I have developed a Healthy Lifestyle Plan that I would like to share with you! This plan is based off the Anti-inflammatory Lifestyle which I have researched and I also follow. This way of living is NOT a diet plan but a lifestyle. The goal is to make simple changes in your current life in order to develop long term healthy habits. It is your current habits and mindset that limits you from achieving the healthy life you seek.
There are so many “diets” available. How do you know what “diet” is right for you? What works for one will not work for another! Just because your friend tried a diet that worked for her/him, does not mean it is appropriate for you.
For years I tried everything to “get healthy” and prevent the illnesses my parents have or that I saw so many of my own patients struggle with. It was frightening to think that I could develop diabetes and heart disease and cancer! I always thought in my head “I was doomed”, but tried so hard to eat right and exercise A LOT! It caused me so much stress when nothing worked and I started adding pounds on instead of taking them off. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong! I read blogs, books, articles and tried every fad diet there was (even the cabbage soup diet), nothing worked.
Then I did get sick! Not with diabetes or heart disease but in my opinion worse! I was diagnosed with some autoimmune diseases (yes pleural), causing me to experience a whole myriad of symptoms. During my search for a treatment plan, I was introduced to a healthy way of LIVING! Not a diet plan. It was the best thing I have ever done for myself.
I want you to STOP thinking about a “diet”, and start thinking about living a healthy LIFESTYLE!
I am sharing some key points of my Healthy Lifestyle Plan with you. Feel free to follow this plan so you can start making small changes in your day so you can start feeling better and prevent disease.
1. Positive Mindset– Your mindset matters when you are wanting to try new things, make positive changes, and live a healthy lifestyle. You need to think of WHY you are on this path. Focus on the why and how to get there, not on what did not work in the past. Use your past to guide you on your new healthy path, but do not allow it to determine if you succeed or not.
2. Control/manage your stress- Chronic stress causes an inflammatory process in your body, this inflammation leads to disease. Would you rather prevent disease or treat disease? It is easier to prevent disease from occurring in the first place!
3. Eat healthy foods- Your goal is to make sure you are drinking enough water; eating low fat foods; high fiber; fruits and vegetables. Overall your meals should contain MANY different colors and textures focusing on the foods that are known to not be inflammatory. A plant based lifestyle has been shown to be very effective in limiting the inflammatory response in your body causing illness, pain, and other symptoms.
4. Be more active- Do what your body can do. Walk 30 min a day; yoga; stretching; swimming; light body weight exercises are just some of the examples that can decrease inflammation by keeping you active and fit. Find an activity that you enjoy, have fun with it!
5. Engage in healthy relationships- when you have a healthy, happy relationship with yourself and with others, you will be happier. Happiness has been shown to decrease stress hormones, therefore decreasing an inflammatory response in your body.
By using these 5 steps, you will begin to look and feel better.
You will be able to manage symptoms of disease and prevent other disease processes from developing.
Have fun with making these changes! Living in a healthy way should remove some stress not add to your stress. The time you spend learning how to change your current habits needs to be part of your daily routine, not spending extra time counting calories, measuring food, logging food and activity into an app etc. We can all fit a healthy way of living in life by adding healthy habits.
To learn more about this Healthy Lifestyle Plan or to join my Master Your Health Membership Plan register on this site or send me an email tinaqws@gmail.com for more information!
Tina Butt, APRN, Empowerment Coach
