It’s a fact – health is THE most important thing in LIFE. In fact, HEALTH = LIFE.
That being said, it’s essential to enrich your life with positive thought, foods that nourish your body, and activities that keep you moving and make you smile. This practice of optimal health puts us in the right position to succeed at anything we do, anything we put our mind to.
Think Positively
Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. There is no shortcut, no secret weapon to optimal health – it’s common sense. Don’t separate those healthy people from YOU. It could be you, but it’s up to YOU. A study at the University of Washington in Seattle led by Anju Aggarwal, PhD examined whether attitudes about healthy eating influenced diet quality among supermarket shoppers. Researchers asked participants to rate their level of agreement to the following statement:
“It is important to me that the foods I usually eat are healthy.”
As you may have guessed by the headline of this post, a positive attitude towards healthy eating was significantly associated with a higher diet quality. Shoppers with a strong, positive attitude towards healthy eating consumed roughly twice as many fruits and vegetables per day than people with neutral or negative attitudes.
… Which brings me to one of my pet peeves – I hate the word diet. It’s not a positive word, and from what I’ve observed, it doesn’t have a long-term connotation. Try to focus on positive habits instead of the negative associations that go along with dieting or don’ts. It always helps me to think of positive habits that I can add to my life. Here are some of my favorites that have made the biggest impact in my healthier lifestyle:
- Drink water. When you think you’ve had enough water, drink more water.
- Eat veggies every day.
- Eat fruits every day.
- Eat breakfast.
- Know what’s in your food.
- Add protein.
- Keep it simple, stupid.
“When I wake up in the morning, I know that it’s going to be the best day of my life. I never think about what I can’t do. Make sure positive thoughts are the first ones you think in the morning. And never procrastinate.”
-Tao Porchon-Lynch
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These opti-thoughts were originally posted as “Think Positive” in September 2013 on elizabethsanders.net.
