Diet Right by Tessa Monzelowsky


 I have chosen to write about this topic because I’m hoping to help anyone out there looking to take charge of their health. So often we look towards the latest diet trend, and we are constantly being flooded with images of what the ideal in shape body looks like. Personal health looks different on everyone, and the latest diet trend is just that, the latest trend. 



             When it comes to getting active many people start out to find a way to b estrong. Getting active should be a process, and have a set of reachable goals. Your own personal level will depend on where you’re starting. I am a runner, but I love it so that’s what I do as my activity. That’s another important part of getting active, find something you really enjoy. I personally am not a gym person, nor do I like at home workout videos, but I know many people who have found both of these to be a great way to keep active. For me I love the solitude of running, I love the small studio I go to for workouts twice a week, and I really do well with workouts I can do with my own body weight, no equipment, and in the privacy of my home. There’s a level of vulnerability that happens when you work out, so make sure you are in a place and around people that you are completely comfortable with. If you are starting from the very bottom, never doing a workout outside of what gym class had you do in school, and are intimidated by all the options out there, I have a few small things to suggest. Get up for the day 10 minutes early, go straight from your bed to the floor in your room, start your day with sit ups, push ups, squats, and movement. You set your own goal for sit ups, push ups and squats, but make it a reachable goal you can build on. Movement could be as simple as turn music on and dance. Throughout the day you can get active by simply parking further away at work, the store, the school, wherever you go during your day. Prioritize activity into your day with a realistic time. My runs and strength training happen at different times each day depending on my load for the day, but I always plan when it’s going to get done whether I get up really really early, or do it after my kids go to bed.

 

            The other part of personal health is what we are putting into our bodies when it comes to food and drink. I want people to see this as nutrition, not a diet. Nutrition is a lifelong necessity, not a short term fad. So many times people think they need to starve themselves to get results and get to where they want to be. That’s not even a little true. For myself I need to stay away from dairy, gluten, and soy because these have proven to cause digestive problems and inflammation. I will actually get sick sick from eating to much dairy and gluten, and my whole body will swell. Not everyone is like me in this way though, so I’m not about to tell anyone to stay away from these things as well. Nutrition is personal, and it needs to fit what your body needs.  One thing that’s for sure with food though is if you eat like poo, you will feel like poo, and nobody likes to feel that way. I get asked all the time what I actually eat. Here’s a list: potatoes, brown rice, brown rice noodles, chicken, steak, fish/sea food, all kinds of veggies, all kinds of fruit, leafy salads, eggs, gluten free bagels, dairy free cheese, salsa, popcorn not buttered, jerky, dairy free ice cream (occasionally), and then I do also use powdered nutrition like vegan protein powder, beet root powder, complex carb powder. My list for beverages is short: I drink mostly water (100oz minimum), I like raw kombucha, and I do enjoy craft beer (I know most have gluten in them). One big thing I tell people about nutrition is food is fuel, your body can’t run without it, and your body prefers to run like a high end sports car so give it the premium fuel. We have become so trained to think that our food needs to be super flavorful, it needs to be absolutely so delicious we can’t put the fork down. Food is our nourishment, it’s what determines how we feel all around, we literally all have a personal relationship with food, so find foods that are good for and make you still feel satisfied emotionally without sacrificing your health. Don’t make every meal a celebration, it’s ok to eat the “bad stuff” once and a while, but over doing it often is where we get in trouble. Again take small steps in changing your nutrition, emotionally you need to be retrained, and your body needs to physically adjust in stages.

 

            Nothing about taking charge of your personal health is easy until it becomes habit and part of you. It is worth it to make the changes, you are worthy of feeling good inside and out. The rewards of becoming a healthier version of yourself extend beyond the physical, and will flood into the mental and emotional. This will start to also show in your relationships with others, and how you manage other things in life. Imagine the possibilities, the quality of life you can give yourself by starting small and focusing on your personal health.

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