About six months ago I started eating clean and became more active. I eliminated soda and fast food (which I never really consumed anyway), processed foods, most added sugars (Christmas, Valentine’s and my birthday aside), and hardest of all, caffeine. I added a rainbow of fruits and vegetables to my diet, whole grains and lean meats, plus my favorite energy boosters, almonds and coconut water. Each morning I spend 15-20 minutes practicing yoga, use a standing desk and spend 30 minutes on the walking desk at work, take the stairs ALWAYS and long walks whenever possible, and hop on my elliptical every weekend.
Thankfully I work for an awesome Health Care IT company that has a vested interest in the health of their associates so last year I had a lab and biometrics screening to receive incentives on my insurance premium. I knew with all the hard work I’ve put in that my results had to have improved; little did I know how much.
First of all, yes, I’m aware I’m about to violate my own HIPAA. I’m ok with that. These are the baseline and current stats of a 32 year old (my birthday was Thursday!) woman.
In every single instance my results improved. Except neck circumference, what’s up with that? Most significantly, my triglycerides went from at risk levels to well into the good range. And it only took six months. That’s nothing. The small but consistent changes I’ve made in my life will help maintain these healthy levels for years to come.
Think about it. If you started today, what could you accomplish by August?
It’s been awesome following your journey – you’re such a positive roll model for how a busy modern American woman (or just adult) can make healthy changes and improve their health. I love how you’ve just done tons of little things to make a big change. I’d be curious to see a typical “before” and “after” of your daily diet. I never got the impression you ate poorly, but I don’t feel like I eat poorly either until I start tracking it then I realize how much processed stuff I eat and how little fresh fruit and veggies I eat.
Thank you so much Megan! I know how overwhelming it can feel to make lifestyle changes, but just making a few tweaks can really make a big difference. And you’re exactly right about tracking foods, my biggest issue was mindless snacking and portion sizes. Now, every Sunday I plan for the week and pre-portion my lunches and schedule our dinners.
Typical “before” day
Breakfast: Cereal (unmeasured) and milk
Snack: Fruit, or whatever snacks were around at work
Lunch: 2 pieces of pizza from the cafe at work
Dinner: Pasta with lots of sauce and cheese, typically 2 bowls
Typical “after” day
Breakfast: Smoothie with 1c almond milk, 1 frozen banana, frozen berries or 1 tbsp PB2 and a scoop of vanilla protein powder
Snack: Fruit, almonds or pistachios (measured to serving size)
Lunch: Brown rice, wilted spinach with olive oil and garlic, salmon with lemon and dill
Snack: Coconut water and almonds
Dinner: One of the millions of recipes I’ve found on skinnytaste.com
I get to eat more because the quality of my food is so much better and I’m never starving. Planning ahead makes all of the difference!
You are a role model. I am amazed at what you have done. Your diligence has kept me on the right track. Keep it up.
Thank you so much Neal, that really means a lot.
What is Pb2 in your diet? Don’t worry about neck size with all the other great numbers. I need to go to the next level to keep loosing. I have gone from diabetic to pre diabetic though.
PB2 is powdered peanut butter, has a fraction of the calories and fat of regular peanut butter: http://www.bellplantation.com/
That’s awesome Rose, keep it up!