Going, Going, Going--Healthy Eating in a Hectic Life

Beep, beep, beep.  7:00 am--work, check; 3:00 pm--class, check; 5:00 pm--internship, check; 12:00 am pillow, check.  Looking back at my life in NYC, I wonder how I did it all AND managed to follow a healthy lifestyle (well, working at a gym certainly helped!).  If your routine sounds similar, and perhaps even carpooling and soccer practice for the kids sprinkled in, you’re probably eagerly reading this in hopes to add healthier eating habits to your hectic lifestyle.

  
Eating healthy on the go is a common concern for the average person in a society that values productivity in the workplace over productivity in the kitchen.  Meanwhile, the foods that are more readily available when on the go are often those that we should limit.  Sodas, sugary beverages, chips, candy bars, you name it and it mostly should be avoided.

Below are tips for healthier eating on the go.  Note how I added -ier instead of healthy, because the healthfulness of food certainly lies on a continuum.  Obviously, grabbing a Kashi granola bar in a pinch is better than a bag of Lay’s potato chips, but the reality is that a piece of fruit with trail mix surely beats out the Kashi “food-like substance.”

A New Year, Another SMALL Goal

In theory, the beginning of a new year is a great time to start a diet overhaul, begin a new exercise regiment, and set new goals toward personal growth.  I hate to put a damper on your New Year’s optimism, but the reality is that most of these goals fall to the way side by mid-March (and for some, as early as January 15!).  Look at the enrollment and attrition data from any gym, fitness facility, or weight loss program and the statistics will paint this reality for you.    

The (In)Convenient Fruit

It’s hard to peel, my fingers will smell, I don’t have a trash can, I can’t afford organic, it costs too much, it goes bad. Excuses, excuses--there will certainly always be those to find now won’t there! As I listened to my friend round off his excuses and the common difficulties of eating fruit, I sarcastically responded with “Ah, the inconveniences of life, tsk tsk.” Putting things into perspective, my friend so eloquently responded, “not more inconvenient than ill health.”   “Yes, he sees the light,” I think to myself.  Sure a bit of venting about our obstacles helps in the moment, but life circumstances are not convenient and plain and simple, we need to get over these obstacles and JUST DO IT.  Taking action, in this case, surely beats the alternative.  Below are responses to some common inconveniences of fruit.

'Tis the Season...

Although it seems like a month-long hiatus from Gain Great Health, my (almost) week-long absence has been filled with a very important aspect of the season...spending quality time with the people I care about (and not a computer!).  Instead of rushing home to upload my next blog entry, I have engaged in meaningful conversations and spent valued moments with my close family members and friends.  The media often focuses on the seemingly more exciting aspects of the season such as eating and shopping, and I couldn’t even help but feed into this with my previous “Beat the Holiday Bulge” entry!  But the reality is that 25% off deals and the decadent holiday treats (or avoidance of them), are merely secondary to the true meaning of the season.  If you are Christian, you’re (or should be) celebrating the birth of Jesus; if you are Jewish, you’re supposedly commemorating the re-dedication of the holy temple in Jerusalem; if you celebrate Kwanzaa, you are reconnecting to your African roots and recognizing the struggles of American American people; and if you’re a Santa and Rudolph celebrator, well....you either have kids (and fail to provide explanations) or are rehashing unfulfilled childhood moments.  And the New Year is meant to be celebrated as we enter a new year of possibilities.

An Optimal Start: Breakfast is Key!

Food is meant to provide us with energy and nourishment, hence it’s essential to start your day with a well-balanced, hearty breakfast.  If you don’t know where to begin your gradual diet and lifestyle make-over, this important meal should be the first place to look!  Not only will eating breakfast nip your hunger in the bud, but it can also improve your mind clarity and concentration.  Aiming for a balance between protein, healthy fats, and complex grains instead of hyper-concentrations of sugar is key.  This may mean passing on the banana nut muffin or the decadent butter croissant if you frequent Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. 

 
People often argue that they’re not hungry when they wake up in the morning.  In this case, a banana in a pinch is certainly better than nothing at all, but it feeds into the potential cycle of overeating.  By skipping breakfast and waiting until noon or so to eat, we are famished by the time we get home, which leads to going overboard at night.  This evening overload of food contributes to the skip-breakfast cycle by leaving us satiated when we wake.