We all know that exercise keeps us healthier and helps reduce excess fat storage, but that’s not the only thing in our lives affecting our health and weight. Not everybody exercises, but everybody has to eat. The key is to find the right balance.
Just because you exercise doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want and as much as you want. Eating healthier plays a big role. It’s a lot easier to eat excess calories than it is to burn excess calories, for most people. Most people love to eat. I think it’s safe to say that fewer people love to exercise frequently and consistently. It’s easy to see that nutrition plays the bigger role in maintaining a healthy weight.
Food is all around us. It’s a big part of our lives. We don’t just use it for nutritional needs. It’s often a focal point of social gatherings and celebrations. Most people get pleasure out of eating certain foods and many eat for other reasons related to their emotions, not because they’re hungry. You might even eat out of habit, without giving it much thought. Even if you know what kinds of foods you should limit your intake of, it can be difficult to do.
How to break unhealthy eating patterns
When you’re out in the world, whether it’s at work, a friend’s house, or a party, you don’t have a lot of control over the kind of foods that are offered or available in those situations. In those cases, you’ll have to be more conscious of what you’re eating and how much. If you’re not even hungry, it’s okay to decline food. What you eat is not about anybody but yourself. If you know you’re going to be somewhere that’s going to involve easy access to foods you’re trying to limit and you know it’s going to be tough to avoid having some, make sure you eat healthier foods before you go. That way you won’t be hungry when you get there and overindulge.
One place we can control the kinds of food available to us is our own homes, for the most part. If you don’t live alone, you probably don’t have complete control. Whether you live alone or not, there are a number of things you can do to break the habit of eating excessive amounts of “junk” foods and start eating healthier.
Actions to take to eat healthier
- Don’t buy and bring stuff home that you know you shouldn’t be eating. If it’s not there you can’t eat it.
- When other people have foods that you’re trying to avoid or limit in the house, move them to a place that’s harder to access (like the top shelf of the pantry). If you open the pantry door and it’s the first thing you see when you’re hungry, you’re probably going to go for that. I’ve found that keeping the pantry doors closed is helpful. If they’re always open and you see food every time you walk through the kitchen, you’re more likely to think about eating even if you’re not hungry.
- If you’re in the habit of grabbing a snack at a certain time of day, like as soon as you walk in the house after work, make sure it’s something with some nutritional value (for example, an apple instead potato chips).
- Craving something sweet or loaded with fat and calories? Drink a glass of water first and wait 5-10 minutes afterwards. That craving might just vanish, especially if the food is out of sight.
- Eating out of boredom is a common habit. If you find yourself doing this, go for a quick walk, read a book, or play a game to distract yourself instead.
There are many habits in our lives, as well as environmental cues that cause us to eat excessively and consume unhealthy foods. If you want to take control of your eating, take a good look at what eating habits you might have that are holding you back from reaching your goals and change your environment and the access to “junk” foods when possible. When you surround yourself with unhealthy foods and make it easy to consume it, you’re making it easy to fail in your goal to eat healthier. Think before you eat and change your eating habits and patterns as needed to reach your goals. With a little effort, you can do it!
I hope these tips helped. I’d love to hear about other tips you might have that helped you eat healthier.
