Making healthier choices in a house overflowing with temptations.
You get out of bed with the very best intentions of eating better. Maybe you even planned the day before and have scheduled out your meals and chosen the healthiest options. You start your day with gusto and hope and are motivated like never before.
Then it happens.
You see that box of donuts on the counter or that cookie with your name on it. It even speaks to you to take just one bite. You successfully thwart its best efforts and resist the temptation. Then you make your way to the pantry and hear a bag of cheesy, salty chips whispering to you ever so softly and invitingly.
You haven’t even gotten to enact your grand plan of eating better and you’re already being bombarded by tempting food bombs.
You, my friend, live in a house with those who don’t care what they eat. Despite your best efforts, you can’t help but struggle through every day mustering up your willpower to avoid said sabotage.
What do you do? How can you eat better while being surrounded by so much junk food?
About the Author: Brad is a university lecturer with a master’s degree in Kinesiology and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He has competed as a drug-free bodybuilder, is a cancer survivor, and a 21 year veteran of the Air National Guard. Brad has been a Primer contributor since 2011.
The Challenge
It’s nothing new that our daily environments support bad eating. From availability and convenience to social pressures and office parties it’s a miracle anyone can gain any traction with healthier eating.
Let’s look at why it’s so easy to eat badly and why your climb may feel like it’s too steep to attempt.
Food is everywhere
Whether it’s lying around the house or fresh from the drive-thru, crappy food finds its place in our lives. It seems as though there’s a fast food joint on every corner not to mention a dozen delivery services willing to bring it to your doorstep. Somehow, it ends up in our homes ready and willing for us to consume.
Bad food is easy to eat
You get home and you’re starving. What do you do? On one hand, you could do the right thing and take the time to prepare something healthy, or you could simply dip your hand into the closest bag or box for some easy empty calories to satisfy that hunger.
Eating badly is contagious
No matter your willpower, social peer pressures will get the best of us. Whether it’s eating in or out, the ones we hang around have a profound effect on our behaviors. If we’re not aware we easily fall into the trap of doing as the Romans do and eat like crap.
The Solution
Fret not. There is hope in your seemingly impossible mission to eat better. All it will take is some awareness, planning, and a little creativity. But before you get into all of that you’ll need to adopt the right kind of mindset. A mindset of possibility. That you’re more than able to build a sound plan of action and follow through with it.
Let’s dive in.
Prepare
There’s no such thing as a rainy day, just the time you forgot your umbrella. Preparation is key. If you prep your meals/snacks two things happen in your mind. One, you have something already convenient at the ready and two, you feel an obligation to consume what you prepare. Always prep your meals for the day.
Have your own section
If you live with others you know that junk food is intermingled with the good stuff. Have a section of the pantry, refrigerator, and/or cabinet that you can claim for yourself. Have easy to prepare foods bunched together for convenience. Tell others in your family or roommates about your special spot in the kitchen so that they’ll know not to trespass.
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