Get Real! Tell Me How Normal People Can Have A Healthy Diet And Lifestyle

Do you find yourself starting out every day (months or years!) With the best intentions of your diet and lifestyle - yet somehow the real world gets in the way and everything goes wrong?

• Your boss drops an immediate pile of work into a very large pile of urgent work


• One of the children should have a dress for a friend's fancy dress party


• Dad's taxi rides fall apart and you have to fill or disappoint everyone


• Your partner unexpectedly invites a co-worker at home for a "quick meal"


• An older brother has a fall and you want to help with their shopping


• Fill in the mini-crisis of your own life with a healthy lifestyle that you know you should follow

So instead of an hour's work at the gym, followed by cooking fresh food you bought on Saturday, you grab a seat and slump on the sofa with a TV, then throw the vegetable now in the fridge on Friday.

We all know why we want a healthy diet and lifestyle.

• Reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes - science proves it


• Lose weight and stay slim


• Better skin condition


• Reduces joint pain and pain


• A better atmosphere


• Stop migraines and headaches


• Stop the pain and shame of indigestion, constipation, gas / wind


• Have more energy


• Sleep well every night and wake up fresh every morning

But somehow, dealing with the reality of everyday life it has never worked so well.

I have always been amazed by people who seem to be able to handle everything, cook healthy foods, stay thin and balance workplaces and family life with ease.

Maybe you tried and failed to follow their example? Well, it's not your fault, and you're certainly not the only one trying to adjust to the pressures of modern times and family life. Have you ever thought that you were just trying too hard? It was a cliche, but Rome was not built in a day and setting small achievable goals might be a better answer than a complete blitz destined for failure, followed by repeating your old ways.

So how do you get started on a healthier diet and lifestyle?

The first step is to evaluate exactly where you are on the road to a healthy diet and lifestyle. Then you can face the facts.

Keep a diary for a week, to record what you eat, why you eat it, your mood at that time, how much exercise you take - and a record of what prevents you from making healthier choices each time. This is not so that you can blame yourself, or others. The goal is for you to choose one or two specific areas that you find workable.

So instead of having a deep goal to "get healthier", you can choose more mini-target goals, such as:

• Instead of buying cookies for the store closet, buying fruit for the table


• Put a few minutes early and take a walk with kids - somewhere - instead of taking the car and pretending to be in traffic


• At least one evening a week when the whole family sits down for a healthy meal, let everyone take turns picking their recipe (and maybe cooking)


• Buy chocolate, full bread and rice instead of white

Make your goals easy to manage, and when your first few steps are part of your daily routine, look for the next change you can make. Soon you will not see the number of changes you have made, but you will feel better that you will not want to go back to the way it was.

My family still doesn't believe that (sometimes!) I crave salads or fish instead of chocolate. It also took me by surprise. Of course I still allow myself to take care of myself occasionally, and so do you, but they treat, not the habit, in the context of a healthy lifestyle.

Starting with your diary today, make one or more changes for a week, then every week after that select the next change. Review your diary in three months and see how much progress you've made - you'll be amazed.

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