No More Excuses: Start Somewhere
Making healthy choices is hard. Especially when there is a Taco Bell on every corner. Who doesn’t like tacos? I love Taco Bell! It’s not always easy having a gluten-free, chemical-free taco at home. I do it because I care about my health. What choices are you having a hard time with? Giving up gluten? Nixing the allergies? Getting exercise? Finding toxin free cleaners? Making healthy choices isn’t always easy for any of us. Not just you. And it seems like there are so many changes to make when we are getting started, it makes it harder to get started.
Every single one of us here at Pathway To Wellness has been there. Every doctor, every smiling face you see when you walk through the door, and every patient you see in the waiting room. We have also helped many people like you, and we have heard all the excuses. Even the ones most of us only say to the person in the mirror.
Excuses Like:
- I’ll start on Monday. I have a party to go to this weekend.
- I don’t like vegetables, so I could never eat healthy.
- Have you seen me run? I look like a wounded goat.
- YOLO- Eat the chocolate cake!
- Diet soda is better for me than regular soda.
- Gluten is in everything and I keep messing up.
- I’m just too tired and stressed to take care of myself. There is too much to do.
- I’m too fat to go to the gym. I have to work out at home, so I need to find some videos.
- If I eat all these Girl Scout Cookies now, then I can start eating healthy next week.
- I don’t see the results when I exercise. It just makes me hungrier.
- But I need to get work out clothes if I’m going to do this right.
- I can’t buy all new cleaning and personal care products that are organic and natural.
- I have always failed.
- Tonight is a good night to sit around naked and eat ice cream watching Netflix. I’ll start tomorrow.
- I can’t do everything healthy, so what’s the point?
There are plenty more excuses where that came from and I’m here to tell you to – start somewhere. We are here for you with tips and support. We have all been there before so let us help you along the way. You don’t have to do it alone. The only thing you need to do to make it happen is … START SOMEWHERE!
Start Somewhere
How many Mondays have passed since you first looked in the mirror and knew you could be doing better? Start somewhere now, or more Mondays will come and go where you aren’t feeling YOUR best. Don’t compare yourself to other people or feel like you have to do it just like anyone else does. Some people have been doing health for longer than you. Start somewhere! Start where you are.
There are tons of vegetables. Go out and try them all. Prepare them in new ways. We will be adding more recipes, so you can try new things. And if they don’t turn out- it’s OK. Sometimes food can just be for nutrition. It doesn’t always have to taste good. But we sure do try to make it taste good, and we can even make a chocolate cake recipe healthy. Check out these chocolate cupcakes with a maple bacon glaze. We can make good-for-you food taste good, but you are going to have to ditch the diet soda crap. But just take it one day at a time and start somewhere. And don’t say YOLO- the kids aren’t saying that anymore.
Be Patient
It can take time to start seeing results, but you will start FEELING the results after a couple weeks. Some you will feel sooner. Your body deserves that. Isn’t feeling healthy and being healthier more important than seeing results? Don’t look at the scale anyway. Keep track of the inches. When you eat right and exercise you get rid of inflammation which takes away inches and you build muscle. It takes time. If you don’t start today – feeling good and being healthy is just further away.
You don’t need the perfect work-out clothes, ideal videos, or a refrigerator full of all the right foods. You definitely don’t need to eat all the junk food in your cupboard. Throw it away. Its not wasteful- it’s investing in you. Everyone starts from somewhere, so nobody will judge you for how you run or if you have some extra weight when you are working out at the gym. If they do- they suck.
Be Kind to Yourself
Take time for yourself to take care of yourself. I know sometimes you feel overwhelmed and stressed out. You can’t give to others if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Taking care of yourself will help you feel less overwhelmed and stress. You just have to start somewhere. It’s one choice at a time.
Don’t be hard on yourself if you miss an ingredient that was on your allergy list or that sneaky gluten. It’s part of the learning process. You spent years being unhealthy. Give yourself some time to learn to be healthy.
Maybe it’s one gluten free sandwich. Or one time passing that Taco Bell and preparing a healthy meal instead. Maybe it’s spending a Sunday freezing meals. It’s choosing a bottle of shampoo or a sunscreen that’s safe…. not swapping out your whole medicine cabinet at once. It’s finding an exercise class that works with your schedule and being comfortable. Not perfect.
The Healthy Choices Add Up
Those little choices add up. You don’t have to do everything right away. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect. Those little choices will slowly add up. Every little change is meaningful. As you start to feel better, those choices get easier and easier.
Do it right now. Not later. Start making one decision at a time to be a healthier version of you. You may have failed before, but it just taught you what you need to know to do better this time. We will be here along your journey with ideas and tips. Connect with us on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter for ideas and motivation. Sign up for our newsletter, so you can get recipes and articles to support a healthier you.
We are here with you. We understand the obstacles but, as your friends, we are going to tell you to get going after that healthier you. Your excuses only go so far. If you start making healthy choices today, in a few months you are going to be proud of who you see in the mirror. A healthier version of you.
You will still have to make healthy choices and pass the Taco Bell. Over time, those choices will start to feel less overwhelming. The only difference between a healthy person and an unhealthy person is whether they took the advice to “Start Somewhere!”
Written By Dr. Patrick Flynn