Living a truly healthy life can be challenging in the beginning but it definitely gets easier over time. You first need to question everything you are doing. Become conscious of your habits and beliefs. Certainly, none of us grow up thinking our standard American diet (SAD) is unhealthy but once you learn what healthy really is you realize why you must question everything!
Question Your Choices
I ate the SAD for many years all the while thinking I ate healthy. I ate lots of salads and enjoyed vegetables and fruits, and, of course, meat and dairy are what’s for dinner in most households, right? It was in mine. If it were bad for us it wouldn’t be what everyone was eating, would it? Think again!
Staying on autopilot would be lovely. I mean come on…we have enough stuff to worry about without having to think about every item we purchase and every morsel we eat! Sadly, that is not going to serve you well.
Have you ever wondered why so many people have cancer these days? Or diabetes? Or autoimmune disorders? Why is everyone so sick? Stop and think…and do just a little research. You will find that one common factor is the food we eat (and the second is stress). What we feed our bodies is absolutely going to affect how they perform. No one can deny that. You can’t keep shoveling in the junk food and expect to have peak health and optimal performance.
Be an Informed Consumer
Some of you may remember the 2004 documentary “Super-Size Me”. Morgan Spurlock ate only McDonald’s for 30 days. He ended up gaining 24 lbs, increased his cholesterol and experienced mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and fat accumulation in his liver. It took him 14 months to lose the weight on a vegan diet. An extreme? Yes, but it is information that informs us if we choose to be informed.
There have been many other documentaries (Forks Over Knives; Food, Inc.; Vegucated; Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead; Rotten; and The Game Changers; to name a few) and lots of other information from reputable sources that tell us why we need to change what we eat. And yet we don’t believe all this information and all these reputable sources. Why? Because change is hard. Giving up autopilot is hard!
Live Your One Wild Life Consciously
But do you really want to live your life unconsciously? Is autopilot really a way to fully live your “one wild life”? Hell no! It certainly is not!
Take it from a woman who found out the hard way. YOU do NOT want a cancer diagnosis…or any other diagnosis or health issue to be your wakeup call. The best way to fully live your one wild life is intentionaly healthy - in body, mind and spirit! For those of us with a diagnosis we can reverse the damage. Maybe not all of it but it is certainly worth the effort to try.
Now, I’m not saying that everyone must be plant-based and sugar free like me. It’s definitely not a one size fits all world, and every single body is different, but you must make a conscious choice!
Stop and think about what you are putting in your mouth. Stop and read the labels before you even put it in your grocery cart.
Your Choices Matter
Did you know that shopping the perimeter of the grocery store is really where you should be for your health? Purchase the real food – the food that will eventually rot. That is what you want to eat. Fresh food that will eventually rot. Not the stuff that will still be around in 10 years! Just minimize the packaged, highly processed food as much as you can.
You will be able to live without it (I thought I couldn't live without wine and cheese, but I did and I survived)! You will live longer and healthier! You will feel better! Your body aches and pains may lessen, your weight may lessen, your internal inflammation may lessen. All leaving you feeling so much better and allowing you to fully live your “one wild life”!
Rinse and Repeat
You can do this. Many people already have. It may be challenging at first but it gets easier over time, as it becomes a habit. Eventually it is just a lifestyle choice. And once you have nailed it with your nutrition, move on to the next aspect of life that you want to make intentional choices about. Think about your choices, question them, become informed and apply what you learn.
Have you already overhauled your nutrition? What other aspect of your life do you need to turn off auto pilot? Tell me what has helped you live more intentionally.
In peace, love and health,
Karla
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