Shred 10

You’ve seen me talk about it, post about it, participate in it, and many others have joined me in the fun as well. Of course in addition to the tens of thousands of others who swear by it as well!

 

Is it a cult? Maybe. Is it dangerous. Absolutely. Is it worth looking into? That can be answered with another question, like do I like wine? And I was joking about the dangerous cult thing, unless that’s what you’re into.

 

The Shred 10 is simply a 10 day kick start to a healthier lifestyle program, that includes 10 days of kicking the habits that don’t serve you, and flooding your body with whole food nutrition. The objective to feel great, lose some weight and create healthier habits that will serve you in the long term. Like for life.

 

10 days people. It’s 10 days. It is not long, but it’s amazing what can happen in that time.

 

For example, if I can get through one weekend without wine (wine on weekends is my weakness – shocking) then it’s easier for me to make other healthier decisions. I go on a streak, and when I decide to indulge it is no big deal and doesn’t derail any progress I’m making.

 

Now for some people the difficult thing to give up for 10 days is caffeine, and for some people it’s hard to avoid refined carbs or gluten… and for others the hardest part is cutting back on dairy. We all have our thing. The best part about giving up some difficult to give up habits, is that you realize you don’t need them as much as you thought.

 

And then do you know what the EASY PART IS?? Getting dressed after 10 days on this program. Looking in the mirror is easier, being naked is easier, getting ready is easier and literally everything is easier because you feel so much better.

 

After the ten days is up, you’ll aim to continue the healthy habits to the best of your ability. And before you jump to conclusions and think that this sounds complicated – picture this:

 

Eat well most of the time, try to exercise most days, and work on things that make you happy at least a couple times a week for your mental and emotional health. No counting, no measuring, no points, no calculating, no diets, nothing. Focus on your mind and body. Trust me, this is the way to live.

 

It’s so easy, some would just call it normal life………. Wink wink.

 

So, this is how I live healthier. This is how my friends and colleagues all maintain their healthier lifestyles… and should you ever want more information I have it for you.

 

But my emotions taste so good…

Let me tell you, I have been eating my emotions for months now.  And although the emotional eating streak was fun… it’s time to get back to what makes me feel good – and that is feeling good.

 

Before you say ‘Lindsy, now is not the time to worry about what you’re eating and how much you weigh’’ – I want to tell you that it is actually the exact perfect time for me to do that. And I’ll tell you why.

 

First things first, I need to admit to myself where I am. So, since the beginning of November I have gained 10lbs… ok 12lbs. 13 – does it matter?! Oh wait that’s the point, to be honest, it’s 13lbs. That may not seem like a lot to some of you, and it may seem like a shit ton to others.

 

For me though, it is the exact amount of weight I worked my ass off (literally) to get rid of a long time ago. I always hovered around a number, and then one day with a few habit changes, the number changed, and it hovered at a much better place. It is no longer in that place. I need to do something about it before it gets even more difficult to come back when this is all over.

 

And this is what’s important, the reason why now is the best time to worry about what I’m eating.

 

  1. I can’t do much moving. I used to rely on exercise to be able to eat a lot of food, all day long. The right food yes, but still – a lot. Exercises builds a strong body and burns energy. If I can’t exercise much then I need to be especially focused on my nutrition.
  2. My body needs fuel that will strengthen it, not weaken it.
  3. Too much inflammation. All over. Everywhere. The chemo is literally poison in my body and it makes me puffy. My body needs food that will not cause more inflammation. Check.

 

So I am up against a lot right now. Chemo doesn’t make it easy to feel good about yourself both inside and out. I plan to do some positive emotional eating, and do you know what that is? Eat means eating better so you feel better in general, and you might lose some weight which feels good, and you gain confidence which feels hella good. All in all: GOOD.

 

Right now I need to do whatever I need to do to feel comfortable in my own skin. Right now, I need to focus and take care of me, and do exactly what the happy, fit me used to do – which is live pretty much the same life, but with less take out, pizza and carbs.

Change your focus, change your life!

When it comes to making long term lifestyle changes we always seem to focus on what we should stop doing – do less of, ‘fixing bad habits’ and ‘bad behaviour’ and deciding that you can’t be successful unless you change who you are. Not true, and it doesn’t have to be complicated either. Let’s change what the focus is – let’s have a happier, more enjoyable transition to a healthier lifestyle. Here is how you do it:

Focus on what you should be adding to your life, do not focus on what you’re taking away. For example, add a daily workout or three workouts a week. Not only do you get the benefits from the exercise, but you have less time to do less healthy things like watch tv, eat out, etc.

Focus on what nutrition you could add to your daily diet, do not focus on what you should stop eating. For example, if you make sure you eat a huge salad everyday, have a nutritious smoothie as an afternoon snack, and eat all the vegetables in your fridge before they go bad – you will realize you’ve run out of time to have less nutritious food, or that you don’t want it since you’re on a good eating ‘streak’.

Finally, this is the most important point. Focus on what you’re gaining from a healthier lifestyle, do not focus on what you’re giving up. You are going to be gaining confidence, strength, better health, less sickness, more energy, save money, have more fun, wear whatever you want, and be happier. Do not focus on not being able to hit the drive thru, eat your favorite foods, losing time on the couch with the tv… You get the picture.

Healthy living is a balanced cycle. Jump in, put your healthy habits in motion and you’ll feel the desire to keep it up after you begin seeing – but more importantly feeling – the results! The healthier you eat, and the more you exercise – the less you’ll want to eat unhealthy and skip your workouts. That’s all it takes, that’s how people become those ‘fit-people’. It’s just a few simple steps and the momentum can be unstoppable.

10 OF MY FAV HEALTHY FOOD SWAPS

We all love to eat food. And often our favorite meals aren’t exactly super good for you. So, in order to make eating healthy not suck, I like to swap out certain ingredients in each meal to create a healthier version of it. Here are some of my favorite healthy food swaps!

SWAP pasta noodles for ZUCHINNI SPIRALS          …………… SWAP tortilla shells for LETTUCE WRAPS

SWAP rice noodles for SHIRATAKI NOODLES         …………… SWAP hamburger buns for PORTABELLO MUSHROOM CAPS

SWAP crackers for APPLE SLICES                                ………….. SWAP juice for FRUIT & VEG INFUSED WATER

SWAP bread crumbs for GROUND ALMONDS          ………….. SWAP mashed potatoes for MASHED CAULIFLOWER

SWAP French fries for BAKED ZUCCHINI FRIES    …………… SWAP spaghetti noodles for SPAGHETTI SQUASH

These changes will do wonders for your weight loss and healthy eating goals, plus a major benefit is that you can eat more! THAT is something I’ve always been willing to get behind, you should try too!