The One Habit of Highly Healthy People

Ok, I'm going to start today's post on a negative note, but it will get better.  I promise.

Did you know that experts estimate only 8% of people who set a New Year's resolution will achieve it?  

That means there is a 92% failure rate for New Year's Resolutions.  Now, I'm not a betting person, but I would never take those odds.  Ever.  

So what if there was one habit that if you developed and stuck to, could keep you in the 8% this year?

But I'm doing a group challenge....

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, especially if you are part of a 7/21/30 day fix/detox/challenge (and if you're not, I bet someone on your Facebook feed is).  Don't misunderstand me- I think it's great that you've joined a community of like-minded people to help you get started.

But I'm going to call a Spade a Spade today, so consider what I have to say advice for when your event ends. 

I would bet you dollars to grain-free, gluten-free donuts that there is one habit that you have neglected, failed to develop, or will let fall off the radar once you've lost your motivation:

Meal Planning

How do I know this?  From experience.

Most people who I meet that feel like they are not making progress towards their goals or tell me that eating healthy is too expensive are not meal planning.  

Meal planning is the act of writing out a menu for a set period of time, with a grocery list, while taking your schedule into account.  I recommend weekly meal planning, but depending on your schedule and the number of mouths to feed, it may work for you to plan twice per week or even every other week.

You may have followed someone else's meal plans in the past and that is a great starting point.  But what I'm referring to is developing the ability to write your own meal plans.

And quite frankly, not meal planning rips the control of your healthy right out of your hands and gives it to your boss, kids, and schedule.  All of which, if we're being honest, do not consider your health their priority.  

Benefits 

A 2007 study from Mintel found the top five reasons people do not eat healthy as:

1. Availability
2. Cost
3. Confusion
4. Time Constraints
5. Taste Concerns

Meal planning addresses all five of these reasons:

1. Availability:  I recognize that food deserts do exist in this country.  But for most of my readership, I believe availability refers to vending machines and fast food restaurants.  If you know that your cubicle sits in the middle of a fast food jungle, planning lunches and snacks will create a ready-to-eat nutrient oasis.
2. Cost:  This one is major on multiple levels.  First of all, feeding a family of four from restaurants and take-out may cause you to take out a second mortgage.  But more importantly, consider this: According to the NRDC, the average American throws away 25% of the food and beverages they buy.  This costs families between $1300 and $2200 annually.  In fact, Americans throw away 10 times as much food as the average southeast Asian.  Seriously.  These statistics make me want to sit down and punch myself in the face.  Meal planning accounts for what is already in your fridge and keeps you from letting food go bad.  
3. Confusion:  The grocery store can be an overwhelming and unforgiving place.  Especially if you go in hungry or without a game plan.  Walking into the grocery store without a list is akin to driving across the country without a map.  You may get to where you need to be, but it will take twice as long and be three times as expensive.
4. Time Constraints:  It may seem counter intuitive to have to carve out 2 hours every Sunday to meal plan and grocery shop.  However, what you're losing on the front end, you'll save on the back end.  What if you didn't have to make three different stops at the grocery store throughout the week.  Or spend 20 minutes sitting in the drive thru every night.  It adds up.  
5. Taste Concerns:  The best thing about meal planning is that you get to create the menu.  So if you don't like steamed asparagus because it tastes like a wet tree (true story), you don't have to buy or cook steamed asparagus.  

If you're not currently a meal planner, the thought of writing it out may be overwhelming.  No worries...

6 Simple Steps to Pain Free Meal Planning

1.  Block time every week to write out a meal plan.  For me, it's Sunday afternoon.  For you, it might be Tuesday night or Thursday evening.

2.  Review your schedule for the week.  Do you have a work function Monday night and soccer games Wednesday night?  Plan for those.  It may mean cooking extra so you have leftovers or reviewing a restaurant menu ahead of time so there are no surprises.

3.  Inventory your fridge and pantry.  Check all the drawers for any veggies that may go bad or hidden leftovers to use for lunch.  Incorporate those in your meal plan.  

4.  Write it out.  Find your favorite recipes, a few new ones, and write out a meal plan.  You can use paper, a white board, or a chalk board.  Keep it simple or make it fun.  Either way, just do it.

This is Eleanor, our meal planning pig.  Isn't she fun??

5.  Make a shopping list.  While you're writing out recipes, write down what you need so you don't forget anything once you get to the store.  

6.  Execute.  You've done the hard work, now follow through.  Don't let the lure of an unexpected office lunch derail your planning.  

And that's it.

I won't lie- it's a commitment and it may be very painful at first.  And it may require a mindset shift.  But if you really are serious about big changes this year, commit to making meal planning a priority. 

If you 're still struggling with what to put in that meal plan, check out my eBook, Fuel or contact me to learn more about personal health coaching!

Cheers!

-Kelsey

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So what about you.  Do you meal plan?  Do you wish you did?  Can you commit to this for 2015?

My Story- Part 1 (Ignite)

I am a Holistic Health Coach.

(Whew.  There it is.  It feels good to say it.)  Like- not a practicing Holistic Health Coach.  But this is one of those "I think, therefore I am" situations.

As I'm sure you're aware from this blog or other interactions with me, I have a passion for health and wellness.  My personal journey to wellness has been an extraordinary one, to say the least.  I've learned so much about myself, my body, and my relationships.  I've seen the transformative powers of food and have come to believe that what you put into your body for nourishment is far more influential on your health than any workout, medicine, or supplement out there.  As a result of this, I've started down a new path in my journey.  I'm stepping out in faith that what I know and what I've learned has value to others.  I'm taking classes, working on business development, and lining up seminars.  And in January 2014, I will be ready to rock the world of Health and Wellness.

So below is the first of a multi-part series of my personal health journey.  Today I'm talking about where I've been, next will be how I manage my health today, and the final part will detail what exactly a Holistic Health Coach does and my thoughts on what health should look like (don't worry, it won't be a sales pitch).

I believe the first step to understanding where someone is going it to understand where they have been.  Not many people know my journey.

I have Multiple Sclerosis.  I've spent a large part of the past 5 years hiding it from my friends and family.  I always have been, and still am, very uncomfortable with this diagnosis.

For those of you who don't know, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune condition that causes the immune system to attack the central nervous system.  Symptoms include (but are not limited to) numbness and tingling in the arms and legs, loss of balance, loss of cognitive function, and loss of motor skills.  This last one, loss of motor skills, was the one that struck fear into my heart.  By no means am I nor have I ever been an Olympic level athlete, but I can tell you that I've spent a good portion of my life active or playing organized sports.  The idea of not being able to move scared me to my very core.

Oh, and hey, the other chilling factor of this diagnosis?  The medical community knows no cure.  There are disease managing drugs, but no known medical way to reverse the progression of the disease.

I spent the first two years taking 8 shots per week.  As you can imagine, that got old quick.  So I upgraded my prescription to a brand new oral drug called Gileyna (hot off the FDA presses).  But something didn't sit right with me.  Namely, the list of complications associated with the drug.  Below is a list of side effects according to WedMD (remember- this drug will not cure the disease, only manage it):

Abnormal Heart Rhythm

Abnormal Liver Function Tests

Abnormally Low Blood Pressure

Atrioventricular Heart Block

Backache

Blurred Vision

Bronchitis

Chest Pain

Cough

Decrease in Air Exhaled by Lungs

Decreased Number of Lymphocytes in the Blood

Decreased White Blood Cells

Depression

Diarrhea

Dizzy

Eczema

Feeling Weak

Hair Loss

Head Pain

Herpes Simplex Infection

High Amount of Triglyceride in the Blood

High Blood Pressure

Infection

Inflammation of the Lining of the Stomach and Intestines

Itching

Low Energy

Macular Edema

Malignant Lymphoma

Migraine Headache

Pain in the Eye

Progressive Disease in the White Brain Matter

Ringworm

Shingles

Sinus Irritation and Congestion

Slow Heartbeat

The Flu

Throwing Up

Trouble Breathing

Weight Loss

I'm sorry, but, what?  No.  Just, no.  'Progresssive Disease in the White Brain Matter,' 'Decreased White Blood Cells,' and 'Atrioventricular Heart Block.'  No.  For a medication that will not cure and possibly not even stop the progression of the disease, this was not an acceptable level of risk for me.  Oh yeah, and pre-insurance, the cost of this medication was $40,000 per year (no wonder we all feel overwhelmed and hopeless when it comes to our own health).

So I owned it.  Several months earlier, I was introduced to Paleo and a guy named Robb Wolf by my trainer at the time, Kevin Randall.  What peaked my interest in the diet was the fact that there is some significant evidence linking modern diets to not just MS, but autoimmune issues in general.  By modern diet, I'm referring to high carb, low fat, low protein, with the inclusion of processed foods, industrial seed oils, and most notably- GLUTEN.  Not sure you believe me?  That's completely understandable- but you can check out resources here, here, here, here, here, or here, or do your own Googling.

The remainder of my health journey is a series of test and learn events.  I can tell you, after two years of self experimentation, there is a sweet spot of nutrition, movement, stress, and sleep that keeps me off that cliff.  I have a propensity towards having a very inflamed system and pushing that system means my symptoms start to move back in.  In short- when I eat highly inflammatory foods, get poor sleep, have loads of stress, and train too hard (ie-live a Standard American lifestyle).  And I believe this to be a fact:  I am not sick because I have MS, I have MS because I am sick.  

So I know that I've rambled long enough on this one, and probably the only person still reading is my mom (heyyyyy Mom).  So this is Part 1.  That's where I came from.  The next part will be my formula for health- what I eat, how I move, and how I manage the stress of everyday life. 

And  a side note- if you have a comment or question, please leave it in the comments below!  I love feedback, and I love dialogue over this stuff even more.  

-Kelsey