The Bodycare Journal: Sugar vs. Your Body
When you wake up, how do you feel? Is it a feeling of fatigue? Maybe, a feeling of depression. Mainly, does your body feel well-rested?
In the first journal entry, I mentioned how less than 3% of Americans meet the measurable characteristics that reduce a person’s risk for heart disease. As I dove more into this research, it really made me feel a way about my health. I started to pay more attention to what I put in my body. The truth is, I eat A LOT of sugar. I’m sure most of us do. Ironically, one of my biggest fears is dying from some type of diet health issue. Yet, I continue to keep the foods that are bad for me in my daily diet. Do you do this? Lately, after having this realization, I’ve been more intentional about the foods I eat.
The first step I took to achieve a healthier diet was to throw out all of the junk. I then made a list of all my favorite sugary foods. Looking at this list that was full of all kinds of sweet treats, I started to write substitutions next to them. For example, keto ice cream or zero-sugar yogurt would substitute for regular ice cream. This has helped me reduce my sugar intake because when I have a craving it’s still satisfying to eat one of the substitutes. Would this work for you?
Next, I came up with a plan to incorporate more vegetables into my diet. I love vegetables. I just tend to eat them when I cook dinner or when they come with my entree at a restaurant. Now, I eat them for lunch as well. This plan was fairly easy for me to accomplish because when working in a spa, you can’t have smelly foods. Most of the time, I just make something that is appetizing when cold. Such as salads, wraps, etc. It can be challenging! Sometimes, I just want to buy food from a restaurant but pre-making my lunch prevents me from doing so. How would you incorporate more vegetables into your diet? Would you try to go vegetarian for lunch?
Lastly, you all know that staying active has always been important. I’m always staying active and now eating healthier too! In previous journal entries, I’ve given you prompts to write down activities you enjoy to keep you active. At the end of each day, I always make sure that I give back to my body. This can include, a short workout, a yoga session, a walk with my dog, an at-home massage, etc. It’s a part of my routine at this point. There’s so much power in having a routine and we’ll get into why next week.
Before incorporating all three of these things into my diet, I would wake up feeling tired, feeling stiff, and just not ready for the day ahead. This small change has dramatically changed how my body feels not only from the start of my day but throughout the day as well. I find that I have more energy, my body feels less sore, and personally, I’m in an overall better mood. This was something that took a little time to fully accomplish. After understanding how negatively junk foods affect my body’s performance, I seem to naturally not want it. Could you do this? I believe you can. Slowly but surely, we will become a healthier America.
Talk to you next week 😉
By Jazmine Jamal
Founder of @521wellness
You Start Dying When You Stop Dreaming