My Top Three

I'm often asked: "If you could give three pieces of advice to someone who wants to make SIMPLE healthy changes...what would those be?"

Well, I'll tell you. These are simple, sustainable and realistic.

Drink more water.

I can hear you...you're like: "Ughhhhhhh I KNOWWWWWWWWWWWW." 

K. Do it.

Here's what I do to make sure I'm getting enough water (yes, sometimes even I don't drink enough): 

1. I always make sure water is available. I try to have a bottle with me at all times. 

2. I drink about a litre of water first thing in the morning. Before my coffee (yes I drink coffee), before I eat, before anything. Adding lemon to that water is even better.  Lemon makes some people gag or feel sick, so don't add lemon if that's the case with you...no one wants to gag first thing in the morning (or listen to someone gag). Just drink a lot of water first thing. It will flush out your system and prepare your body for the day.

3. Put an ugly cup or mug in the bathroom. Something you can't miss. Every time you pee, fill up the ugly mug and drink it. A vicious cycle, but a healthy one!

P.S. Tap water is fine. That's all I'm going to say about that right now...even though there is a LOT I could say...anyway, I digress. Let's not make this simple step complicated.

Add in, don't take out.

What do you mean? Well...

The trend these days is to take something OUT of your diet that is "unhealthy" Take out carbs, take out fats, take out grains, take out gluten...you get it.

My approach is simple. Stop taking things out and start adding things in.

ONCE A WEEK, buy something new at the grocery store and ADD IT to your weekly meals. 

One week, spinach. The next week, keep the spinach and add in a pepper. The following week, spinach, peppers and melon. Yada yada yada, before you know it-there won't be room for any of the bad stuff because you've added in so much of the good stuff. Simple, right? Try it!

Also...don't buy take-out food. Make your own. Make a lot. Have leftovers.

Take probiotics.

I'm all for probiotics. Especially when you're taking any sort of medication, antibiotics or feeling lousy. But I will recommend taking them year round. They can't hurt you, they can only help you. They increase the healthy bacteria in your gut, aid in digestion, and support your immune system! Yes please! Whether you decide to take them through food (yogurt, kefir and fermented foods to name a few) or supplements, it's always going to be a good choice.

So there you have it! My top three pieces of advice to a healthier you. Not bad right? Mind...blown? Probably not. But that's a good thing! Nutrition and living a healthy life doesn't have to be difficult. It can be about making simple changes when they are convenient for you. 

Find something you can stick with, and go for it. Let me know how it goes! Good luck!

A Lesson in Moderation

An ice cream truck drove by the other day.

You know, ring-a-ding-dinging along the street-we could hear it about four blocks away. The sound is unmistakable. And makes me drool, even now. Mmmm...truck ice cream.

I had all three of my kids locked down in the car, leaving a friend's house, ready to go. That's when I heard it.  I probably looked like a crazy person...

"GUYS! IT'S AN ICE CREAM TRUCK! WHO WANTS ICE CREAM? GET OUT OF THE VAN!"

I am from Toronto, but now live in a small town. In the past seven years, I have not even heard an ice cream truck. Which means my children, aged four, three and two, have never had the experience of eating ice cream that mysteriously appears out the window of a big white vehicle covered in pictures of delicious frozen treats.

Now I know this isn't the good stuff. Not real ice cream, probably not even real dairy. But there is nothing that says summer like eating food out of a truck. And I may be a healthy person, but come on. You know when you hear that truck, you want to dig for change in your pocket!

So, here lies a lesson in moderation.

What does this word really mean? Well...apparently moderation means: "The quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excesses; temperance."

Key word here is not moderate. Or even restraint (although clearly that is important)...it is QUALITY.

I like to point out this word because I think it nicely ties into our quality OF LIFE. If I can't smile as my children thank the man in the ice cream truck (manners!) and watch their eyes get as big as saucers (PURE happiness) in the middle of the summer heat as they devour a kid size chocolate cone (appreciation!)...well, then, I don't have words to describe how sad life would be as a Mom.

Food, including treats, are a part of life. Daily life. We eat every day-food, that is.  We don't have to treat ourselves every day but we do need treats. We NEED them. We need them and our children need them to learn to appreciate them. And we want them. And should have them. Because they make us HAPPY.  And if you're living life happy, you're doing something right.

Life hands you some special moments. Most of them are not food. They might be TIED to food.  An amazing family Thanksgiving feast, Halloween trips around the neighbourhood (although I use the term food loosely there), pancake breakfast with friends..you get my drift.

Food shouldn't always be a treat, a reward or something to look forward to-but every once in a while, you know...MODERATELY...why not?

Did I mention my kids had just had a healthy lunch beforehand? Oh yah, they did. And they had been awesome all day? They DESERVED it. Because they're awesome. They really are. My kids rock, and if I had let that truck roll by, they wouldn't have complained a bit...mostly because they didn't even know what it was...but I'll say it's because they're amazing little people.

LIVE LIFE. Have ice cream...can you hear the truck around the corner?
Run for your wallet!