The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step – Chinese Proverb
Seeing a naturopathic doctor, changing your lifestyle, treating the root cause of the problem. Frankly it sounds like a lot of work, and it can be. Changing your life however is not a quick fix; it is a series of events, decisions and commitments to honoring who you are and nurturing your potential. People often walk through our door after a diagnosis has been made seeking assistance in managing recommendations or searching for an opportunity to gain control over the ‘newly acquired’ disease. The thing is however, there is nothing new about the condition or the way the body is behaving, the only thing that is new is the label, and the awareness that some sort or straw had just thrown out the back of the proverbial camel.
Diabetes, those few extra pounds or the awareness that you are out of breath after walking up a short flight of stairs, those situations came about based on small incremental decisions regarding food or the toss-up between taking the stairs or the elevator. For me, the spiral is easy to catch, an extra glass of wine leads to a few extra pieces of cheese, leads to a heavy meal, leads to a restless sleep leads to the decision for an extra 30 minutes of slumber or a quick trip to the gym (I am known to pick the sleep). I know that on occasion that the cheese, the wine and the meal are completely worth it, but I also know that it can’t happen every day.
Changing your life does not have to mean you are at the gym five mornings per week, it means that five days in a row you have to make a decision, any decision that will spiral into the next positive step. Walk an extra stop to the subway, cut your coffee sugar down by half or choose to replace the second glass of wine with sparkling water. Spiral your decision making in a direction that honors your brilliance, potential and capacity to contribute to the world. Losing the weight, reversing the diabetes or moving to your new potential begins with a single step.
5 Easy steps you could take today:
1. Starting your day with a protein such as a poached egg, a protein shake or a bowl of quinoa is a great way to kick-start your metabolism and displace a high glycemic option like a muffin or bagel.
2. Increase your water consumption. Flush your system, compensate for the dehydrating effects of coffee and nourish your cells. You should aim to drink 1.5-2L of water per day. (Yes you will go to the bathroom more, get over it).
3. Go to bed on time. Optimal functioning of stress and weight management hormones require routine and a consistent 6-8 hours of dark sleep per night.
4. Add a new green vegetable. Kale, Rapini, collards, the sky is the limit and Google will teach you how to cook them.
5. Replace your white sugar habit with coconut sugar. It is just as sweet without the detrimental spikes in insulin and blood sugar. Be that cool person at the office with the latest and greatest in sugar alternatives.
Photo Credit: Chaval Brasil via Compfight