Build healthy habits

I have just sat down to my afternoon tea – delicious chopped veges (not your boring old celery and cucumber though… broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes and carrots, no less!!) with some cottage cheese.

As I was munching away, I thought to myself… wow, how did this become my normal? I don’t even think about it, this is what I do every day!

I have always eaten well, but as the years have gone by I have created healthy habits for myself which are now just my default; it’s super-easy and I feel so good and energetic now, I couldn’t imagine eating any other way.

It is a really interesting concept, I think – what is ‘normal’ for you? I am passionate about helping people to create a new ‘healthier normal’, not some crazy diet… but by just making changes over time which mean that your body works better, you feel better in yourself and that you get the most out of each and every day.

Creating new HEALTHY habits, is a step-by-step process: do one thing at a time and when you have cracked that, move on to the next. Your life is a journey and so is your health and well-being… it is all about taking steps each day to live a healthier life, so that you make changes that last.

So, what are some really healthy habits that I have built over the last little while? Here goes… just start with one, then build on it.

Vege snacks

Every few days, when you are prepping dinner, prep extra veges at the same time and make what I call a vege snack box. It stays at the front of my fridge and when my husband and I get home, it’s the first thing we see… and munch on if we are hungry. At the same time here, unhealthy snacks… need to be out of sight.

Smoothies

Seriously, get into them! They have revolutionised my diet and how I feel. If I don’t have one for breakfast, I might make one for a snack or a light meal at the weekend. All you need is fruit, low-fat milk, yoghurt and some healthy fat – a few seeds, ground LSA, flaxseed oil, peanut butter is good too. Here are some combos:

• banana, milk, yoghurt, oats, 1 teaspoon peanut butter;
• frozen berries, baby spinach, vanilla yoghurt/protein powder, flaxseeds or flaxseed oil and low-fat milk.

Go herbal

When you get the taste for something sweet after dinner, stop the buzz right there and then by getting into the HABIT of putting the kettle on when you are clearing up the dishes and making yourself a nice pot of herbal tea. There are SO many incredible teas on the market. Head to a proper tea shop or to a health food store, or come in and see our range at Mission Nutrition – they are ANYTHING but boring.