Baby Step Your Way to Clean Eating
by Heather Dietel
It is my honor to share with you. A little bit about me so you know my background and knowledge on the subject of clean eating. I spent most of my adult life following other people’s dreams for my life. Go to college, get a degree, get a job with benefits and it will all be great. Well it wasn’t great.
I found myself laid off, overweight and in debt.
Long story short I was introduced to Insanity in the summer of 2010 and the decision to order that program changed everything. It introduced me into becoming a coach with Team Beachbody and into a healthier way of living. Not just physically but mentally as well.
I work on my personal development all the time with books, audio, a success partner, and a life coach. Many people struggle because they think they have to fix it themselves or that they are weak if they ask for help. You can’t do your own brain surgery. Why coach yourself? I love being connected with Sarah and her work to support women. The world needs happy, positive, strong, powerful, and confident women. Sarah and I became connected through Sandi Krakowski. We had great conversations and brainstormed ways I could help her community and how she could help mine.
One of the things many women struggle with is their physical being. I know I’ve struggled with that very thing for years. It was a vicious cycle. I was tired so I pumped my body full of stimulants and sugars just to stay awake. Then I was too tired to work out from working all day and of course didn’t want to cook dinner so I ate out or ordered take out a lot. The pounds kept packing on. I’d try to do something for a few weeks and then it would get too hard and I wouldn’t see quick enough results, get depressed and quit.
I just didn’t have the right tools to succeed. I was trying to do too much at once and felt overwhelmed and discouraged. I had to be perfect and giving me permission to fail was ridiculous. So instead of trying and failing I just didn’t even try. This basically is failing. I’d see all of these people who loved to work out and run and eat healthy and I wondered why I didn’t feel that way. Who were these alien people who woke up at 5 a.m. to work out?
My 20 year reunion was coming up and I was feeling that heaviness. I didn’t want to walk in feeling depressed. I wanted to finally do something about it. I started to track my food and get control of it. Then I started to workout. The more weight that came off the more I wanted to challenge myself. I started to enter events at the gym to motivate me to succeed. I loved earning the free t-shirts and being on a team to succeed. The accountability was right up my alley.
I was at that point when I knew I needed to step up more or I might fall back into my old habits. That is when I ordered Insanity from a Beachbody coach. I started my 60 days of Insanity and posted about it on facebook. My friends supported me and encouraged me to succeed. After I finished Insanity I signed up for my first 5K, then I jumped right into my first ½ marathon. We slowly transitioned our family from being slugs on Thanksgiving to getting up and running in the Turkey Trot.
What does all of this have to do with clean eating? When is this chick going to get to the point? I promise it is coming soon. You have to know this move to cleaner eating was gradual. You can do it as slowly or quickly as you want. By the end of the year you could be 90% clean eating.
Most health issues are related to inflammation or not a proper balance of pH. Having a highly acidic diet can cause major issues in your body. That is another blog topic.
How do you begin to baby step your way to clean eating when all you know is convenience foods and you are tired?
Step 1: Track what you are doing now.
You must acknowledge what you are eating and drinking now before you can change it. It can be as simple as writing it on a piece of paper or you can get fancy and download an app for your phone. Track it all for 1 full week. Salad dressing, salt, sodas, drive thrus, take out, trips to the vending machine, everything that passes through your lips. Make a note of how you feel throughout the day. Tired, energized, bloated, excited, happy, or whatever. Note this before and after each meal or snack.
Start with tracking. Figure out where you are and where you want to go. Don’t think about how much weight you need or want to lose. Focus on getting healthy. Focus on only bringing fruits and veggies into your house. Focus on not eating from a menu as much as possible.
I’m happy to help you get started on a targeted nutrition plan or a get you in an accountability group to help you stay on track. It is my mission to help people get healthy and fit. I’ve been the unhealthy person and I know how it felt. I want everyone to feel as good as I do now and know it is a lifestyle.
Create your free account and reach out to me today.
Stay tuned for Step 2 of 5 on eating cleaner.
Heather spent most of her adult life miserable, lazy, unmotivated and overweight. Beachbody helped her reach a new level in her life physically, financially, and mentally. Now she wants to share her success with family and friends and help as many people as possible achieve great results. You can connect with her through her website Heather Dietel Fitness and her facebook page.
Hey POWERFUL women! It’s Sarah. I am so inspired by Heather’s success story. She was recently able to quit her full time job, because of her success with Beachbody and now works her own business full time. Woohoo! I am looking forward to reading more about how Heather transitioned into healthier eating/fitness habits and being inspired to make some healthier choices myself. Heather will be back next Friday with step 2 of Baby Step Your Way to Clean Eating.
Sarah Boucher happily encourages women to find their power daily at I Am A Powerful Woman. Come join the conversation there.
