STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY: Could this trend do more harm than good?
We’ve all heard the saying that strong is the new skinny. Before it, the predecessor was skinny is the new beautiful. What is the newest mantra of 2019? HEALTHY IS THE NEW SKINNY.
As a Board Certified Master Nutritionist, top 10 nutritionist in America, and a woman and mom of three who has lost over half my body size, 134 pounds, I believe HEALTHY is 2019’s hottest trend and what the majority of the population really desire as their New Year Goal. People are no longer looking for get thin quick promises, but rather a healthy approach that offers a feeling of vitality, energy, wellness and total wellbeing.
So if HEALTHY is the new strong and the new skinny— how are we to gage our progress in 2019? Here are my top expert recommendations to gage your health success.
Rather than focusing on an unrealistic expectations or a certain number on the scale I suggest you look at these top five cues and if you are doing well in the new year.
1. ENERGY
How is your energy improving with this new healthy lifestyle change? Truly healthy people have enough energy to get them through the day and also maybe even add in a brisk walk after dinner, bike ride with the kids or workout. Rather than over-training or under-eating, try fueling your body with organic, real foods that make your body feel energized.
2. MOOD
Brain fogginess, irritability, anxiety, low sex drive and lack of concentration, are all indicators that something might be off with your nutrition. Therefore, it’s important to regularly gauge how you feel mentally and emotionally as a factor of goals.Improving your overall mood can include:
3. CONTROL
Feeling ravenous and being hungry all the time sucks. Hanger is very real and frequent bouts of it can quickly put the brakes on fat loss progress. Having no appetite whatsoever is also indicative of a problem.When your body is operating at its best, you should be experiencing feelings of hunger every few hours. This means that your metabolism is turned on and you should be ready to eat at your next meal.
When you eat a healthy, nutrient rich snack or meal every 3 to 4 hours apart, you're able to choose better food, and you're getting enough food to feel satisfied with your meals. By following this method your body will always feel satiated and well nourished.
4. SLEEP QUALITY
The food we eat and our lifestyles directly influence and affect our body and brain chemistry. Too little food, lack of recovery from training, too much caffeine or alcohol can alter your body's normal chemistry and cause a host of problems, including poor sleep.One of the best ways to judge if you are doing well on your new healthy lifestyle is your sleep schedule. When your lifestyle could use a makeover and you are living chronically Mel nourished, you struggle to get to bed. You're "wired, but tired". If you do go to bed, you just toss and turn all night, don't dream, wake up throughout the night and struggle again to go back to sleep. It's no shock, that when morning hits, you struggle to wake up, pound the snooze button and don't feel rested at all.
When you’re properly fed, your hormones and brain chemicals are at their proper levels you can enjoy more hours of high-quality sleep. You’ll find yourself getting more sleep overall and better quality sleep. You'll get sleepy when you’re supposed to, fall asleep easier, stay asleep throughout the night and wake up feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to take on your day.
5. HOW YOU LOOK AND FEEL
More often than not, the scale may not reflect how you look and feel. In fact, The scale may go up on days that you are your healthiest from working out and also better hydration. Just because the number may rise, does not mean that you are not doing right by your body.Instead, I suggest you gauge by how your clothes fit and how you feel. These changes happen slowly and gradually but are usually very apparent when comparing to when you started. This is why I always suggest that you start any healthy lifestyle change with a before photo and continue to take progress photos once per month.
The most important thing to remember in all of this, is it is not about lifting a certain amount of weight, wearing a certain number on the scale or looking like anybody else. You stay focused on your healthy journey and living your very best every day. That is what the hottest trend of 2019 is about. Being healthy and learning to care for the body you have.
