Baby Stepping into Cleaner Eating

Thank you for allowing me to guest blog here on I am a Powerful Woman. It is my honor. A little bit about me so you know my background and knowledge on the subject.

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 help women. The world needs happy, positive, strong, powerful, and confident women.

The old Heather vs the new Heather

Sarah and I became connected through Sandi Kracowski. We had great conversations and brainstormed ways I could help her followers 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 5am 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.

The Old Heather	The new and improved Heather
Sleep in until the last second. Not work out.	Work out almost every morning. It is better than coffee.
Eat cereal or stop at a drive thru for breakfast. Get sleepy as soon as I got to work.	Drink Shakeology for breakfast. Stay full for several hours and have energy. (ask me about Shakeology. That is another story for another time.)
Eat lunch as soon as possible because I was starving. Usually eat out at a place like Chilis and have a sandwich with fries or a salad loaded with dressing.	Make a salad at home and bring it to work with me. Loaded with fresh organic veggies, and homemade dressing.
Hit the vending machine for chips and a soda. I would rarely bring a snack from home. That took planning.	Bring fruit with me to work and usually a handful of raw almonds.
Too tired to cook anything so we usually go out to eat or order in. Stuff my face and maybe even have wine then go to bed or take a sleep aid.	Have the dinner meal planned in advance and know what I’m making. Usually go meat free several nights a week. We will make things like black bean and brown rice tacos, broccoli stir fry and other great recipes.
Not sleep well most of the night.	Go to bed and wake up rested.

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 eat cleaner 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.