Note: I am sorry this post is getting out so late. There were some issues on this end that seem to be cleared up now.
When I was in college I had a wake-up call one day when looking in the mirror. It was not that I was seriously unhealthy or overweight, my body was just not where I wanted it to be. Being in intense science and math classes for my Biology major made the whole eating healthy and working out bit more difficult. Food was often drive-thru, frozen and re-heated, from a bag, and whatever I could get on campus. Oh, and plenty of sweets for my all-consuming sweet tooth.
I needed to get on track. And what I needed even more was simple ways to stay on track. That is when I adopted little, easy changes and guidelines for my eating. It was never a, "you cannot have that situation." I do not work well with those. Instead, it was all about moderation, when I would eat something, and what eating something would mean.
1. Start the Day with Something Healthy
One of my biggest issues was starting the day with something sweet or unhealthy. A cream cheese topped french toast bagel was no longer going to cut it. Those unhealthy things did nothing for my body in the morning and they only made me want more sweets during the day.
Instead, I made a rule that the first thing I eat during the day must be nutritious and without tons of sugar. Fruit is off the table, so is coffee. Even though both of these can have positive effects and are not really seen as unhealthy, it started my day with a dangerous sweet tooth that was hard to kick. Starting my day with eggs, meal replacement drinks and bars, even certain yogurts made it easier for me to choose healthy options from the morning on.
2. One Sweet Per Day
This is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Really. This rule was created to curb eating cookies, drinking coffee, and ordering sweets for dessert. I can still have all that, just not all on the same day. This makes me much more decisive about what sweets I want and when.
For me, coffee, cookies, desserts of any kind, and alcohol all fit into the sweet things category since they all have tons of unneeded sugars that do nothing for me. Now, when I do get a sweet treat, it is all the better because I know it is the one that I really want and it will not set all my fitness goals back.
3. The Coffee Rule
One cup of coffee per day. My cup is 12 ounces and that is the most I can take. If my sweet thing is coffee, I only get one serving. This helps me reduce my caffeine intake and also reduces the amount of fatty, sugary creamer that I use.
If I ever feel like I need more of a pick-me-up or warm thing on a cool day, I go for green tea. Green tea is one of those drinks that I have no limiting rule on, just like hot water with lemon. Both are delicious and have almost none of the negative effects of other warm beverages.
4. No Carbonated Beverages
Carbonated beverages cause bloating, can increase risk of cancer, and cause heart burn. There is really nothing good about them except the way they taste. Sure, I break this rule every once in a while, but not much. Cutting carbonated beverages out of my diet has massively decreased bloating for me.
5. Exercise Four Times a Week
You may be wondering how this corresponds to eating healthy. Well, when we workout, we are doing something positive for our health. This positive reinforcement makes all those negatives easier to stay away from.
Sweat sessions do no need to be an hour each time; sometimes, we just can't do that. My rule is that a workout must be 10-minutes and can include anything. Sometimes it is 10-minutes of yoga. Other times it is a 10-minute ab routine. Whatever these quickie workouts are, they get me off my bum and change my thinking from stress and schedules to something positive I am doing for myself and my future health.