Skip to main content

CONFLICTING INFORMATION: How to Tell the Truth from the Fluff

There is a LOT of conflicting information out there, especially when it comes to health and wellness. Honestly, I study health, nutrition, weight loss, movement, etc., all the time and I’m still left scratching my head in confusion sometimes.

Keto or Mediterranean?

Cross Fit or Yoga?

Meditation or Journaling?

Alcohol – yes or no?

I think you get the idea. Every day there is a new report, study, or finding coming out to inform us about what is considered healthy and what is not. Or what might be better than something else (walking is good, HIIT is better; chicken is good, salmon is better; etc.).

And there are a lot of questions asked about what is the BEST way to improve your health. What is the best/fastest way to lose weight? What is the best diet to follow? What are the best exercises to do?

There are absolutely guidelines out there for living a healthy lifestyle, important nutrition information, what and how much we should be moving daily. The basics are pretty clear. Across whatever route you might be thinking about when it comes to nutrition, movement, or health in general, the basic principles are mostly the same.

So why is there so much conflicting information? Why do we struggle to follow those basics, or stick with a plan that works for us?

Two things:

1.  We are all UNIQUE individuals. Like, literally. Down to the cellular level. We have the same physical functioning and how our bodies work, but just because Jane likes pink, runs 5 miles a day, and loves avocado toast doesn’t mean Sally is going to like those same things.

Which brings me to:

2.  The best thing to do is the thing you will ACTUALLY DO. I’ve said it before but I’ll keep saying it – don’t try doing what you think you’re “supposed” to do, and start doing things you’ll ACTUALLY do! 

I am NOT a runner. I hate running. Not going to go for a jog. I really enjoy walks. I’m not fast, but I don’t need to be. I love throwing toning exercises into my day. It’s fun for me and I feel good when I do it. I love Mediterranean style foods. I’m learning more and more about it and I have loved a lot of those recipes. I’m not a huge Keto fan. The two are not mutually exclusive and it's possible to use Mediterranean flavors with Keto recipes, and it’s possible to cut some of the foods with certain carbs (pasta and bread) from a Mediterranean dish to make it more Keto friendly.

And a third point I’ll add is that this is why I think it’s important to experiment with what you like and dislike. Keep what you like and works, ditch the rest. If there is no way you’re going to get up early on the weekends to cycle for 25 miles just because a friend is doing it, why buy expensive cycling equipment (bike, helmet, shoes, etc.)? Would a basic bike work for simple rides around the park or your neighborhood?

So, understanding you’re a unique person, focusing on what you’re actually willing to do, and trying things to see what sticks and what doesn’t are the fastest, most effective ways of cutting through the different information floating around out there and improving your health and wellness.

Focus on the “basics” (nutrition, movement, hydration, sleep, stress management) and find what works for you in each of those areas. Your journey will be much more fun and long-term if you do.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

BITTERSWEET MOMMA POST....

 My sons graduated college on Saturday. I'm still trying to process how I feel about that. On the one hand, I'm incredibly proud of them! Their major is Statistics (both of them), and it was not an easy degree to complete.  On the other hand, my "little" boys are grown up and about to face the world as adults. Everyone jokes about how time flies and don't blink or you'll miss them growing up. I never really cared for those sayings, as during that time I was eyeball deep in activities, work, and stress. I needed them to mature, as I felt I was going insane from the pressure. Now that they are grown, I realize how truly blessed I am. For many parents, this day never comes. They would give anything to see their child graduate from college. I'm beyond fortunate to have that opportunity. And I'm sad, too. I knew I was MOSTLY guaranteed school breaks with them, or at least large chunks of those breaks. That is no longer true. Their jobs and lives will be hea...

A LITTLE HELP MAKING HEALTHY MEALS....aka COOKING WITH MY SON

This is a completely common scenario. You only have so much time to get dinner together before you have to be out the door again, everyone is “starving”, etc. Or, in my son's case, you're a young, broke recent graduate learning to cook more because (shocked Pikachu-face) mom was RIGHT , and it IS cheaper to cook meals at home. (also forgot to get a picture while we were cooking dinner, so added this one instead!) But I digress.... You’re torn. YOU’RE trying to eat healthy, the kids need something at least semi-healthy , and your spouse may or may not care either way. What do you do? There are so many meal kits, pre-packaged meals, frozen dinners, etc., that you can heat and eat, or throw together in a minute. And when you’re also trying to save money or cooking on a budget, these meals are USUALLY still cheaper, per person, than eating out. However, when your budget is super tight, even those convenience foods can be too expensive. You may not have the time to coo...

Healthy on a Budget: Is It Possible?

Yes, it is. But there are two sacrifices to budget cooking: Planning and Time . They can be interchangeable at times. Planning involves things like knowing your family’s schedules, following sales flyers, tracking what your family does and doesn’t like, knowing what you have or don’t have on hand, etc. Time involves not only cooking the food, the Planning time, cooking more from scratch (which can take longer), the prep time and cleanup, etc. And a third thing I’ll add that is basically my opinion, is that you REALLY need to know what your family likes, dislikes, and what they will “tolerate”. Because, honestly, if you’re going through all the trouble to make a meal and your family hates most of the ingredients, it’s not going to work out very well. Example, if your family doesn’t like ANY kind of beans, then you’re not going to be doing much good making dishes that are bean-centered. It’s not super helpful when I make recipes that use ground meat when my sons don’t like th...