5 TYPES OF FOOD TO AVOID

5 Food Types to Avoid

1. Refined Sugars- These are in so many processed foods and the world is becoming increasingly addicted to sweets. If you want to see fast results, cut these out of your diet. I still allow myself the ocasional sweet treat, but the majority of my days are spent sugar free.
2. Refined carbs- These simple carbs quickly are converted to sugar by your body and in fact, your saliva begins this process while you’re chewing. Get rid of the white pasta, white bread, and regular white rice to see the best results.
3. Bad fats- My rule of thumb is to only eat natural fats. These are fats that can be cold pressed from vegetables or obtained from eating whole foods such as salmon. Olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil are all great choices and real butter is better than any processed spread. Processed foods almost always have high omega 6 fats in them which can sabotage your fat loss efforts by causing inflammation.
4. Processed foods- Any food that can’t be made naturally or that doesn’t exist in nature is usually a bad idea. Processed foods are full of chemicals and sodium and they should be greatly limited if you’re trying to shed fat. Try to break free from the quick, convenient, preprepared way of eating. Eating whole foods can still be quick with a little education.
5. Artificial sugars- These chemicals really don’t have any benefit in your diet. They’ve been known to cause health problems and recent research shows that people who consume diet soda actually on average have bigger waist sizes than people who don’t. If you have to have something sweet, have a real sugar treat once a week or use Stevia.

We all have to make choices and be accountable for the consequences. Our responsibility is to define our priorties, weigh consequences, and choose right over wrong. Let's say you think you don't have time to exercise. So you don't. You avoid considering the eventual consequences of your couch-potato lifestyle, as if by magic those consequences might not one day visit you personally. Stroke, heart attack, diabetes? Not me, please. In general, people like to shrug off personal responsibility for their actions, particularly if those actions have negative consequences. The truth is wrong choices eventually lead to chaos. 

How can you make better choices? Using the example above again, evaluate how you're currently using your time and explore what changes can be made. Let's say that while you leave for work by 8:15 a.m., you don't get up until 7:30. Find extra time to exercise by getting up an hour earlier. Look at your present schedule and deteremine how you can rearrange it to accomadate an exercise routine. Our choices should typically be guided by what'ts right notnecessarily by what's easiest, most comfortable, or most convenient. That's really what self-discipline is all about. A healthy lifestyle teaches us that. 

So ask yourself: Do you want benefits or do you want negative consequences? It's you who gets to choose. The exciting news is that the personal responsibility you develop through a fit, active lifestyle will transfer to the rest of your life as you begin to take control of all that you do. 

Remember: Choose wrong and here comes the problems, sooner, or later. Life is not about instant gratification. One of my mantras early on "Short-term pain and discomfort can lead to a lifetime of excitement, wellness, happiness, and joy. Short-term pleasure can lead to a myriad of problems." That is universal truth, and you can hang your hat on it. 

From Tony Horton's book, Bring It!

NEVER GIVE UP

This quotes reminds me of the day that I told my Dad that I was moving to Fort Worth to start my career in Fitness @ 24 Fitness. He kept asking me questions about my why? Then he said something to me that has been instilled in me ever since, "This is your dream, never never never give up on it." Although, my Dad passed away 2 weeks later and I never made it to Texas; I am forever grateful for those words.

All of the sudden, I realize how rare it is to meet people nowadays who embrace this standard and exhibit this behavior. It's almost as if quitting has become the social norm, so widely accepted and met surprisingly unchallenged--in friendships, marriages, schools, careers, & health. Can't seem to lose those 30lbs? Decide your marriage sucks? Your website not bringing in sky-high traffic like your planned? You decide that being a Nurse really isn't your "passion?"

These days, when the going gets tough, we cut and run. No muss, no fuss. We whine, cry, gripe, and complain, and we throw are hands up and say forget it? Why are we so quick to give up? And since when did this become "okay?" Whatever happened to go old-fashioned sticking it out? Perhaps this is why the divorce rate is so high? Perhaps this is why we end up sad, alone, depressed, and bored? 

What's wrong with a little pain? A little discomfort never hurt anyone. What doesn't kills us makes us grow stronger, healthier, more balanced, and more prepared for what life has to bring our way.  Eventually, we become better equipped to achieve and appreciate the finer things in life. Ask Drew Brees or Michael Jordan or Thomas Edison if they ever experienced pain or discomfort!!! The answer will be yes over and over again!

We all experience pain at some point in our life. If we didn't we wouldn't be normal or human. There was a time in my life when I wanted to throw my hands up. I still have days where I feel defeated. But then I remember ever wrong turn that I have ever made. I remember that giving up is just too easy. So I keep fighting. Instead, I take a good look in the mirror and realize how far that I have come. I envision the future and the results I want from my committment. I stay true to them and I keep on keeping on!

So my point: Never Give Up! Stay focused on your goals! Never let them out of sight!  Do your homework, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Keep working out, keep pushing play! Keep climbing that mountain! When you reach the top; be forever grateful for your wounds you got on the way. I had a dream business plan in my closet for 10 years, today it is reality! 

You can do anything that you set your mind to! NEVER GIVE UP!

Until next time,
Rhianna