishes that make you feel fancy! Even summer paper plates can be cute and functional!
When The Kitchen Is Closed, It's Closed
This means that you should get into the habit of not eating after dinner, preferably at least 2 hours before you go to bed. Even if others are eating after dinner, resist the urge in order to let your digestive process work efficiently. Your body is like a factory and burns fat more efficiently when it does one task at a time. It’s more effective for it to digest food if you are not feeding it fuel at the same time. “Do one thing and do it right.”, says your body.
If It's Not In Your House, You Can't Eat It
This tip is very easy…don’t bring food into your house if you don’t want to eat it! If you’re having a weak moment and you’re searching for unhealthy food options in your pantry, you won’t find them if they aren’t there. So, don’t buy food that you don’t want to eat. SIMPLE. Be very mindful of what you (or others) bring into your home! Empower yourself to be intentional about what types of food are in your house. Set yourself up for success by stocking healthy options in your kitchen.
Are You Really Hungry?
We have all declared that we are hungry, famished or even starving at one time or another. By are we really? True hunger is a feeling in your stomach that signals a dip in blood sugar and a need for fuel. It is a very physical response that is easy to recognize once you pay attention to the cues. If you’re unsure if you’re actually hungry, drink a glass of water and wait for 20 minutes. If you truly still need fuel at that point, make healthy choices and give your body food that will serve it well.
Why Do You Eat When You Are Not Hungry?
If you find yourself mindlessly eating when you truly aren’t hungry, ask yourself what are you really feeling? Are you bored, stressed, sad, angry, etc.? If so, instead of consuming food, talk through what you are feeling and how you can deal with your emotions without taking in unnecessary food. Another good reminder is that overeating may temporarily distract you from dealing with your feelings but it will not help you to lose weight. In fact, you will probably feel worse if you overeat and your weight loss efforts are derailed. Keep your eyes on your results and remember why you are trying to lose weight: Know your why!
Drink Plenty Of Water
We benefit from drinking the amount of water that is half of our weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should take in 70 ounces of water daily. This is a quick benchmark based on your current weight. Be mindful of how much water you need daily. Other signs of needing more water include puffy hands, tightness in your legs, dry mouth, and dry skin. Keep track of how much water you drink daily to be sure to be properly hydrated.
Ditch The Snacks
There is conflicting information about snacking, so ask yourself why you think you need to eat in between meals to find out if it serves you. Many medical experts will say that your body does not need to intake fuel in between meals because it interferes with the fat-burning process. In fact, your digestion and fat-burning work best without food consumption at the same time. You will notice that eating meals without snacking in between will make mealtime more intentional and you will clean your (small) plate. You will also look forward to mealtime.
Move Your Body
I can’t stress the importance of exercise being more than for the purpose of losing weight. It’s a mindset shift to embrace movement as good for both your mind and body. You can’t outrun your food, so exercise to feel good, to keep your body in motion by being active, and to feel more energized. Choose the type of movement that you love and do that for exercise. For example, if you like to dance, join a dance class or put on your playlist and dance to your favorite songs. If you don’t like running, don’t run! It’s that logical; do what you love to move your body. Work up to more intense exercise once you feel that you are ready for more, of course! Also, treat your exercise like a paid appointment by putting it on the calendar and honoring it. You are worth it!
Give Your Closet An Update
If you walk into your closet and it doesn’t feel like a boutique, then it might be time for a makeover. How you feel in your clothes is a huge motivator to lose weight, and how you look in your clothes is equally as important. Although you may have some “motivation” clothes that you are determined to fit back into, it’s a good idea to look at each item in your closet and decide if it is worthy to hang out in your closet. Also, pay attention to your style to be sure that it either needs an update or not. Trends change and so does our taste in clothes, so look at what you have, what you want to keep, and what you want to replace.
Summertime can be fun and full of opportunities to incorporate fresh foods, new fashion choices, and vacations. As you enjoy this season, try a few of the tips and tricks here to flip less healthy habits and to move towards your weight loss goals one small step at a time! You’ll be glad that you did!
Georgette LePage, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Georgette LePage is a certified Health and Life Coach who empowers women all around the world to lose their mental weight first in order to then lose their physical weight. Her approach is honest, real, clear, and genuine with transformational habit change and mindset reset methods. Georgette's energy and enthusiasm are contagious. Her focus on a healthy lifestyle inspires her clients to leave behind old diet culture thoughts and patterns in order to embrace fresh and simple ways to live their best lives without diet drama. Empowerment, self-confidence, and self-care are cornerstones of the programs that she offers. She helps her clients to get the results that they want with realistic, real-life strategies. She lives her own life the way she coaches others. She listens to what her clients want and guides them with compassion and accountability as they achieve their goals. She works with people of all ages (teens to seniors and every age in between) who are ready to live a healthier, more joyful life. Georgette also hosts the talk radio show WHY WEIGHT? with Dr. Pat Baccili on Transformational Talk Radio. In addition to speaking English, she also is fluent in French and Spanish. Georgette has 32 years of experience as a World Language Teacher, as well. Her coaching motto is: Feel better. Look better. Be your best self!
