I'm going to give you a brief window into my childhood for a moment, horrible bangs and neon aplenty. It was the 80's after all. This is a special picture, am I right? Back to the story...
When I was growing up my mom struggled with her weight. To be honest I think she struggled with it her whole life but I can only speak to the years after I was born-duh. I have vivid memories of my mother being on some kind of a "diet" throughout my entire childhood. I remember her going to Weight Watchers meetings once a week to weigh herself. And I remember her buying Sweatin' to the Oldies videos and trying to do the moves along with her. Richard Simmons really was something, wasn't he? I remember cabbage soup diets and all sorts of different "miracle pills" that were finally going to take the weight off. I'm sure it won't come as a shock to you but even after all of the attempts, the weight never came off and she remained uncomfortable in her body.
When I think of that time and all of the weight-loss gimmicks she tried what I remember the most is that none of them worked. She may have lost a few pounds here or there but it always came back because they were short-term solutions.
I know that my mother didn't like the way she looked or felt and that is the worst way to feel. I also know that she poured money into fruitless endeavours and programs filled with empty promises because she didn't want to continue to feel like crap. I also know what it's like to feel like that myself. And I'd be willing to bet that if you're reading this right now you or someone you know has struggled with the same thing.
I'm pretty sure my "healthy living seed" was planted around that time. I didn't understand it then but watching my mother struggle all those years was subliminally propelling me into a career of health and wellness. I'm certain a huge part of the reason that I now make my living teaching people about nutrition and healthy living has to do with watching her have such difficulty with her weight and eating well. I figured there had to be a better way to do this. It shouldn't be hard or restrictive to live a healthy life. You shouldn't need to weigh out powders and pills in order to feel good. You should just be able to Do Better.
What does Doing Better mean?
Doing better basically means that you're improving on what you're doing now. Sounds pretty simple, right? That's because it is simple.
Healthy living isn't black and white. It's not a one size fits all scenario either. It is a huge spectrum of things that you can change in order to achieve your idea of "healthy living." And that's the part that I think is pretty great. There are so many different things you can do to Do Better. Simple things. Things that won't break the bank. What kinds of things you may ask? Well, let me show you:
Make your own chicken stock
Ditch the fruit juice for water
Eat a vegetarian meal once a week
Eat a healthy breakfast everyday
Take the stairs at work
Make your own pizza instead of ordering in
Stop drinking pop
Stop eating things from boxes
Cut red meat down to once a week
Switch to spelt or rice pasta
Buy a reusable glass water bottle instead of plastic bottles
This list is literally just scratching the surface of what you can do. Once you start thinking about it I'm sure you can come up with dozens more ways you can Do Better in your home and with your diet. And once you begin to Do Better consistently, you will start to see results.
But will I see the results I want if I'm just doing better?
Oh my goodness, the answer is a resounding yes! Let me 'splain: What if you decided to take the stairs at work instead of taking the elevator and you did that for 3 months? You wouldn't look like Arnold Schwarzenegger but you would improve your cardiovascular health. And what if you switched from ice cream to banana "nice" cream? And what if you used 1 sugar in your coffee instead of 2? And what if you compounded all of those actions over the course of a year 6 months. Would you look like a fitness competitor? Hell no, but you'd better believe you'd be a healthier version of yourself. And that's what we all want, isn't it?
Stop making it difficult. Stop making this an all or nothing kind of situation. Do Better than you are doing right now. And then Do Better than that. Because you're a rock star and deserve to love your life.
If you aren't quite sure where to start Doing Better, check out my Back to Basics recipe book. It's full of delicious and easy recipes for stock, dressings, marinades and more!
And don't forget to keep me updated on all your success! Follow me on Facebook and tag me on Instagram #staceygreenliving!
Stacey xo