Secret Health Op: Step One
I began my first secret healthy makeover yesterday! My close acquaintance, we’ll call her “Jennifer”, made me cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die that I would not share her real identity. Jennifer is extremely worried about her husband’s unhealthy habits.
He literally only drinks soda, only eats highly processed foods, goes to bed extremely late each night, doesn’t eat breakfast, has gained weight, gets winded with minor activity, is adamantly against changing eating/sleeping/exercising habits, AND he’s only in his thirties! I’m nauseated just thinking about all his horrible health decisions.
This is scary. Like Jennifer could be widowed sooner than later scary. Since I love Jennifer and her husband, this is personal. I’m so grateful that Jennifer recruited me for this secret mission.
This will be quite the process, but I know healthy living will be in their future! You know why? It only takes one person in a household committed to making healthy changes!
As the main grocery shopper, Jennifer can control what options are available to those under her roof. Her main concern/question: What if my husband gets upset and says he’ll go grocery shopping and buy what he wants anyway? My answer: Hand him the keys, open the door, smile, and wave to him while telling him to enjoy himself shopping.
Even though I love food and cooking, I don’t love grocery shopping. In fact, I don’t know anyone who does. Even if he’s stubborn enough to grocery shop a few times, I guarantee it will start to fade and will result in him defaulting to eating the delicious, yummy, mouthwatering, healthy food that’s already available in his own fridge, freezer, and pantry!
I’m not playing games, people. Let’s stop playing with our health and control what’s available to eat in our own homes!
We spent the day cleaning out her refrigerator and preparing some healthy options to replace the food that was thrown out. Nothing too dramatic, but we started to apply my 6 Healthy Steps. We made hummus, smoothies (with red cabbage, bananas, mixed berries, and carrots… AND it was fabulous), mini omelets, baked burritos, and 7 layer dip.
She texted me later to say dinner was a hit and the never-eats-breakfast husband is taking the mini omelets for breakfast tomorrow! Let’s celebrate these small successes! The best part is none of them know they are being health-punked!
Step One: Clean out and organize your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Commit to yourself that once those unhealthy, over-processed, sugar packed foods are eaten and gone, you will not buy them again. Begin experimenting with new, healthy recipes. Remember, step one doesn’t need to be shouted from the rooftops! Just start incorporating healthier, delicious options and fading out that incredibly, unhealthy junk.
What healthy recipes are you going to incorporate first? How can you health-tweak one of your families favorite recipes? If it’s not perfect the first time, don’t get discouraged! Keep trying different variations until it’s just right.
