National Women's Health Week: Top 10 Tips
by Mary Brown, Saladmaster CRM Project Manager
Hello to everyone who’s in pursuit of good health! Since 2018 National Women’s Health Week kicks off on Mother’s Day, May 13 – May 19th, I‘ve been asked to share my Women’s Health tips with you. But first, please let me tell you a little about myself. I’m a wife, a mom, and a sister who loves sun and fitness, but secretly I really love cookies and chocolate…who doesn’t? My love for fitness increases every time I hit a milestone like a birthday, a new year’s resolution, or a class reunion. This is the lifestyle that helps me stay healthy, and I’m excited to share it with you. Hopefully, it will help you as much as it has helped me!
1. Think of healthy eating as a new lifestyle, not a diet. Diets tend to emphasize restricting calories, and focusing you on short-term goals. Instead, try to make lifestyle goals and be consistent. You may think that a caloric deficit will always make you lose fat. However, I personally see it differently. Although “calories in versus calories out” is obviously the tried and true method, being at a significant caloric deficit for prolonged periods can change the hormones that control metabolism, causing your body to lower metabolism (RMR). So as a result, you may lose muscle instead, or simply stop losing weight.
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2. Prepare yourself to follow a process and a plan instead of being obsessed with the outcome. Nothing good ever happens instantly. For example, you can focus on eating healthy instead of worrying about losing 15 pounds by your next birthday or big reunion. Trust the process. Consistency is key. We all need to consistently work at it, in order to establish healthy habits and routines.
3. Always have protein with every meal. Plan your meals every day. If you don't do this yet, try starting small. Plan lunch meals and create a menu for the week. Create your grocery list from this menu, so you’re more inclined to buy the right foods. Prepare all workday lunches on Sunday, along with your snacks. This promotes healthy choices and healthy eating. If you take this approach, then you’ll have a better chance of resisting temptations like binging on junk food or running out for a fast food lunch.
4. Try cooking at home more often. Preparing meals at home can save you money and also save you from consuming too many calories. Get food inspiration from Saladmaster recipes, like these Southwestern Lettuce Wraps. Lettuce shells are only 5 calories each, compared to one flour tortilla which has 240 calories.
5. Set goals that can be achieved. Know your limits and identify what your triggers are. Some people travel for work and find it difficult to avoid unhealthy food. Others have cravings for candy or deserts. Know your game plan so you can be more prepared to handle cravings whenever these triggers occur, and you’ll have a better chance to stay on track with your healthy eating goals.
6. Enjoy a cheat meal. If you think healthy eating will keep you from enjoying some of the foods you love, then plan for ways to prevent this negativity from derailing you. Allow yourself a cheat meal one time per week. This saves you from experiencing cravings every day, because you get to look forward to this cheat meal. Just remember not to go overboard on the cheat meal. Just give yourself a treat every once in a while. Trust me you’ll love it.
7. Exercise regularly. If exercise is not part of your regular routine, try starting small, and then build up your activity levels. Make workouts more fun and regular by getting an accountability partner to exercise with.
For example, try a goal of working out 20 minutes a day for 21 days, and keep track of your progress. Or you can try what worked for me. On Day One when I was running for 1 mile, I stopped and walked 3 times. On Day Twenty One, I walked or ran without stopping the entire mile and it took me 11 minutes. This is something to be proud of!
8. Do not eat until you are full. You've probably heard this before but try putting it into practice. Know the difference between that feeling of being full compared to the feeling that you are no longer hungry. One day it will just click. You’ll smile to yourself and be truly proud of the person you’ve become.
9. Being healthy isn't about starving yourself. It's about fueling yourself with the right foods. Setting goals is the first step for turning the invisible into the VISIBLE. A good friend shared this advice with me:
“The key is this… Meet today’s problems with today’s strength.
Don’t start tackling tomorrow’s problems until tomorrow.
You do not have tomorrow’s strength yet.
You simply have enough for today”.
10. Never forget that you are beautiful! To the woman who is looking in the mirror tearing her body to shreds… You are beautiful! To the new mom who’s scrolling through newsfeeds and looking down at your stomach - please know that you are beautiful. To any woman out there trying her hardest to figure out why she doesn’t look like the model on the magazine cover, please accept the truth. Models do not look like that all of the time!
Believe in yourself,
XOXO Mary
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Today's blog post is from Saladmaster's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Project Manager, Mary Brown. Mary leads the CRM team for global implementations and system changes driving customer satisfaction in CRM. Mary and her team support all CRM users by providing help desk support and CRM system training. Mary and her husband love to work out and have two daughters, ages 20 and 17, who keep her busy and active outside of work. She is also active in the NETC Aggie Mom Club, and National Charity League Keller Chapter.
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