Baby Steps To A Healthier You! By Dr. G
Change can be one of the hardest things for some people to undergo. They get stuck in habits and mindsets that can be difficult to change. Are you one of those persons? Let me share one technique that has worked for me and many of my patients over the years. It’s called Baby Steps.
By making small changes it does not feel so uncomfortable. It feels manageable and allows you to take “Baby Steps” to making some useful changes in your life.
Maybe you’re ready to make the commitment to improve your diet but find it difficult to make the necessary changes in the foods you eat. You can start by taking “Baby Steps”. Start by replacing one food or drink item. Instead of drinking 2 sodas every day replace one soda a day with some other healthy choice. It could be water. By the way, switching to diet sodas is not a healthy option. Those artificial sweeteners can cause anxiety, memory loss, not to mention many other side effects like cancer). Or how about replacing sodas with vegetable juice? Use 3/4 of low sodium V8 juice, add lemon juice and a dash of tabasco (optional). It’s a tasty and nutritious breakfast drink on the drive to work or for lunch with a small salad or salmon burger! The added bonus is you are consuming more of the daily recommended servings of vegetables.
Another Baby Step I find useful and works for me is by using small plates. We don’t need to eat such large quantities of food to nourish our bodies. Most people eat way too much food especially at one meal. This is one reason we have an epidemic of obesity in this country. Eating too much of all the wrong foods. Eating large amounts of food is also detrimental to your digestive organs. The pancreas, liver and gallbladder have to work OVERTIME causing harm and damage to those organs and that’s not good. This is the leading cause of gallstones, liver problems, heart burn, acid reflux and the dreaded CANCER.
I know it can be difficult to get smaller than the regular size servings you are used to. Using a small plate might be the “trick” to help you lose weight. If you go back for seconds, which many people do, you will still be consuming less food than if you were using a regular plate. Try it. Once a day reach for that small plate. It could be for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Using a small plate for dinner would be the best option as eating a large dinner puts on the pounds the most.
Another Baby Step to better health is to start a walking routine. If you’re not that disciplined and won’t go walking by yourself, get a walking partner. There are other people like you that would like to have someone to walk with. Once a week instead of sitting in front of the TV every night go for a short walk. If you don’t have any knee, hip or back problems then this is something you can do. If you do have some issues with your knees, hip or back call me so I can fix you and then you can start walking!
Another technique is to NOT eat out every day for lunch. You could start by taking a lunch to work once a week. OMG! What? Take a lunch to work. That’s too much work. Just think of the money you’ll save as well. Just prepare a simple lunch the night before and brown bag it. Your lunch could even be an apple with some peanut butter or a small salad with some black beans instead of salad dressing. You can add some cayenne pepper or Tabasco to spice it up a bit! My wife and I have been eating salads like that for several years and LOVE them!
The important thing is that you start making those Baby Steps. Write out a plan on 3×5 index cards. You may want to start with one thing. It could be as simple as writing something like this: 1. I will go walking once a week for 15 minutes. Some people will try and make excuses like “I don’t have time. I have kids I need to pick up.” Most people get one hour for lunch. Use just 15 minutes to go for a short walk. The weather is especially nice this time of year so….. No Excuses! You will find that you will start walking more than one time a week because you will start to feel GOOD. You might even motivate some co-workers but don’t be surprised if nobody joins you or even if they tease you. Many people are so lazy and will never change their bad habits until they get cancer or a heart attack. And even then some people will continue with their unhealthy lifestyle habits. Don’t be one of those persons. You deserve a happier, healthier and longer life!
Carry your index card in you vehicle’s visor or somewhere where you will see it and read it every day. Tape it to the bottom of your computer screen. Put it on your desk. Use a magnet to stick one on your refrigerator. Put one next to your bed on your nightstand so you can spend 15 seconds to read it every night before you go to sleep. Remember, out of sight out of mind.
Read your Baby Steps card several times a day. One of the best ways to form a new habit is by repetition. I’ve been using this technique successfully for many years now.
Write a new index card every month. By the end of the first month, your initial Baby Step should be a new healthy habit! Every month add a new Baby Step and within six months……. can you imagine the progress!!!
Remember, the key is small changes over time….baby steps….which will increase your chances of accomplishing and maintaining your goals for a lifetime. If you have any of your own ideas that are working for you on ways to ease into healthy habits, I would love to hear from you.
The time is now! If it’s going to be it’s up to YOU! You deserve a better, healthier, happier YOU! I know you can do it. What are you waiting for? I’m done. Go do it. Get some 3×5 cards and write out some Baby Steps and get started! Talk to you soon.
By making small changes it does not feel so uncomfortable. It feels manageable and allows you to take “Baby Steps” to making some useful changes in your life.
Maybe you’re ready to make the commitment to improve your diet but find it difficult to make the necessary changes in the foods you eat. You can start by taking “Baby Steps”. Start by replacing one food or drink item. Instead of drinking 2 sodas every day replace one soda a day with some other healthy choice. It could be water. By the way, switching to diet sodas is not a healthy option. Those artificial sweeteners can cause anxiety, memory loss, not to mention many other side effects like cancer). Or how about replacing sodas with vegetable juice? Use 3/4 of low sodium V8 juice, add lemon juice and a dash of tabasco (optional). It’s a tasty and nutritious breakfast drink on the drive to work or for lunch with a small salad or salmon burger! The added bonus is you are consuming more of the daily recommended servings of vegetables.
Another Baby Step I find useful and works for me is by using small plates. We don’t need to eat such large quantities of food to nourish our bodies. Most people eat way too much food especially at one meal. This is one reason we have an epidemic of obesity in this country. Eating too much of all the wrong foods. Eating large amounts of food is also detrimental to your digestive organs. The pancreas, liver and gallbladder have to work OVERTIME causing harm and damage to those organs and that’s not good. This is the leading cause of gallstones, liver problems, heart burn, acid reflux and the dreaded CANCER.
I know it can be difficult to get smaller than the regular size servings you are used to. Using a small plate might be the “trick” to help you lose weight. If you go back for seconds, which many people do, you will still be consuming less food than if you were using a regular plate. Try it. Once a day reach for that small plate. It could be for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Using a small plate for dinner would be the best option as eating a large dinner puts on the pounds the most.
Another Baby Step to better health is to start a walking routine. If you’re not that disciplined and won’t go walking by yourself, get a walking partner. There are other people like you that would like to have someone to walk with. Once a week instead of sitting in front of the TV every night go for a short walk. If you don’t have any knee, hip or back problems then this is something you can do. If you do have some issues with your knees, hip or back call me so I can fix you and then you can start walking!
Another technique is to NOT eat out every day for lunch. You could start by taking a lunch to work once a week. OMG! What? Take a lunch to work. That’s too much work. Just think of the money you’ll save as well. Just prepare a simple lunch the night before and brown bag it. Your lunch could even be an apple with some peanut butter or a small salad with some black beans instead of salad dressing. You can add some cayenne pepper or Tabasco to spice it up a bit! My wife and I have been eating salads like that for several years and LOVE them!
The important thing is that you start making those Baby Steps. Write out a plan on 3×5 index cards. You may want to start with one thing. It could be as simple as writing something like this: 1. I will go walking once a week for 15 minutes. Some people will try and make excuses like “I don’t have time. I have kids I need to pick up.” Most people get one hour for lunch. Use just 15 minutes to go for a short walk. The weather is especially nice this time of year so….. No Excuses! You will find that you will start walking more than one time a week because you will start to feel GOOD. You might even motivate some co-workers but don’t be surprised if nobody joins you or even if they tease you. Many people are so lazy and will never change their bad habits until they get cancer or a heart attack. And even then some people will continue with their unhealthy lifestyle habits. Don’t be one of those persons. You deserve a happier, healthier and longer life!
Carry your index card in you vehicle’s visor or somewhere where you will see it and read it every day. Tape it to the bottom of your computer screen. Put it on your desk. Use a magnet to stick one on your refrigerator. Put one next to your bed on your nightstand so you can spend 15 seconds to read it every night before you go to sleep. Remember, out of sight out of mind.
Read your Baby Steps card several times a day. One of the best ways to form a new habit is by repetition. I’ve been using this technique successfully for many years now.
Write a new index card every month. By the end of the first month, your initial Baby Step should be a new healthy habit! Every month add a new Baby Step and within six months……. can you imagine the progress!!!
Remember, the key is small changes over time….baby steps….which will increase your chances of accomplishing and maintaining your goals for a lifetime. If you have any of your own ideas that are working for you on ways to ease into healthy habits, I would love to hear from you.
The time is now! If it’s going to be it’s up to YOU! You deserve a better, healthier, happier YOU! I know you can do it. What are you waiting for? I’m done. Go do it. Get some 3×5 cards and write out some Baby Steps and get started! Talk to you soon.
