Want a miracle? Practice these FIVE HEALTHY HABITS!

Here are FIVE HEALTHY HABITS to get this group launched. What are your healthy habits? What can you add to this list?

1. Replace all refined sweeteners with natural, whole sweeteners. Ditch the white sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and fake sugars like Splenda, Equal, Sweetn’Low and replace them with agave nectar, real maple syrup, or Stevia. Refined sweets like white sugar spike your insulin levels and metabolize very quickly and lead to fat storage. HFCS confuses your body (it’s that fake!) so your body does the only thing it can…throws it into fat storage! Sugar substitutes like Splenda, Equal, and Sweetn’Low basically tell your body it’s about to get sugar. Then when you don’t actually follow through on that promise, it goes after it with a vengeance! Sugar (aka, carb) cravings! You can’t fool your body! Stevia is plant-based and contains zero calories. Agave nectar and real maple syrup are not refined and they metabolize slowly and don't spike your insulin levels. Check your labels…white sugar, HFCS, and sugar substitutes are in everything! Say NO to them and watch a miracle happen!

2. Replace white, refined carbs with brown, whole carbs. For the same exact reason as I mentioned above…whole grain carbohydrates metabolize slowly and don’t spike your insulin levels like their white, refined, overly-processed counterparts. Whole grains have more nutrients as well, but they also have the added advantage of containing fiber (which was removed in the white carbs). Think of fiber as your very best friend! Seriously…BFF! Fiber keeps you satiated, maintains good intestinal health, creates slow digestion, and keeps things moving! I’m not elaborating on that last part! Read labels…you MUST see the word WHOLE before each grain and it should be the first item in the list of ingredients. Don’t be duped by clever food manufacturers. If you only practiced (all the time) habit #1 and #2…I’m telling you, a miracle is on the way! Get excited!

3. For meat and sides, think deck of card-sized portions. We eat too large of portions! At every meal, make sure the only mound on your plate is made up of vegetables…it can be a giant mound! If you eat a giant mound of anything else…expect a giant mound to present itself somewhere on your body where you’d rather it not appear!

4. Eat when you’re hungry. The best way to prevent overeating at the next meal is to stay satiated. If it’s 10:30 in the morning and I feel a hunger pang, I first drink a large glass of water or make some green tea (often times I’m just thirsty and not smart enough to tell the difference!). If it doesn’t subside, I am indeed in need of a snack… not a problem! Light string cheese, a handful of raw walnuts, a banana, a few whole wheat crackers (see #2) with a little “real” peanut butter, OR a 1/2 cup plain yogurt sweetened with agave nectar (see #1) and blueberries on top are all perfect snacks to keep me full until lunch time.

5. Move more. Dance around the house while you’re sweeping, attend a Jazzercise class (ridiculously fun!), pull weeds in the yard, walk to the grocery store, take a Pilate’s class (awesome!), or train for a triathlon. Do what works for you, but move more everyday. Take stairs, park far away from your target destination, or do jumping jacks while you’re waiting for the coffee pot to fill. Every little bit helps. Moving slowly or not moving does not help!