Let’s face it. We all have routines in our lives: brushing our teeth, making our beds, feeding our pets, working 9-5.
Often we associate routine as being stuck in a rut. However, we can greatly benefit from the power of regulation when it comes to our health, where we often fly by the seat of our pants, and make poor decisions.
For those who don’t know, I am a self-proclaimed Dessertaholic. Check out Sweets Without Grief if you missed it.
Diets make me cringe.
Two months before I got married I had the absurd idea to get a personal trainer who encouraged me hand over fist to go on a crash diet.
Let’s just say I ditched that militaristic plan when I realized I was becoming hostile in the break room. I feared one of the neighboring employees would steal my food. Needless to say, I got a little loopy.
I am one of food’s biggest fans, but I try to find a healthy balance. So, I’m going to share a systematic approach to your body with 5 sensible eating habits.
- Eat in, not out Guess what? When you’re not making the food yourself, you have no idea what’s in it. Take control by knowing exactly what you’re eating. Eat a good breakfast before you leave, bring your lunch, and eat dinner at home. Bonus…you’ll save money.
- Carrots are the new chips I just made that up, but I think I’m on to something here. We love crunchy snacks, don’t we? I always keep a bag of miniature carrots around. When I’m in between meals, I chomp away. You can eat as many of these bad boys as you want–they’re awesome for you.
- Go nuts I never leave the house without nuts. The moment you get hungry, have a few. This will keep you from making bad choices while you’re out and about. Almonds and walnuts are my favorite. Add a little dried fruit to change it up.
- Cherish each meal Eating while working or watching television will leave you dissatisfied. Food is beautiful and important; we should respect it and savor every bite. Take your time and give it all of your attention. After all, food gives you energy and keeps you alive.
- Water is your best friend See that water bottle I’m hugging down there? I refill it several times a day. A lot of times we mistake dehydration for hunger. Next time your tummy talks, try drinking some water before you eat. To jazz it up, add lime, lemon or cucumber if you’re not a fan of plain. Most importantly, the first thing you should do when you get up is drink a full glass of water. Then, proceed with your day.
Trust me, crash diet mentality is completely unnecessary. Be smart and be kind to your bod…it’s the only one you’ve got!
Join me next week for The Smart Bod Regimen – Part 2 to chat about exercise habits.
Britt Skrabanek 
Good post!
Thanks, Marion! : )
My son is a personal trainer, and he’d agree with your assessment of crash diets. “Eat healthy and excercise” is his motto.
Absolutely. That’s the smartest way to see results and keep them.
Great post, Britt. Thank you for the follow. I’m now following you (on Twitter and FB as well).
My son is also a personal trainer (I noticed TW Dittmers comment) and a fire-fighter as well. He’s super fit and encourages good food and exercise and living life to the max!
Me? I just like living life to the max 🙂
Hi Dianne! Nice to become buddies with you Living life to the max goes hand in hand with good food and exercise. : )
I agree: except for eat in, not out – I will gladly hand someone a whole garbage bag full of the boring crap I routinely pig out on at home, in return for the four course heaven in a restaurant, prepared by someone else, served by someone else, and most importantly, cleaned up after by someone else! I used to be a proponent of the skip dinner and have dessert thing, but these days I am somewhat healthier in my approach 🙂
Oh, I love eating a good meal out, too. Of course! There is nothing like going out from time to time. I’m definitely a fan of not doing those dishes! : )
Hey Britt – I’ve now got Beneath the Satin Gloves. I love the forward to your husband – beautiful!
I’ve only just started reading it 🙂
Awesome! I was just checking out your plethora of novels. Is there one you would recommend for me to start with? Maybe we could do a little review swapping on Smashwords if you’re interested. : )
That sounds good, but it depends what you’re interested in. They’re all so different. The Everything Theory would probably be a good one to start with because it involves history 🙂
I have it on my to-read list next. I’ll let you know when I’m reading. Looks super interesting. : )
Thank you! It used to have reviews, but I changed the name and uploaded a new version and lost the reviews 😦
What a bummer!
[…] week, I covered dietary habits in The Smart Bod Regimen – Part 1. Be sure to scope it out if you haven’t […]
I always have little baggies of almonds too. 🙂
Yay! Always a smart move. : )
I concur!
[…] You know me. I’m usually on a health kick–carrots are the new chips, Yoga’s for everyone–you’ve even seen me hugging a water bottle. […]