Make lifestyle changes easy

Nowadays you can buy any food at any time of the year. Food is transported all around the globe.  Earlier we had only a narrow supply of fruits and vegetables in the wintertime in Sweden but with today’s good possibilities for shipping we have a variety also in the winter.  In the summer time however we have an abundance of fresh vegetables, berries and fruits also up north. Use that situation to change your eating habits. Lifestyle changes should be made easy to implement.

Use the time when you have an abundance of the good things you need for your change. In Sweden summertime is the best time to make easy changes – on other places on earth it might be some other time. Find your own best time. Implementation will be easier and when tougher times come you are already used to the good habits.

Whatever your needs are use the time to get your body used to a lot of vegetables and fruits. They contain both antioxidants good for your immune system and fibers good for your cholesterol and bowel system.  If you find it hard try adding one new thing each week and at the same time reduce or take away some of the not so good things you put in your mouth. A good thing to do as you are implementing more food with fibers is to take a 30 minute daily brisk walk. That will help your bowels to get used to the fibers as walking makes you bowel work better. And at the same time you will get all the other positive effects of physical activity – reduced blood sugar, reduced blood cholesterol, reduced blood pressure, less pain, reduced weight, reduced risk for heart disease and so on ……

Complement the walk with talking to someone and you have a fantasyic chance to get good conversations.

Implementing these changes during your vacation will also give the good side effect of bringing more energy in your body and mind. Both the fruits and vegetables and the walking are energy producers.  It is part of charging your batteries.  This will benefit you when getting back to work again.

Trends about what to eat have changed over the years. As always I recommend a varied diet. We are made to eat varied. A big Swedish study recently showed reduced heart attack frequency by 40 % by eating varied with less fat – read comment on the abstract in Nutrition Journal.

If anything should be exclude it is the most refined products like white sugar, white bread, soda drinks and a lot of the so called fast food  ( perfectly commented on Twitter by @kimgarst  “Whoever stuck the letter “S” in “fast food” is one clever marketer!”). All these contain mostly empty calories with no nutrition.

What changes will you implement during your vacation? What positive effects are favoring your body and mind? Please share your experience with a comment below.

Keep smiling!