Last week was fabulous! I felt like I was at a group therapy session with all my friends. There is something comforting about sharing things we are trained to be so ashamed of. The truth is everybody has quirks and bad habits. We all do things that we see others scorned for which makes us fearful to admit them.
My theory is, if we were all a bit more transparent there wouldn’t be as much to be guilty about. No one is perfect in any sense of the word. There are no perfect bodies. We know this, right? There are no perfect parents or perfect children. Even if you think your diet is perfect, they’ll change what perfect is next week anyway–eggs are good, no their bad oh wait, they are good again.
What it really comes down to is balance. You have to balance the "good" with the "bad." You have to own your unhealthy habits as much as you celebrate your healthy ones. The world is not black or white. We live in shades of grey. This concept was key for me to break out of the yo-yo dieting cycle of hell I talk so much about.
For so long I thought I had to be perfect which led to dieting to get perfect but once I couldn’t be perfect on said diet I decided it wasn’t worth it at all. If I couldn’t be perfect then why bother? But I wanted to be perfect so I’d start again with a new perfect diet only to discover I couldn’t be perfect yet again.
I know there are a lot of "perfects" in there but I know at least some of TOTALLY get what I’m talking about because you have also been in the yo-yo dieting cycle of hell–here’s where I’m being transparent to let you know it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
This is a super long introduction to this weeks question which is a follow up of last weeks. Since we already owned our UNhealthy habits it’s time to celebrate the healthy ones. What are you doing right? What do you deserve a pat on the back for? Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn. Owning your accomplishments is JUST as important as recognizing what you need to change.
Me? Well let me tell you, I am a CHAMP in the healthy breakfast department. I adopted the breakfast habit long ago and now I don’t feel right unless I start my day with at least some fruit. Every morning the Little Guy and I sit down together and add fruit to cereal, peel our hard boil eggs or experiment with a new oatmeal idea. We take on breakfast and it’s awesome!
I also eat a lot, I mean a LOT of fruit and vegetables. Today alone I had blueberries and pomegranates with breakfast. An apple with peanut butter with lunch along with a English Muffin tomato pizza and roasted peppers on crackers. Later I dipped a ton of tomatoes, carrots and sugar snap peas with hummus for a snack and I made roasted Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes with dinner. I’m also dreaming of some Banana soft-serve as an evening snack which I will probably add more blueberries to. It took me a long time to embrace this many fruits and vegetables in my diet but now it’s a a healthy habit I’m proud of.
Finally, I’m proud that I take every opportunity to walk or take the stairs when I can. Little Guy and I will routinely walk and let the husband move the car (he’s so anti walk,) We’ve walked to the grocery store when it’s warm, and I’ve been known to seek out the stairs even when I’m on the 10th floor–I’ve even left people at conference who wanted to take the elevator. I’m proud to be a stair taker! It’s something I totally do out of habit now.
Ok, your turn. What healthy habits are you proud of? If you answered last weeks question you BETTER answer this weeks! Confessing is good for the soul but so is taking a moment to pat yourself on back. Pat away!
44 Responses to Follow Up… What are your Healthy Habits?
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What's Cooking in my kitchen?
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About Roni
Roni started this blog in '05 to journal her weight loss. 70lbs later, she's committed to living a conscious, healthy life and hopes to inspire others along the way. Read more on the about page.
My healthy habit is that I started sleeping in my workout clothes. When I get up, I’m already halfway ready to start working out! It leaves me so no excuses not to get up and get to it!
I have to think harder about this weeks question….
I am always reading about health & nutrition – I love learning!
I try my best to choose nutritious food for my family – sometimes Cheeze-its & Chips make it in the shopping cart, but not as often as before. Also I dont keep soda /juice in the house!
I take care of myself in every sense of the word, mind, body and spirit. When I do that, everything else falls into place.
I’m good at getting my veggies in. I struggle with fruit. I dunno- never been a fan. But I’m learning to eat a little fruit with each meal.
I make being active a top priority…I run six miles every day.. no matter what the weather.. rain, snow, single digits temps.. I look at the non- ideal weather as a challenge.
I drink green smoothies with mostly all greens, and try to eat as clean as possible..
I am good at drinking water and doing my 5 minute workouts.
I incorporate 14 walnut halves into my daily points value. I eat 7 about 30 minutes before lunch and 7 about 30 minutes before dinner. Has the same benefit as taking fish oil according to Dr. Oz. Turns out they are an enjoyable snack as well. :-)
I love that exercise has become such a huge part of my life on the days I don’t get some sort of activity in, I miss it. That’s a healthy habit. :)
I religiously search out nutrition info before going out to a restaurant with friends. With technology, there’s no excuse not to be educated on what’s in my food.
My other habit I feel compelled to share because of all of last week’s comments (though don’t take it as judgement!). I brush and floss my teeth 2x a day, every day, no exceptions. I didn’t use to have the greatest flossing routine, but made it a priority because it is so important- now I can’t sleep knowing my teeth aren’t clean! :)
My healthy habits:
1. I have started drinking at least one green juice a day
2. I haven’t had a soft drink on a LONG time
3. I floss like a maniac..after every meal AT least.
I try new healthy recipes every week and blog about them. I love making healthy versions of my favorite restaurant foods like enchiladas, turkey burgers and stir fried chicken. I make my own healthy granola.
I eat a huge variety of fruits and vegetables every week. I pick out new ones to try just for the fun of it!
A big change for me was to stop baking desserts everyday. I now reserve desserts for special occasions. My daily “treats” are things like fresh raspberries with Greek yogurt.
Who knew that eating well would taste so good!
I am active, I walk 3 miles 6 times a week.
Oh healthy habits – Breakfast daily includes fruit. Steamed veges every night with dinner — leftover vege and/or salad with lunch. Cut bread/pasta/sauce to little to none unless *thins* and learning to cook in different ways focusing on the new taste.
Somehow, someway, I get my butt to the gym 5 times a week. Sometimes for cardio, sometimes for weights, but I get in the car with the gym bag and drive all the way down there and the guard at the parking lot knows me and says Hi! And when I walked out, the girl from the counter doesn’t ask my name anymore, she just knows me and she just take my credential out and signs me off… I’m a regular there. Like if I was some dort of little animal living in the gym, with a long tail and long teeth. You know what animal. A gym rat!
Hi, I LOVE today’s question! Very positive!
1) I am glad that I am more conscious about the food I buy, must be healthy snacks, more fruits, lots of vege. Even when I eat out, I am very careful.
2) I also take my breakfast more regular – and healthy options – not starchy and heavy stuff. More fruits and cereals.
^__^
my new year’s resolution was to floss and so i am sticking to it! every night as i am tempted to resist and head straight to bed i think of something you said, roni, which was about making one small committment. about how that can take over and become a habit and then something you are proud of about yourself, and that this one thing can overflow into other areas of your life. (i think you said this in a podcast, mentioning your first committment to going to a WW meeting every week and recording your weight on your blog as a first step toward weight loss after your son was born). anyway most nights i still resist flossing! and then i say, no, i am resisting but i can choose right now to floss and it will only take a couple of minutes and then i will be a person who not only flosses…. but can stick to a commitment… and form a habit… and take good care of myself. i let it flow outward and very quickly i am feeling good and upbeat, which gets me flossing and thereby feeling good about myself and optimistic about my capacity to change in other areas of my life. i know flossing is important in and of itself, but right now it is the overflow that feels so great. whew, that was long-winded, but i wanted to write out what positive self-talk is looking like for me right now. i would like to add that having said all that, there have been a couple of nights where my reistance to flossing was really strong, and on those nights i also recalled your words, which are that i don’t have to be perfect or do this perfectly. and so i have skipped a couple of nights, and that is OK, because overall – my flossing is WAY UP since previously i was doing it hardly ever. if i tried to be perfect i would probably give up entirely, and what overflow would that have? (not good in so many ways.)
thanks to everyone for sharing this week and last!
I am really really good about drinking water and green tea. I have been carrying a water bottle constantly for about 5 years now.
Also, I gave up fast food and regular soda in September 2009, and have been really good about it. I probably have a soda about once every two months. It is a lot easier than I thought to avoid fast food, I don’t even crave it anymore.
I don’t obsess about my weight gain. it is what it is :)
I am a champ at getting my water in. No less than 80 oz. a day, but usually closer to 100.
I’m also pretty good at breakfast. Oatmeal, oil, yogurt, fruit and coffee every day. Just recently, I switched from sugar to honey to sweeten my coffee!
Fantastic follow-up Roni! I’ve done a great job this year at valuing my diet. Instead of eating as little as possible, only to over-compensate later, I’ve been eating a varied diet without fear! I’ve even been following a nearly vegan diet (save for the occasional egg) since the new year and it’s really helping me branch out more and try new and interesting protein sources.
Like you, I am a champion at breakfast. I make my own granola and have it or oatmeal with fruit every morning.
I also am very good with my water intake. I rarely drink anything except water, coffee and hot tea.
I walk no less than 10,000 steps per day and have worn a pedometer all the time to document my steps. The pedometer is the first thing to go on when I get out of bed in the mornings and the last thing to come off at night!
Great post – loved reading the comments!
Way tougher question for me this week…
I floss and I laugh.
The rest of the healthy comments that people have left are great to read and inspiring… but…. well…. refer to my answer from last weeks question… not there yet. BUT workin’ on it!
Wow – it was so much easier to list my “unhealthy” habits. As I began thinking about my “healthy” habits, I had to resist the urge to say something negative along side each…..we are so hard on ourselves. It’s never been easy to give myself praise, but here goes…..
I exercise six times a week
I eat very well…..MOST of the time.
I drink 10 – 12 glasses of water each day
I cook ALMOST every night and RARELY eat out. I’ve discovered MANY healthy recipes that my husband and kids enjoy as much as I do.
I go to bed early most nights.
I get fairly regular massages to deal with the sore muscles caused from exercise.
I set a good example for my children with regards to nutrition and exercise. I’m more proud of this than anything.
I’ve made it a necessity to eat breakfast every day. Even on the weekends. Usually a hard boiled egg and a whole wheat waffle w honey. I was never a “breakfast” person, but it was the one thing I knew I had to change to do my body some good while I was working my butt off at the gym. Now if I don’t eat breakfast, I am sluggish ALL day!
I take vitamins! I was never good about it, but now I can tell a difference when I don’t take them!
I keep TONS of fresh fruit and veggies in the house. I also keep most of it out and in reach of my short people, so they know they can grab an apple, banana or orange if they need a snack!
I REFUSE to buy soda. I have to. If its in this house, I’ll drink it. A lot of it. If we have company(most of my husbands family drinks soda like no other!), it goes in the garbage as soon as they walk out the door.
I include my boys(3 & 5) in as much of my fitness as I can. Whether they go to the gym with me and witness a training session or we take long walks together, they look forward to it and so do I! They know that mommy HAS to “go get her exercises” and they cheer me on. Having them at a race is THE best, my 5yr old has even ran the last 1/8 of a 5k with me and got a medal!
This is a fun question! Here’s mine:
- I drink at least 3 litres of water every day
- I exercise most days of the week
- I eat healthy things around 85% of the time
- I have some chocolate or a treat every day to ensure my sanity
- I make quiet time to pray and read my Bible most days. Nothing like experiencing perfect love from the Creator to put this short life into perspective. :0)
For the past 13 weeks I’ve been going to the gym at least 4 times per week. Pat on the back ;)
I love this post!
My healthy habits include:
- Eating a healthy and filling breakfast each day (and slowly getting my boyfriend to do the same thing)
- Turning to fruits and vegetables as my snacks
- Using vegetables as the main focus of my meals instead of just using them as a side dish
- Exercising most days of the week because it makes me feel good!
- Cooking meals most nights because I like knowing what I’m eating and I love spending some time in the kitchen
Healthy habits:
I always get back on track, no matter what
I always make a smart choice when eating out
I always eat breakfast
I snack rather than get deliriously hungry before a meal
1. I exercise 3-4 times a week
2. I am very proud of my grocery cart! I fill it with healthy, natural, whole foods, and very rarely does anything go to waste.
3. I walk when I can. I often walk to work (I live two blocks away), and even though a bathroom is only one flight of stairs up from my office, I walk up three flights of stairs to get to the bathroom on the very top floor, and I take the absolutely longest route getting there.
4. I avoid fat talk. If I start feeling down on myself, I immediately start pointing out my positives and remind myself that nobody is perfect, and no nitpicking or focusing on any one part of my body will make me any less beautiful.
1. I track everything!
2. I plan my entire week of meals in advance and make a grocery list based on them – this includes figuring out points values & portion sizes for each meal.
3. I eat only at home – unless going out has been planned in advance (date night, girls night out etc)
4. Have a fruit or vegetable (or both!) with every meal.
I have recently started a journal to record everything I eat and the calories. No matter what I am eating I write it down with the calories and record the total for each day.
This has opened my eyes to what I am really doing and made my weight gain more real, as a result I have been making better food choices and taking back control of what’s going into my body :)
This one is simple, but I turned one cup of coffee with regular cream into a cup of hot green tea every day. Helps me reduce calories as build that immune system!
I workout most days of the week,
I feed my family healthy meals on a budget
I let my boys have treats so they don’t binge at friend’s houses (in moderation)
I am in my 4th book of the Bible (goal is to read it all the way through this year)
I didn’t gain any weight as a result of our move from Hawaii to Connecticut (super hard)
I brush my teeth twice a day.
I make healthy food that always includes a fruit or veggie.
We eat out only twice a month.
I exercise/am active 6/7 days a week.
Healthy habits:
–I almost always take the stairs unless it’s not accessible
–I get 7-8 hours of sleep every night
–I work out 6-7 days a week (easy/moderate/hard)
–I take my vitamins daily
–I tell myself I’m fabulous at 42 (haha, but it works to change a negative attitude about oneself)
I stopped eating out for a long time because I thought I couldn’t make healthy choices. Now I do! I know (usually) what to avoid from a restaurant menu and how to order smart.
First, I skip appetizers. Or I order an appetizer as the entree and get a side salad.
Second, I split an entree with whoever I’m with. Most restaurant portions are twice what they should be.
I rarely order dessert (special occasions only) and I split the dessert!
My healthy habit I do is write down my wins each day. It has made a big difference in decreasing my negative self talk. Somewhere along the line I began to be really mean to myself. I am annoyed I gained the weight, annoyed I look worse than before. But the thoughts and self talk I do is terrible. I would never speak to someone else that way but somehow its ok to do it to myself?? So I literally write down at least 1-3 things a day of wins. It can be a little ridiculous: “you drank a lot of water today!”, “you didnt let boredom drive you to eat!” etc. but it makes me feel better about myself and keeps me on track.
I ALWAYS attend my weekly WW meeting no matter if I have a weight gain or loss~I have found that weight loss after menopause is DIFFICULT but am sticking with it and trying not to get discouraged~You are an inspiration~Thank you~
I went from being an omnivore to a 99% no-added-fat vegan/nutritarian.
I went from being a couch potato to working out 5-6 days per week.
I went from obsessing about food and hating myself for eating things that I didn’t feel good about to loving eating and having no shame in it.
I stopped mindlessly eating at night as a relaxation and stress relief tool to just letting myself be and actually allowing myself to feel tired.
But I still don’t floss! I know, it’s bad!
I eat within 30 min of waking up, and every 3-4 hours following.
I eat a ton of veggies, with some lean protein, most nights for dinner.
When I get the munchies, I resort to air-popped popcorn w/ cooking spray and popcorn seasoning. ( I actually have this MOST nights, so maybe this borders on the unhealthy, lol)
I’m good at keeping a running mental calorie count for the day – did it on paper for 6 months while losing weight – benefit now is I can do it in my head easily!
I limit computer time to one hour a day.
I limit sitting on the couch to tv time with the family, which is not daily.
I work out most days of the week.
If I don’t feel like a hard workout, I involve my kids and turn on Wii Just Dance 2, or MJ, and log in at least an hour. (I even do my weights during the pauses!)
I am good at going to the gym 3-4 times/week… It has become my “happy time” of the day. One thing that I have been working on though is the food portion of my regime.. learning how to say yes to indulgences and temptations without feeling like a failure and completely giving up – which is what I have always done in the past. I stumbled across a great book titled, “Full: A Life Without Dieting” written by Michael Snyder, M.D.. The book has been extremely helpful in helping me continue my goal to overcome my bad food habits, and I am finding that I can be full with less food but equally as satisfied.
I always eat breakfast. Breakfast is the best!
I eat tons of fruits and veggies. I’ve gotten my husband to like many things he said he’d never eat like Brussels sprouts and asparagus!
I quit diet soda… well, all soda really. This one was really inspired by you since it’s one of your “soap box topics”. It really got me thinking so I made that my NY resolution and I’ve stuck to it!
Everyone has such wonderful, healthy habits! Mine isn’t totally direct but I don’t badmouth my boday anymore, or use a scale. Guess it’s more about mental health but it translates to physical health because it’s taken me out of the yo-yo dieting cycle beautifully diagrammed above!
Wow, I love all the diff tips on this post. We all struggle with our own issues and it so inspriring to watch your weekly progress. For me as a mom of 4 and all the running around with after school activities and my 7 and 10 year olds affection for Taco Bell I found the pounds adding on. I read this article the other day at lose5pounds.com and trust me I will never be tempted to stop there again. It makes you wonder what kind of bug parts are in the other fast food joints “food”. From now on, the kids have to wait till we get home and I can prepare a more healthy alternative…even if I am dead tired!
One of my healthy habits that’s really easy to follow is to drink plenty of water before and while eating. Drinking water makes you feel full and therefore your eating less.