My Personal Journey to a Healthier Lifestyle

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mypeople    

 

When I make up my mind to do something, I pretty much always get it done. When it’s something more long term and even life changing, or life style changing, it takes more time. More thought. More conscious action. My journey to a healthy, balanced lifestyle was a long one and I can finally say I’m in a good place now.    

 

When I was a kid growing up, my parents did the best they could as far as teaching us to eat healthy. They both worked full-time and ran their own businesses so they were often home late. When we were little, we had a live-in babysitter who cooked dinner for us. I don’t remember much about what she made for us but it was probably lots of quick meals, TV dinners, Kraft macaroni and cheese, and chicken nuggets. We also always seemed to have a wide variety of ice cream and cookies in the house and shortly after returning home from school, I would always have a big container of peanut butter in hand, with a big spoon in the other. I feel like the only time we ate somewhat healthy was when my parents cooked us Korean food.    

 

So, needless to say, growing up I knew my four basic food groups but was probably only eating from two of them. This somewhat unhealthy eating lifestyle continued through my first year of college, where, let’s be honest, you’re living on a very small budget and are just getting by. I wasn’t eating cup of noodles or instant ramen everyday but I was frequenting the calzone and pizza cart on campus a bit too much. I finally said enough is enough and started trying to exercise on a regular basis and it really wasn’t until I had graduated and was living on my own in San Francisco that I finally started being smarter about the way I grocery shopped, what I ate, how often I exercised and just had a healthier outlook on everything.   

 

And now that I’m a mother and have two young and impressionable girls, I am constantly trying to educate them on the importance of eating right. Eating a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and to take care of themselves. I am a big believer that parents need to teach their children the importance of a healthy lifestyle and eating habits by example.    

 

If they don’t see us do it, they won’t do it. As a family, we also try to stay as active as possible. And now that summer is almost here and school will be out soon, we’ll be frequenting the pool and riding bikes and getting outdoors as much as possible.    

 

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As a food blogger, I am constantly thinking of and cooking food. I also have to taste everything and sometimes re-make things 2 or 3 times. This makes for a lot of food and sweet treats in the house. I try to give away as much as I can, I freeze a lot and thank goodness I enjoy leftovers! Another way I stay heathy is by getting lots of exercise. I try to exercise at least 3-4 times a week. There are definitely times I would rather not go for a run, but for the most part, I love it. It’s my alone time. It’s when I can let go of everything and just run. And I always feel great afterwards.   

 

So, exercise plus eating healthy and watching my portion intake has helped me get to where I am happy, enjoying life and am still able to eat the foods that I love.      

 

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And even though my kids eat pretty healthy (with sweet treats mixed in), I still make sure they take their daily vitamins. They are still young and sometimes don’t eat as much as I would like during mealtime. By giving them their daily vitamins, I can rest assured that they are getting the vitamins they need until they are old and wise enough to get their vitamins and minerals purely from the foods they eat.    

 

We keep mealtime fun by keeping it colorful with fruits and veggies, serving food to the kids on their favorite pink trays (for some reason, my kids love it when their food is in its own little compartment or section on the plate) and the way I cut certain fruits and vegetables helps a lot too!!  

 

You’d be surprised at how cutting a vegetable in a fun and different way makes it more exciting to eat. Try it! And now that they are getting older, they help a lot more in the kitchen and I think this helps tremendously. When kids feel a sense of ownership and they have contributed something to the dinner table, they become more excited come mealtime.    

 

buying corn husking corn  

 

I leave our vitamins in a little basket in the pantry, along with my vitamins and my husband’s, and on the days that I forget to take them out during breakfast, my daughters always remind me, “We need to take our vitamins!”  And while living in Washington, we all started taking more vitamin D so that has kind of stuck with us too.    

 

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Comments

  4. The Vegan 8 says

    I completely agree with you, kids will eat what we eat Alice and get excited about what we get excited about! I’m happy that my little Olivia loves to eat bell peppers and broccoli almost over anything else. She, of course, loves chocolate too, but I limit how often I give it to her. I also, like you, am making and baking so much that I’d blow up if I ate everything that I test recipes for, so I’m always giving away batches of treats to my friends who have multiple kids and having my taste testers have at it! 🙂

    Reply

  6. Terri David says

    I like reading about how people come to living a healthier lifestyle. I cringe when I see what so many people eat.

    Reply

  15. Nicole Dz says

    We participate in outdoor activities, such as sports as a family. We also maintain a healthy diet, and prepare all our meals at home. We barely order out.

    Reply

  17. Crystal Conway says

    I live in Washington as well and to keep active this summer my boyfriend and I have decided to do some small hikes in as many different parks/trails as possible.

    Reply

  19. Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says

    This is such an important post. I too have struggled with making a lifestyle change. It is especially hard since I am baking pies and cakes all the time. But smaller steps like exercising more, taking vitamins and eating more fruits and vegetables during the week and not relying on fast food or quick unhealthy foods just because I am lacking time would definitely help. Thanks for posting this and making me think about this even more.

    Reply

  22. Julie Wood says

    My strategy is to stay out of fast food places and eat healthy whole grain products and eat veges and fruits with lean meats!! Also drink plenty of water!

    Reply

  29. Madeline says

    I try to keep lots of fresh fruit and veggies around to maintain a healthy balanced diet. And make myself drink lots of water!

    Reply

  31. laurasmess says

    You are so right Alice, it’s so important to set an example for the next generation. Luckily, my mother was/is a nurse and she raised me with a good knowledge of nutrition and how to look after my body. It’s funny actually, as I think I’ve eaten so well that I feel physically sick if I eat things that aren’t good for me. A friend of mine made packet-mix burritos a couple of weekends ago and I got up overnight with an upset stomach a few times. Not that I’m absolutely pedantic or don’t eat preprepared things but I just try to make sure that the bulk of what I eat is good, homecooked food – with balance (a few sweet treats and indulgences every now and then!). Aw, I LOVE the pictures of your girls right here – that picture you shared on Insta is adorable (lil’ racer girl!) and I loved it just as much when seeing it here. Thanks for sharing your personal health journey with us. I loved every word xx

    Reply

  36. Crystal Evans says

    We eat a whole food diet trying to use as many local ingredients as possible. I will admit exercising regularly has been difficult for me. I used to work long days on my feet and rode my bike to work, which kept me at a healthy weight. Now I am a full time mom, it’s more difficult to put me first and make exercising part of my routine.

    Reply

  38. Linda says

    Alice,

    You truly inspire me to live a healthier life, by cooking more, watching what I eat, exercising and taking my daily supplements. I love reading your blogs and your yummy recipes. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Linda

    Reply

  42. Susan Smith says

    My strategy is to stay out of fast food places , eat healthy meals with fruits and vegetables, take a multivitamin daily and get daily exercise.

    Reply

  45. Jessie C. says

    We stay active, enjoy working out together; and our small organic garden helps kids to enjoy vegetables.
    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

    Reply

  49. D Schmidt says

    We try to maintain a healthy lifestyle by drinking lots of water, taking regular exercise and being careful about what we eat. We also include multi vitamins of course 🙂

    Reply

  52. Leigh Anne Borders says

    Keep water and fruits always with me so I can snack healthy when needed. Always pack a pair of tennis shoes for walking.

    Reply

  54. Kathleen says

    My strategy is to be mindful when I’m eating and take the time to appreciate the flavor and texture of everything that goes in my mouth. This keeps me happy, which in turn keeps me healthy!

    Reply

  55. cristeanuh says

    My strategy is to always try to cook at home at least 5 days out of the week if not more. I always make sure to pack the house full of fresh veggies and fruits. I stay away from fast food. I always check the filters in the house for the water to ensure that everyone gets nice, clean and refreshing water

    Reply

  58. Samantha says

    I eat mostly veggies with other food groups in moderation, practice portion control (not too much, but also not too little, which took me a long time to figure out), and rarely eat processed foods. exercise 5-6 times a week, both cardio and muscle-building exercises, usually on different days. I also have to walk the dogs twice a day, which helps too. And I make sure to give myslf treats sometimes so I don’t go crazy with cravings.

    Reply

  61. Naomi Renbarger says

    My strategy is to not have unhealthy things in my home… sounds simple, but even if a friend brings us over some yummy treats I have my husband take it to work the next day. Out of sight out of mind!

    Reply

  69. Gina M says

    We drink lots of water and exercise daily.

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    wildorchid985 at gmail dot com

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  71. shelly peterson says

    we eat more fruit, veggies, healthy snacks and drink lots of water.

    cshell090869 at aol dot com

    Reply

  73. LAmusing says

    I make sure we eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies! And yogurt a few times a week for a good dose of potassium and calcium.

    Reply

  82. Connie | URBAN BAKES says

    I love reading about your Life posts.
    Just like you, I try to stay healthy by exercising 3-4 times a week. I try to make working out fun by swimming or kick boxing (although Wes and I bicker while he trains me because he’s so serious about my technicality), I just like to hit the mits/bag and just have fun with it and not make it so taxing. Other than that, I try consume foods in moderation (try in the key word here). My bad half sometimes takes the best of me. But this is how I try staying healthy. Oh! And a fruit a day! 🙂

    Reply

  90. Dandi D says

    I like to make sure we get plenty of leafy greens and lean proteins at meals, and we take a walk every night.

    Reply

  92. Betty C says

    I’m afraid I don’t eat as well as I should. When I had family at home I enjoyed cooking for them. Now that I’m alone cooking is just something that I have to do and I admit I don’t do it as often as I should. I will, however, make a complete meal on frozen vegetables that I microwave 🙂

    Reply

  94. saminder gumer says

    my strategy to stay healthy is to work out regularly and cut out meat and dairy from my diet. it has been going well for me and i am trying to stick by it.

    Reply

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