No one wants to be unhealthy. Today’s food supply is so contaminated and commercial products and environment so full of toxins that spending too much time thinking about it all can drive a person nearly insane. You obviously have to eat. You have to breathe outdoor air. You have to carry out everyday tasks according to your state in life.
We can’t spend 24/7 paranoid that anything or everything we touch, eat or drink is going to make us sick. We also can’t simply ignore our health, hoping it will take care of itself.
There has to be balance. Extremes are typically never good. Whether we’re talking about diet, exercise, religious practices or any other issue related to mental, physical, economic, spiritual or emotional health, temperance and moderation are keys to healthy living.
If you are able to go to the gym and purchase whole, organic, healthy food items, that’s great. If you don’t have time or can’t financially afford such things, that’s okay too because there are other ways to achieve a healthy lifestyle.
One of the swiftest changes you can make (that is not always easy if you are addicted to sweets) is to get rid of processed, sugary drinks and foods from your daily diet. Just because you aren’t woofing down Snickers Bars doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t eating gobs of sugar every day, as it is often hidden in canned goods, salty/crunchy snack foods and cereals, plus a host of other staple food items. By cutting out soda and other sugary drinks and switching to water or water, infused with fresh berries or lemons, etc., you can take an enormous stride out of the starting gate toward healthy living.
Downsizing your portion size will keep your momentum going, especially if you’re still in the habit of eating fast foods. That whole “Super size me!” marketing scheme has wreaked havoc on the overall state of human health in the U.S. Not only are we Americans often addicted to sweets, we love the burgers and fries that we can get without ever having to get out of our cars, as well. When they offer us more for an overall lower cost,
they reel us in, hook, line and sinker, but it’s really bad for us. It’s an extreme that leads to ill-health.
Another healthy living life hack that has to do with food portions is to pre-plate your meals in the kitchen. While placing large serving bowls of delicious home-made foods in the center of your table and allowing people to pass and serve at will creates feelings of comfort and home-living goodness, it also opens the floodgates for uncontrolled eating and extreme portion sizes. If you pre-plate your food before it gets to the table, you
remove the temptation to heap on seconds, thirds or…
Healthy living is a process. It’s a journey. If you want to make some changes and aren’t sure where or how to begin, just keep these two words in your mind this week: downsize and simplify. That can help jump-start your healthy living plan!
Do have ideas to help others improve their overall state of health? Have you made a simple change or downsized something in your life that has helped you to feel stronger, more energetic or has given you peace of mind? Tell us about it in the comments!
Writer Bio: Judy Dudich
Judy Dudich resides in the beautiful woods of Pennsylvania, where 24 acres of land and a home-office provide the perfect setting for her children’s home-education and her own homesteading and business ventures. Life is full of blessings (and challenges!) for Judy, as a wife, mother of 10 and Grammy to six. She is a published author, whose book, “I Surrender/A Study Guide for Women” continues to encourage and support others in Christian family lifestyles throughout the world. Judy has also previously worked in the online speaking circuit. Her passion for permaculture, re-purposing, foraging and organic gardening fills her days with learning and adventure that she loves to share.
