Living a healthy lifestyle is an ongoing journey. Each day we have new choices to make regarding food and physical activity. Even people who make healthy habits look easy, may wake up in the morning and not want to take their usual run or eat a balanced breakfast of whole grains, low fat dairy and fresh fruit. However, each step taken to move more, eat less, and choose healthier meals and snacks is a wonderful win!
The neat thing is that my win may not look like your win, but I can still revel in the celebration of making a healthy choice for me. Currently, I have goals to:
These goals are mine to meet. I have found new ways to enjoy water. Adding fresh fruit and veggies to my water(PDF) brings out great new flavors that have me wanting to visit the faucet or fountain regularly. Also, I have found some unsweetened, sparkling waters that are very refreshing. I am winning.
When it comes to tracking my food and beverage intake, I celebrate my small wins throughout the day. Each time I open up my food tracking app and list a food or drink that I ingested, I win. Each time I forget or choose not to track something I have eaten, I remind myself that while that was not a win, I can still win next time. Overall, I have found that planning ahead and tracking what I eat is a really important piece of overall good health for me.
Finally, when I choose to stop munching at least two hours before I head to bed, I feel better and sleep better. That is a nice win. When I let my hunger or boredom or stress levels overcome my choices and I eat later into the night, I let those desires win. Not a great choice, but I try to remember that and choose better the next day.
I am really enjoying My Wins. The rewards include great new flavors, feeling better physically and mentally and being proud of the successes I have reached. It is important to remember that winning today does not mean I will automatically win tomorrow. Habits do become easier and choices become more ingrained, but we always have a choice. Looking toward the big goal of good health and enjoying family and friends for a lifetime is a Win we can all appreciate.
Check out the http://choosemyplate.gov website for ways you can set up goals for your own MyPlate, My Wins.
