3544: Get Healthy and Fit, Part 1 by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits on Healthy Eating Habits

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[00:01:00] This is Optimal Health Daily. Get healthy and fit. Part 1 by Leo Babauta of zenhabits.net. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Welcome to another edition of Optimal Health Daily. This is just one of a few podcasts in the world where blogs are read to you. And on this show you get the added bonus of hearing my commentary at the end. And another bonus, on Fridays I answer your questions. Now the title of today's post says Part 1. But it is complete on its own.

[00:01:29] Leo does have a Part 2 where he goes into exercise and I might read that one in the future. But that's still to be decided. So for now, let's hear his Part 1 and start optimizing your life. Get Healthy and Fit. Part 1 by Leo Babauta of zenhabits.net.

[00:01:51] JD over at one of my favorite finance blogs, Get Rich Slowly, posted recently about how he used a wellness coach to get healthier and fitter. He shares his experiences and some excellent tips and I recommend a read. It got me thinking. I've learned so much over the last year from reading and from trial and error that I could be a decent coach myself with a little more training. I don't think it's something I'll really pursue, but I thought I'd share some things I've learned.

[00:02:18] Today we'll discuss the first part of getting healthier and fitter. Eating Healthy. Rules for Eating Healthy Eating healthy is something a lot of us want to do, but we have such a hard time because of temptations at home and work and on the road. I won't lie and say that making changes to your diet is easy, but I will advise against making drastic changes and in favor of making gradual changes. For example, I eat pretty healthy right now,

[00:02:46] but my current diet is accumulation of small changes I made over time. I first started eating leaner meats and trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies. Then I added in healthier breakfast cereals, oatmeal, and whole grain breads. I switched to lower fat milk and other low fat options. I ate more nuts and tried things like flax seeds. Eventually, I had a fairly healthy diet, except for the sweets. But then I became vegetarian. I cut out meat completely, including chicken and fish.

[00:03:17] Eventually, I started to phase out dairy and eggs and started using soy milk and other soy products. I slowly tried out vegan recipes to the point that I'm now nearly 100% vegan and loving every minute of it. Lately, I've been trying to cut out caffeine and sweets, but gradually. If you try cutting one little thing out at a time, eventually you'll get used to the change and it will become normal for you. Then repeat the process. That's healthy eating rule number one.

[00:03:46] Pick one or two things to change about your diet and start simply with those. Every week or two, try something healthy and incorporate it into your daily or weekly menu. Another thing I've learned is that when I'm trying to cut out something that's not so nutritious, it helps to replace it with something healthy and tasty that I've come to enjoy. Like sodas. I replace sodas with water. Although I will still have an occasional soda every now and then, but not nearly as often.

[00:04:14] Now, I love drinking water instead of the more sugary stuff. I replaced milk with soy milk. And now I love soy milk. Same thing with veggie burgers, healthy cereals, whole grain breads, and more. Find healthy options that you love. Make a list and keep them close by. That's healthy eating rule number two. When cutting out something that's not so nutritious from your diet, replace it with something healthier and tasty.

[00:04:40] I've also learned to incorporate a variety of not only fruits and vegetables, but nuts. Calcium-rich foods like soy milk, calcium-fortified orange juice, and tofu, almonds, and leafy greens. Along with foods that contain good fats like olive oil, flax seeds, almonds, and so on.

[00:05:10] High-protein but lean foods like tofu, soy protein, nuts and beans. And high-fiber foods. What I avoid, like the plague, are things high in saturated fats or things that are too sugary. Like I said, I'm cutting this out more and more now. That's healthy eating rule number three. The first things to cut out are fried fatty foods and stuff that's too sugary.

[00:05:35] Don't cut it out completely, but start to phase it out gradually and replace it with healthier, more tasty stuff. See the first two rules. Another important concept is to eat small portions. I used to pile my plate high, but that's a sure way to fatness. I slowly cut back on my portions by adding healthy snacks in between meals. The key here is to plan it out so that you not only have your three square meals a day, but maybe a yogurt in between and fruits or, instead of having a large lunch,

[00:06:04] do what I do and have two smaller sandwiches. Healthy eating rule number four. Eat smaller portions and more often during the day. If you wait until you're really hungry, you'll overeat. This leads me to another great concept. If you're going to be on the road, you have to plan ahead or you'll end up eating something convenient, meaning fast food, which won't be as healthy and will definitely be more expensive. When you go grocery shopping, look for healthy snacks that you like

[00:06:31] and then pack them when you go to work or on the road. Blue corn chips, nuts, raisins, fruit, veggies, low-fat pretzels, and the like are good things to pack and are easily portable. That's healthy rule number five. Pack healthy snacks to take with you and plan for meals when you go on the road. Yet another important point. These things won't make a noticeable difference right away, at least not on your waistline. Losing weight, especially fat, shouldn't happen overnight

[00:07:01] or you will easily gain it back. Be patient and think long-term. Don't look for quick fixes. And that's healthy eating rule number six. Set long-term goals and don't expect quick results. Be patient. There are many more tips, but these are the basic rules for eating healthy, which is the foundation for getting fit. Incorporate these rules one at a time, slowly, and you'll see a big change over time. You'll love yourself for it.

[00:07:31] You just listened to the post titled, Get Healthy and Fit, Part 1, by Leo Babauta of zenhabits.net. And I'll be right back with my commentary. Now, it's just me and a small team behind this show. So I get how much the right hire matters. When you need the right person, this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Stop struggling to get your job post even seen on other sites. Sponsored Jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs.

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[00:08:26] Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Evening. Buyer's remorse. Buy a new car? I'll be moving in. Let's get started. Sorry, I think there's been a mistake. I bought it from Carvana. You what? Yeah, great price.

[00:08:56] I even have seven days to love it or return it. So there's no... No, no buyer's remorse. More like buyer's rejoice? I guess I'll let myself out. Congratulations. I mean it. Buyer's rejoice. Buy your car today on Carvana. Limitations and exclusions may apply. See our seven-day return policy at Carvana.com. Dr. Neal here with my commentary. At the beginning of his post, today's author Leo said something really important. He said making gradual changes and not dramatic changes over time is what helps him.

[00:09:26] This is because if we try to make multiple changes to our lifestyle and our diets especially all at once, it can feel overwhelming. Plus, we'll end up missing many of the foods we probably enjoy and then we'll hyper-focus on those foods that we're missing out on. So instead, more gradual changes won't make it feel like we're missing out on foods we enjoy. You can think of changes to our diets like changing our exercise habits. Like let's say we start an exercise program but we haven't been to the gym in years.

[00:09:56] We walk into the gym on the first day back and lift weights for an hour. How do you think our bodies are going to feel that evening and the next day? Pretty terrible. You'll never want to go back to the gym again. Instead, it's better to approach exercise slowly and gradually. So think of changing our eating habits the same way. Too many changes all at once and we'll probably quit. Instead, mastering one change at a time is key. Slow and steady wins the race.

[00:10:26] Alright, that'll do it for another edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for being here. I hope you have a great rest of your day and I'll be back here tomorrow with another post. And where your optimal life awaits.