This is more of an open letter to myself because I know I have to “wake up”. If I can encourage just one person to make a change, it will be worth it for me. This is a call to action on your health because self-care is the new healthcare. Please share this with everyone you love.
While in the middle of some heavy research I am currently working on, I kept hearing this voice in my head saying “It is time for people to wake up”! This literally happened for almost a week. So, I had to take a pause from that and write this.
Unhealthy Habits Passed Along
I am talking about our health and making it a priority to do better so we can be better. “We don’t know what we don’t know” but it is still on us to do something about it. It’s about changing this “generational curse’’ we keep handing down to our children so naturally, they make the same exact unhealthy choices we make.
Think about it for a minute… how did your parents eat? What were you fed as a child? More than likely, you were taught to eat as your parents ate. They meant well, but they just didn’t know any other way because they were taught the same habits from their parents. Sometimes it’s even a cultural thing. Some of you reading probably had/have a different situation and were taught to take care of your body and ate all of the right things.
Some of the “hereditary disease” we say we got from our parents were actually the result of learned behavior. We are not at risk for heart attacks and heart disease because our parents had it… we are at risk because we eat the same things they did to cause it.
We need to educate ourselves on what we are consuming daily and putting into our bodies and our family’s. Even if you are thin and active. You might look healthy from the outside but on the inside, you may very well be deficient or lacking nutrients.
I’m sure by now you have identified if this is something you struggle with. This is not intended for everyone. Only for people looking to improve their quality of life and make healthier choices. Some of you are already doing it. That’s awesome! Keep it up! I personally know I need to make better choices.
Most of us eat for pleasure and have a YOLO mentality. We need to realize we are not invincible. People are dying so young and most of it is related to our lifestyle and what we eat, and don’t eat…
We really need to see food as a way to get the much-needed vitamins and minerals our body is craving in order to have optimal health. Our bodies do not have a natural ability to make most of the vitamins and minerals we need, so we have to get from the foods we eat, or we must supplement our deficiencies with nutritional supplements.
What Are We Living For?
Parents! We need to live for our children and see them grow up. We need to be a part of their most epic moments in life. We shouldn’t be a burden on them when we get older all because we choose not to take care of ourselves early on. The same goes if you are married. We don’t want our spouse left to care for us if we can help it. We want to live a full life full of adventure and special memories.
Moms, I know it’s hard. You have the kids, a job, hectic schedules and a long list of other daily “must do’s”. You sacrifice your health so your family can keep functioning. Find time to take care of yourself. If you feel overwhelmed and stressed out, that’s even more of a reason.
Dads, the stress for you is real. So much pressure to provide for your family. The long hours at work… A restless night of sleep… no other option but to grab fast food while on the go. No time to focus on yourself. Not to add any more to your plate but your family needs you here.
I know not everything boils down to food and lifestyle choices. Unfortunately, we can have a genetic disorder or develop diseases, cancer and other debilitating illnesses that are unrelated. We don’t have a choice in that matter. We need to take control of the things we do have control over. If by making a few small changes we can change the course of our future for the better, we owe it to ourselves to do just that.
I had a conversation with my husband yesterday about how he never got a chance to meet his grandfather because he passed away early on of a heart attack. My husband’s father never got a chance to meet his grandchildren because he had a heart attack and died before they were even born. I told my husband that will not be him. He will break that chain and live to meet every single grandchild born. We need him to be around so we can grow old together.
One Small Change At A Time
If you were to make one small change today, what would that be?
What is keeping you from making that change?
We can’t afford not to make a change. Time is passing us by one day at a time. We deserve to live our best life possible. Your life is so precious and so important.
There are so many things in life that cause us to worry but our health shouldn’t be one of them. In order to make that a reality, we need to change our direction.
WE MUST START TODAY! It’s never “too late”. I know the title of this article says the opposite but if you are reading this article, your right on time.
Here Is A Good Place To Start
Start with food. Next time you go to the grocery store, try to shop the parameter of the store as much as you can. This is where the healthiest options are. Try to avoid junk and processed food. Search Pinterest for healthy whole food recipes prior to your trip. Challenge yourself to only drink water throughout the day.
Coffee is still okay if you need it. I’m a coffee drinker so I understand. HERE is a great recipe for my favorite coffee that is packed with health benefits and it tastes yummy too!
Try to find ways through your day to optimize your health mentally and physically. Exercising is a great way to do both at once. Try to squeeze it in a few days a week.
What Is Your Why?
Most importantly, you have to know WHY you do what you do. Knowing that will help you filter out anything else.
This is a call to action. Who is ready to head towards optimal health so you can live an Optimized Life?
I will be the first to commit. Please take away my heart and passion for your life from this article. I am on this journey with you.
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40 Comments
Great tips! This is worded so perfectly! Thanks for a little Monday motivation!
Thanks Victoria! I really appreciate your comment.
Yessss!!! I loved this article so much! This was EXACTLY how I had been feeling lately so I decided to clean up my diet and move more and I’m down 10 pounds in 3 weeks. We need to do this for our children, our spouses and ourselves! Well said!
Hi Shannon! This is so awesome to hear. Thank you so much for reading. Best of luck to you and your family.
Yes! Wonderful information and motivational! Which h is what I need!
Hi Sarah! Thanks you for reading! I’m so glad you found it to be motivational. That was exactly my goal!
Love this. All so true. My husband and I have changed our eating habits for ourselves and our children as we have gotten more purposeful with making healthy choices.
Thank you so much Amanda! I love that you made a lifestyle change for your whole family. They wil thank you years from know!
Such a great read! We just went through this is our household. It is hard to start but articles like this are what keep me going!
oh I love this post, it resonate so much with what I believe. I decided to change my eating habits 8 years ago, I became a pescatarian and I became the odd one to a family of meat lovers but my ‘why’ kept me motivated. anyway I ate so much meat growing up to last me 10 more years, deciding to quit it helped me avoid future health issues.
Keep it up! I am a vegetarian personally and made a change about 6 years ago. I love that you know your “Why”. Best of luck with everything!
This is so true. Though it is also a cultural thing. If you look back over history, the South has predominantly been poorer than the North. So mothers who don’t have a lot of money fill their children with foods full of fat to make them feel full but the end result is an unhealthy adult. It’s cheaper to eat unhealthy than it is healthy, sadly. My family was one of those families not well off. My mom made casseroles to fill our large family (ten kids). It was the best she could do. I am so glad that as an adult I had my own wake up call and was able to take action on my own health journey after I graduated college a little over a year ago. In time to teach my own daughter how to eat right.
Hi Haley! You are absolutely right an dI touch on the culture aspect briefly. I love this point that you make. We try to do our best with what we have for our kids for sure. You are on the right track. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment!
Great post! I especially like that you give small tips on how to start, such as shopping in the parameters of a grocery store!
Hi! Thank you for the amazing complement. All of the small things and small tips add up for sure!
Great post. I did not grow up with the best nutritional guidance. However, as an athlete, I had to learn to eat the right types of food at the right time, for many years. This has carried over into my adult life and life as a parent. So important to teach them good food choices, plus it is ok to indulge in moderation. I see so many families who all look the same physically, simply because of lifestyle. It is sad. And you’re right, people need to wake up!
Hi Jenny! I love every word you said. You are spot on and heard my point exactly as It was intended. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.
It’s funny how when we’re young most of us aren’t worried about diets but then we hit an age where we wake up and realize that we have to start living healthier if not for ourselves but for our kids. Hopefully, what we’re doing now will prevent our kids from starting all those bad habits! Great post!
Hi Patricia! I absolutely love every word! You are exactly right. Thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate it!
Absolutely! I completely agree! It’s SO important to write down “why” you are making these changes… at least it helped me stick to my healthy living plan!
I love this point! Writing it down and sticking somewhere we can see it everyday! Good idea
Great article! I agree that it’s so important to try our best to stay healthy for our children. My parents did teach me good eating habits, so I hope I do well passing that on to my daughter. Thanks for sharing!
I completely agree! As parents we should lead by example for our children by living a healthy lifestyle.
Hi Brittany! Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment. I love how you cut that “lead by example”. Great wording!
Really enjoyed this article and will check out your coffee recipe soon. It’s never too late is such a great reminder!
Such a good read! It’s so true my family didn’t have the best food habits. I saw a meme with sort of a deep meaning the other day it said, “Being fat doesn’t run in your family. Your fat because no one runs in your family.” Eating right and exercise is so important!
I love your message in this article. I’m a pediatric dietitian and see what parents feed their children everyday. It’s heart breaking to see well-meaning parents feeding their children food that they only know, a lot of processed food that they think are good. Again, like you mentioned in the article, it’s what they know. And many of these parents don’t even know how to prepare food, so what’s the chance of their children’s future. Getting parents to understand why they need to change is the hardest part. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Some really good points, especially about eating habits. My mother uses tons of oil in her cooking and I can’t stand it anymore. Every time I visit and have to eat there is a struggle so I end up offering to cook.
Great tips! I taught my daughter to shop the perimeter of the store at an early age and at 7, it has stuck with her and she tells her friends why it’s important.
I love this! I completely agree that we need to take control of our health and change the future. Being a parent is a strong motivator to stay healthy and live a full life.
HI Jordan! Thank you so much!
If we change our habits for anything, it should be for our children! I want my kids to have a better life than I have! Absolutely true!
I love how you said this . So true!
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Awesome! Thank you so much!
Thanks so much!
This has been something that’s been on my mind a lot lately, too, for similar reasons. And yet I do struggle with eating what is enjoyable, especially now during quarantine! I realized recently that I don’t have a lot of hobbies I do “just for fun” outside of watching tv and snacking on foods I enjoy. Food = fun.
Except when it catches up with me.
It’s not so fun to try to work OFF the fun that stuck around in the form of extra weight. Ugh.
Thanks for the reminder! I literally just blogged about overcoming overwhelm when decluttering my life and it is slowly dawning on me that my health is also worth of the same attention as my home and losing those extra pounds is simply the next step in reducing clutter in my life. I tell people all the time they are WORTH IT when it comes to having a tidy, uncluttered home. Well, I’m WORTH IT when it comes to having better health, too.
Great post.
Great post! I’m not a vegetrian but I will give this advice to others who need it most.
This was a great post. I’ve been thinking about changing my diet especially since I have a chronic illness. These tips were right on time. Thanks
This was a much needed call to action post and I’m on board. Making my small changes now to make my big changes in general. I know i need to get it in gear and this post has gotten me pumped.