It’s already happening. I’m starting to look around at my friends that are in their forties and the body complaints are beginning to happen.

• Joint aches and pains, weird muscles cramps, and even random injuries
• Declining metabolism and a few extra pounds that they can’t seem to shake
• A recent visit to the doctor revealed that underneath the surface, things aren’t humming along as usual

All of these things are the result of a lifestyle that didn’t consistently make self-care a top priority.

And these things get even more pronounced and problematic in your 60’s and 70’s.

• Youth is not longer on your side holding you together - your day-to-day choices are.

Overwhelmed

At this point, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel like some HUGE SHIFTS need to take place in your life to see and feel a difference. Which is why I wanted to do this 2-part series with you. I wanted you to see that BIG OVERHAULS are not necessary at all.

I just wanted to walk you through 6 very small changes you can make to your everyday life that WILL help you feel young and pain free.

Last week, was part one - Movement based things to try

1. Walk for 5-10 minutes after a meal
2. Do a posture-correcting stretch at least once per day
3. Add a core exercise into your daily routine

This week, I’m going to share 3 nutrition based changes that can make a world of difference for your health and longevity. (The last one might actually come as a shock to you.)

My mission here is to help you get the ball rolling in the right direction. Trust me that it will pick up momentum, but you have to start with these small things first.

The SNOWBALL ANALOGY -

6 Small Habits Changes to Feel Young & Pain Free (Part 2)

Simple nutrition habits to work on:

1) Drink a glass of water with every meal (You might already do this one well!)

Why does this work?

• Being well hydrated all day long is extremely important for all of your metabolic functions, for nutrients to be transports, for temp regulation and blood pressure
• Drinking a glass of water with your meals anchors this habit to another one you’re already doing - uses the meal as a habit cue so you don’t forget
• Helps you slow down when you’re eating

How to do it?

• As you prepare your meal, fill up a glass of water and make a point to sip on water in between bites
• This also works great for when you have coffee, alocholic beverages, or other types of non-water beverages  - Use the “Before and With” motto: drink water before you drinking something else, and always be sipping on water while you’re also sipping on the other beverage

2) Eat Your PRO’s (PROtein & PROduce)

Why does this work?

• Adequate PROtein is absolutely necessary to fuel your muscle tissue, keep your metabolism operating great, and to keep you feeling full so you’re less likely to binge on non-healthy foods
• Adequate fresh PROduce is absolutely necessary for fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and healthy carbohydrates to keep your body fueled and energetic
• Healthy nutrition can be dramatically simplified into these two ingredients PROtein & PROduce

How to do it?

• Start with the protein for your meal first - Choose a palm-sized amount of protein (or about 20-40g of protein)
• Then add the produce - fruit or vegetables, maybe one of each; Choose two fist-sized amounts of produce, or if it’s leafy greens, a big handful
• Meal ideas: Veggie loaded omelette for breakfast (2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites), lots of veggies, apple on the side; Chicken salad for lunch with a palm-sized amount of chicken breast, handful of greens, fist-sized amount of cucumbers and tomatoes; Cottage cheese + berries for afternoon snack; Salmon and roasted veggies for dinner.

3) Splurge once everyday

Why does this work?

• When you completely restrict yourself from eating anything that you might consider a “cheat”, like a treat of some kind, the pressure builds and soon you’ll binge (Day 3)
• You need a pressure release valve - I would rather you have one intentional splurge everyday, rather than 3 days in a row of “perfect” days, and then 4 straight days of out of control eating
• Also gives you an opportunity to practice mindfulness and self-control every single day

How to do it?

• This is NOT a daily binge-fist - 80-90% of your meals are still going to look like what I describe, being very PRO-filled
• Think through your “favorite splurges”…basically anything that’s not healthy and PRO-based. What’s your absolute favorite thing?
• Practicing saying no and passing on everything else, knowing that you’re going to have your one, ultra-enjoyable splurge everyday.
• Could change from one day to another based on the situation: one day it might be a bowl of ice cream, the next day it might be a beer, or some pizza
• Eat it slowly, savoring every bite

Proof/Examples

As I say these habits, I know in your mind you’re probably thinking “that’s not going to be enough”.

• Maybe you have 30 pounds that you’d like to lose, and you don’t feel like just eating PRO’s and definitely splurging everyday is going to get you there.
• Your mind wants to go to the extreme tactic - the all-in strategy.
• But let me ask you this… If you were to sip on water with your meals so that it slowed you down while you ate and you were consistently hydrated, if you were to consistently eat PRO’s with every meal and have meals like the ones I described every day, and if you were to just have one splurge a day… is that BETTER than what your habits look like right now?
• We want to go the “perfect and extreme” route, when really all we need is to just get super consistent with the simple route.

And I can PROMISE you that if you became a woman that:

1. Went for a 5-10 minute walk after a meal
2. Did a posture-correcting stretch at least once per day
3. Added a core exercise into your daily routine
4. Drank a glass of water with every meal
5. Consistently at meals that were loaded with PRO’s
6. And just had one splurge a day

Well… you would be doing all those secrets that centenarians talk about are the keys to feeling young and pain free

Takeaways

Do NOT underestimate the power of the small and simple habits. They really do amazing things for your health and get that snowball rolling.

Ok, do you need more help with all this? Could you use some accountability, and guidance with each of these steps, and constant support?

• This is my specialty friend, and it’s exactly what my Jumpstart 30 program is all about. Small, simple habits each day that lead to big things.

More Resources & Links

Need help getting started! Get Megan’s FREE 5-Day Jumpstart Tips guide!

The Jumpstart 30 Program for Beginners

EP 264 - Staying Hydrated - Four Ways You May Be Drinking Water Wrong

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