Clean it up

***Before I get any nasty emails, just know...these thoughts are mine, and mine alone.  Take them with a grain of salt...

In the last year I've watched the fitness buzz words change.  I've seen words like "clean eating" and "paleo."  I've heard about products to aid in getting healthier like "shakeology" and "advocare."  

Now I'm not knocking any of these things.  I'm sure they work.  I've seen results people post.  I hear people talk about eating quinoa (what IS quinoa?!).  I've been asked if I want to buy the cleanses and the shakes.

While it all sounds tempting to jump on the latest fitness buzz....my answer is no.  No, thank you.

Clean eating is fantastic, and amazing, and great for the body.  But asking me to jump on board something like that is like asking Walt Disney to walk away from Disneyland and close the doors.  

It just ain't gonna happen.

While I would love to get on here and tell the world that I cooked lettuce wrapped ____ with a side of freshly picked _____ ....the truth is, I'm just trying to be strong enough to say no to Wendy's that just opened down the street from me.

You see, jumping in 500% is great for some, but for me...I can't tackle that when I'm still fighting the urge to eat out.  Because of that, MY version of clean eating consists of eating at home.  It doesn't have to be clean...in fact, it can even be processed and cooked in a microwave.  It's called baby steps! And there is a progression to getting healthier.  You take one step, and when that becomes mastered, you take another.  

Am I saying that I will never try quinoa, or a paleo based diet?  No.  I don't know what the future holds.  

All I'm saying is that for me, and my lifestyle, I'm not prepared to get hung up on the fact that I allow myself or my children processed food.  Our baby step is that we are eating at home more.  I am planning meals, and actually MAKING them!  That is a ton healthier than the fast food we've been used to.

So if you're like me, and you get overwhelmed with all the buzz words of the health industry right now....take a breath!  This can be done without being a "clean eater" or without eating only organic fruit.  And this can be done without adding any cleanses or shakes.  I've done it before, and I'm doing it now.  It comes down to making smarter choices.  For instance:  gee, I'd like to eat ice cream...but I know I can't trust myself with the scooping from the carton.  So, the choice of buying pre-packaged Smart Ones desserts works for me.  It cures the sweet tooth, but doesn't allow me to dive in head first uncontrollably.  

Figure out what works for YOU!  Make the baby steps, it's those steps that add up...