How to Transition to a Healthier Lifestyle

1. Believe in yourself and your vision for a healthier life.

Your past failures DO NOT MATTER.

Push aside self doubt. Put your eyes on the future and concentrate on being consistent on the below steps of Meal Planning and Prepping and YOU WILL achieve your health and fitness goals.

2. Get rid of all of the processed food in the house.

(If it is not in the house you are less likely to eat it.) If loved ones complain, ask them to please eat their processed junk food outside of the house or hide it where you can not see it. When in doubt whether an item is overly processed look on the ingredient list. Here are a few ingredients to stay away from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/555420566519628151/

3. Start Meal Planning.

Go online or to your recipe books and find some clean recipes to make for the coming week. You will want to stick to recipes that contain whole fresh foods: lean proteins, complex carbs, fruits, veggies, and healthy fats. One site that I use to find clean eating recipes is: www.graciouspantry.com You can also find recipes and meal prep ideas that I use for my own family at www.pinterest.com/trishzelenak

4. Go to the Grocery.

Shop for your needed clean eating ingredients for the coming week based on your meal planning list. Stick to the outside of the grocery for as much as possible. Go into the aisles strategically to get specific items. Some of the things I go into the aisles for: oats, canned tomatoes and beans, coffee, nuts, whole kernel popcorn, and nut butters. Here is your guide to a healthy grocery cart: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/555420566519672905/

5. Start Meal Prepping.

I get out all of the ingredients that I will need for each recipe I am making.

Invite your family to help. I put my husband on grilling all of the lean proteins. My daughters like to put the eggs in the egg steamer to hard boil them. They also like to cut veggies. The family will appreciate your efforts more if they participate and see the work that goes into creating a healthy clean eating lifestyle for the family

I then start with anything that has a multi step process or takes a long time to cook. For example if I am preparing a slow cooker recipe or making brown rice. Both have long cook times so I start with these items first.

The next step is to work on anything that will use the same tools. For example cutting vegetables for my veggie tray and cutting veggies for a stew. I will do both of these things at once. If I crush garlic for the stew and also plan to make hummus, I will crush the garlic all at once and set aside the garlic so that it is ready for the next recipe.

Some of the things I make every week: hard boiled eggs, grilled chicken, a whole grain (brown rice, quinoa, faro, wheat berries, barley, etc.), a veggie tray w/lid (that has a small container with a healthy dip – ex: hummus), cut up fresh fruit, and a batch of blanched or roasted vegetables. I also like to make a stew or soup to freeze for later in the week when my fresh options are running low.

6. Move your body.

Whether you go to a gym or work out at home, find a type of exercise that you enjoy and works for your life. Make sure you are combining both cardio and strength training. If you would like to try out some options, I can provide you for FREE a 30 Day access to Beachbody on Demand to try dozens of different options to find what works best for you.

7. Accountability to another human.

Do not skip this step. Whether it is a best friend, mom, spouse, neighbor, a personal trainer, or online health & fitness coach (ME :)) to make sure you stay on track. You are motivated now, but that motivation is likely to fall by the way side when life takes over...that is unless you have someone to answer to so that you stay on track. It would be my pleasure to be that daily accountability partner for you.

8. Track Your Progress.

Take beginning weight, measurements, and pictures to establish a starting point. DO NOT weigh yourself frequently. In fact, I recommend that you put the scale in the back of a closet and only pull it out every 2-3 weeks to check your progress. Do not get on the scale unless you are committed to also checking your measurements. It is normal to only lose a few pounds yet drop drastically in inches especially when you are strength training and putting on muscle as you are losing fat.

9. CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS.

Once a week I recommend ONE (1) “treat” meal or other small treat to celebrate sticking to clean eating throughout the week. This is NOT a “cheat meal.” This is a celebration of you successfully sticking to clean eating throughout the week and fitting in your workouts on most days.

10. Share your success.

This is where the magic happens. When you share with your family and friends the steps you have taken to be healthier they in turn become healthier. When the student becomes the teacher...this is when your journey is secured and you know that even if you have a slight hiccup that you can get right back on track because you know the process :).

GOOD LUCK! I would love to help you through this process in one of my online healthy lifestyle accountability groups that I host monthly.