Resolutions: Being Healthy

I thought the next 'resolutions' post would be about healthy eating/living since I'm pretty horrible at it and want to get it out of the way. When I say horrible, I mean that even though I have made some changes to the way I eat, I still know I'm not eating the healthiest, however I have gotten to where I eat cleaner. Although, let me preface this by saying, I am not one of those, organic, vegan, anti-sugar people (no problem, if you are one, although you are missing out on some wonderful things like microwave popcorn, Steak!, and syrupy sweet tea, just saying). I have just decided to eliminate as many processed foods, or boxed meals as I can on our budget. We normally spend about $40 a week (more about that in my upcoming post on budget...another thing I'm not the best at) so, if I can eat better on a small budget, so can you! Here are some tips that I've found helpful over the past couple of years of married life:

1. Ditch all the boxes!!

Hamburger helper, mac and cheese, tv dinners...ahh the things that make our lives easier! You also hear about all the strange, or horrible ingredients that are contained in them. I don't know how much is true, or horrible (I believe everything in moderation) but I figure, since I'm able to stay at home, I can try to make as many things myself as possible. My husband loves that I make my own mac and cheese, dirty rice, pasta sauce,  and even tortillas. As a disclaimer, we do have boxed mac and cheese every once in a while (we got a grocery pounding, and so hey, I'm not going to let that food go to waste!), but on the whole, my husband would much rather have the homemade, and it doesn't take very long to make so why not have control on what ingredients go in?
If you have resolved to eating healthier, a great way to start is by trying to do more homemade things and less going out to eat, or tv dinners. I know that if you are a working mom or don't have a lot of time on your hands, Pinterest can be your friend when it comes to healthy crock pot meals (I also have a link to a couple of meals that take 30min or less to put together:http://ayouthpastorswife.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-newlyweds-approach-to-cooking.html, you will see that I use some canned tomato sauce, and even canned pizza dough, but this can be substituted for homemade)

2. Make all the substitutions!

This a bit of a no-brainer, but it can be pretty pricy to switch from margarine to real butter, from normal to organic stuff. And actually unless it's on sale, I normally don't. I do look at sales papers, and during the holidays, especially, I'll buy real butter (and freeze all that I can), and ingredients to make healthier meals (like sweet potatoes instead of normal ones).
Also you can switch to spicing up your water (with things like lemons or strawberries) instead of cokes(cokes is southern for sodas). This lessens your sugar intake and makes coke an actual treat when you do have one, instead of being a necessity. And for you southern folks, maybe 1 or 2 glasses of sweet tea instead of 4 or 5? If that's too big of a change, maybe slowly lesson the amount of sugar you put in, so that it's not quite so bad! You can also substitute chips and other snacks for fruit, nuts and healthier snacks. Another no brain-er but when there's junk in the house, I'm always going to choose it to snack on rather than perhaps an apple. Make junky items as scarce as possible, so you will be less tempted to grab (this is something I'm still working on!), and put healthier items in its place.
You've heard this verse before: 'Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,  for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.' I Corinthians 6:19-20. This is a great verse when trying to motivate yourself to eat healthier. Being healthy can help you spiritually! If you are constantly focused on food and sweets, you may be making it your god. Also, if we tell God that we give him our lives in service to him, how can we fulfill that, if our bodies are in service to something else?

 

 3. Do all the exercise!

This is my greatest weakness. I hate exercising!! I was made to bike a few miles a day at one time and because I was told to do it, and had no one to converse with (I am a social exercising person) I quickly developed a great distaste for it, and thus exercising all together. Once my friend suggested doing the indoor workouts together, I liked it much better, and still do that type today. Even though I do it by myself and don't like doing exercise alone, I try to squeeze in at least a 20min if not 30min workout per day (gym people, please don't hate me! This is seriously the longest I can go so far. I would like to work my way to doing it for longer!). I have said all this to say, if you hate doing it alone, get a workout partner! If you hate doing it with someone, find a way to do a private workout! The most important thing is to stick with it (another of my greatest weaknesses, and the reason I've put on pounds after my marriage).

I hope these tips help you stay healthy during the holiday season, and throughout the new year!