Making healthy choices isn’t always easy. I got off track with my eating during most of 2012, so I’ve been determined to get back on track in 2013. But the changes I’m making haven’t involved making huge changes, but rather some fairly simple shifts in what I’m doing.
1. Using a Water Bottle That I Love
It’s not like I hated my old water bottle, but it was grey and boring. And if it tipped over while I was working at my desk, it would dump out half the bottle before I could grab it up. So when I got my new OXO water bottle, I wasn’t sure if I would like it because it had a straw thing on it. But what I did love was that it was PINK! And it matched my favorite Converses. And, I realized that I didn’t mind the straw and actually like that too because if my water bottle tips over, it really doesn’t leak (nothing like my old one). Plus the top twists closed, if I need more spill proof security.
Keeping my water bottle filled up and with me almost all the time has greatly reduced my soda drinking and it has been drinking my daily requirements in water…without even trying.
2. Planning Healthy Frozen Meals for Lunch
Most of the dinners I cook are from scratch. This means, I don’t want to be cooking lunches. I seriously don’t want lunch to take longer than 5 minutes to prepare. I’m busy and I need lunch to be simple. By keeping Healthy Choice meals on hand in my freezer, I can easily make lunch for my husband and I without much effort. Have them on hand in my freezers takes the guesswork out of what we are going to have and doesn’t have me thinking I need to stop at a fast food restaurant as I’m on-the-go.
What I also love is that the calories are already figured out for me. I love knowing that if I eat a Healthy Choice meal like the Crustless Chicken Pot Pie says it’s 300 calories, than it is 300 calories. Nothing to weight or measure. By keeping my lunch extremely sensible, I know that I have some wiggle room for calories when it comes to the dinners I cook.
3. Individually Portioned Desserts
I love having dessert almost everyday. While you’ll find me baking every week, I don’t munch out on those desserts everyday. While buying large tubs of ice cream or frozen yogurt has been cost efficient for our big family, it’s not calorie efficient for me. Even when I weight or measure, I still have the urge to scoop more than I should into my bowl. But, without individual portions, like the Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt, I know I can grab a tub and it’s ready to go.
One of my favorites is the Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt in Dark Fudge Swirl and it’s really good…and that says a lot since I’m not totally Greek Yogurt crazy like my husband is. And I don’t know why this works like this, but when I sit down with a tub of this, I feel like it lasts a long time. It’s a mind over matter thing, for sure, but it helps me to keep on track with healthy eating.
TIP: I have $1 off printable coupons in my sidebar for both Healthy Choice meals and Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt. At Walmart, the meals and the yogurt are $2.50 each, making them just $1.50 after the coupon!
4. Keeping a Food Journal
See that calorie goal in the image above? I eat more than that most days and I don’t really care if I keep my eating at or under that. But what I do care about is knowing what I’m eating. I have to keep track of what I’m eating. It helps me to be aware of what I am putting into my mouth….even if it does send me over this calorie goal by 1000 or more calories because I went out to dinner.
I find that by adding the foods I eat to an online food tracker, like this one from Livestrong, I think more about about the choices I’m making. And you know what? By doing this in 2013, I’ve found myself automatically making better choices. I think more about getting seconds of something. I also plan weeks better.
5. Walking
A few years ago, I used to walk a lot. David and I walked about 5 days a week. And that was one of my healthiest times and we loved it. Comments from a friend telling me that I needed to do “more”, left me disappointed.
I love walking. Wasn’t it really not good enough? Eventually, I started walking less and less, feeling like it wasn’t good enough.
Fast forward to 2013, and I decided: if I like walking, then I’m going to WALK. Walking 1 mile is better than walking no miles….and for 2 years, I didn’t hardly walk at all. And so, I’m walking. Even if someone thinks I should be doing more.
This sums up my whole point of this post: doing SOMETHING is always better than doing NOTHING.
These 5 healthy choices that I am making aren’t huge. But they are proving to make a clear difference in my own life. Some of these might work for you, or you might have other things you do. Make healthy choices that work for you…big or small.
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Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This #HealthyChoices shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and ConAgra Foods You can see my full shopping trip HERE. #cbias #SocialFabric All opinions are 100% my own.
Heidi Clark says
Amazing post! Thanks for the inspiration!
Patti says
The frozen yogurt looks so good. I must look for it!
Wendys Hat says
Good for you! Drinking only water and walking are probably the two biggest lifestyle changes that a person can make. Once this all becomes habit then add one more thing and build from there. Your lunches also sound like a great plan. Experts often say that having one meal as your “automatic” meal, meaning it’s already planned and you grab it each day and go, saves both time and calories in the long run. Great ideas Brandie!
Gina H says
As I’m reading your post — I must be craving dessert because that greek frozen yogurt looks amazing!