I often challenge my private coaching clients with this question.
Are You Filling Up or Fueling Up?
In the beginning, I explain what this means, but it soon becomes a part of our conversations.
One of the reasons I really enjoy being a holistic food and lifestyle coach is because I get to work with amazing, high achievers. But, as hard as they work to become accomplished in their jobs, their family and beyond, they are often unknowingly sabotaging themselves with what they eat.
Does This Sound Familiar?
You drag yourself out of bed and arrive at the office with a fancy coffee as your breakfast. Then, by mid-day, you’re starving. So, you roll through the drive-thru and maybe even grab another coffee from the coffee shop. 3pm arrives and Ouch! You’re just about asleep in that meeting and wondering why you’re so exhausted all the time. But you power through the afternoon, maybe with a stop at the vending machine, and even stay late, again. By dinner, you’re starving once more. So you grab something “to-go” on the way home, but promise to only do this a couple times a week. Once home with dinner in hand, you relax with a glass of wine before falling asleep in front of the TV. Rinse. Repeat.
Look at What and How You Eat
What and how we eat play a huge role in how we show up in life. All too often meals come so late that we’d eat anything. And what we are eating isn’t truly feeding our body. Instead we consume lots of empty calories that cause us to fill-up instead of fuel-up. As a result we’re nutritionally hungry even if our tummy is full. So we often eat more than we should of the bad stuff and not enough of the good stuff.
Are You Nutritionally Starved with a Full Tummy?
Filling Up
When we fill-up, we often check the hunger-task-box with whatever is handy. You may even know it’s not a good choice, but you’re too hungry or don’t have time to deal with options. You find yourself reaching for simple carbs because your brain is screaming for food. Simple carbs are often quick and easy to find and their sugar quiets the brain’s need for glucose. Simple carb examples are breads, pastas, processed 100-calorie snacks, the drive thru burger that really contains varieties of flavored-corn and fillers in the shape of a burger. Or a deep-fried, chicken, sandwich from the cafe. But wait! You think, Mary, I’m eating a brand name, low calorie, microwavable dinner! Or, I count my points!
It’s More About the Quality of the Food
Than the Quantity of the Food.
Fueling Up
Is when we choose nutritionally dense foods that feed our bodies need with healthy fiber, healthy fat, whole grains, lean proteins, vitamins, and minerals. These foods provide nutrients that keep your brain sharp, your GI running smoothly, provide for less stress and more peaceful sleep enabling your metabolic functions to run at their best so that your hard work shows!
Mother Nature is Keeping Score, and You Can Be In Control!
As a thank you for fueling up, Mother Nature will reward you with increased energy, better thinking, more peaceful sleep, weight control and more. What could you do with more resources like that? Maybe you get your work done faster; better? Find time to exercise [more], climb out of bed feeling more rested? What if you had more energy to spend time with your family and get that hobby going in the eves and on the weekends? Yes, you can!
Here’s an Easy Next Step to Get You Started
Choose to eat a green salad with some lean protein for lunch. Enjoy a BIG, crisp serving of some darker greens [not Iceburg lettuce] and top it with fresh veggies, grilled chicken, turkey, fish, or a side of lentils or tofu. Finish it with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of fresh or dried salad herbs [spice aisle in the grocery store]. Traveling, or just need a quick way to find a fresh salad easily? Many grocery stores have salad bars and a place to sit and eat. They are catering to your need to get in and out quickly. Arrive before noon before it’s picked over. Grab a piece of fresh, seasonal fruit in the produce section while you’re there. Not digging that walk in and out of the store? Reframe that as a chance to get some fresh air and a bit of walking in… I call this Lifestyling Wellness.
I’d love to hear what you think. Comment below in the blog or mary@marywallacewellness.com.
Mary
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Lifestyling Wellness™, [verb]
- Actively making wellness your lifestyle.
- Proudly choosing the healthy and well option as a way of life and loving it!
Lifestyling Wellness and the book Lifestyling Wellness is a trademark of Mary Wallace. Learn more about Lifestyling Wellness from my Amazon/Kindle book here.
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Want more information on healthier eating? Check out my blog on Eating Clean here.
