When Healthy Changes Become Your New Lifestyle

A new lifestyle.

I second-guessed sharing yesterday’s post about it.

I second-guessed even writing it.

It can sometimes be difficult to disclose the depths of where you once were. It can be even harder to share positive changes you’ve made to better your life.

But I believe it’s always good to share with others what we learn… about ourselves, about God, about others, about daily living, about our journey.

When our story can offer hope to another, it’s always good to share.

The changes I chose to make out of love for myself, and love for my God these last twelve weeks have impacted every part of my life, and have become my new lifestyle… eating healthy, exercising, getting more sleep. They’ve helped me see how God desires for me to be healthy, fully alive, and strong to serve Him.

A friend inspired me to make the eating changes. She cut out most foods that contain white flour and processed sugar last May. She lost fourteen pounds that month, and found she felt like an entirely new person (without exercise). I wanted to give it a try because I continually felt bloated, and lethargic and I wasn’t sleeping well. Plus, losing some weight would be a bonus.

Since January 1, I’ve nearly cut out all bread, all pasta, all white flour, and all processed sugar. (What else is there to eat, right?) Being one who ate bread or pasta at nearly every meal, I felt as if I was cutting off my right arm in eliminating these items from my diet. But I wanted to try. I wanted to see if doing so would make any sort of difference.

Changing what I eat has made the most difference.

The bloating is gone, I have more energy, I sleep better, and I’ve even found my skin looks healthier.

I’ve added more natural foods, more fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and even some gluten-free foods. I’ve retrained myself to cook differently… with different foods and ingredients. Foods like quinoa, coconut oil, steel cut oats, artichokes, and spaghetti squash. (Not all in the same dish, however!)

My meals contain a balance of carbohydrates and protein, and I eat smaller meals more often throughout the day.

It’s been fun to create some new, yummy recipes, such as my Delicious Flourless, Sugarless, Muffins. I’ll share more on my blog in the future.

That’s not to say I follow my plan completely. Once a week I choose to have what I call a “free meal,” where I eat whatever I want. This works for me. On Easter, however, I chose to gorge myself all afternoon. I paid for it the next day. My body isn’t used to eating the foods I’ve chosen to eliminate, and it didn’t like it… not one bit.

That was a good thing for me to experience, though. I never want to go back to eating the way I used to. Never.

I chose to add exercise into my new lifestyle, because I needed to begin training for our annual bicycle ride across Iowa (RAGBRAI) this summer. I wake up early to make exercise a part of my day. I do weight lifting three days a week, and cardio workouts on the other three days. I take a break one day a week to allow my body to rest.

Exercising has become fun again.

This is my new lifestyle… healthy eating, exercising, and making sure I get enough sleep. To be healthy. To honor God.

Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 MSG

My husband began his new lifestyle the beginning of February. His plan is slightly different than mine, but it has helped making these changes together.

No, this new lifestyle isn’t for everyone, and it might not be the answer for you or anyone else. But these changes I’ve chosen to make have impacted my life for good.

I look forward to sharing more in the future.

Blessings!

Julie