Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love food that makes noise when I eat it. I love crunchy food! Nothing is better than chips! I also am a finger-licker. I savor my foods by licking all the goodness left behind. So, Cheetos are naturally a perfect combination for me. I do not want to be a Cheeto though.

What we put into our bodies is what we will get back or get out of our bodies. Putting Cheetos and other “food products” in will eventually result in a body that is nutrient deficient, fat, and sick. Food products in my definition is anything in a box, bag, or can that did not have a mother, did not fall from a tree, or was not pulled from the ground. Food products are man-made food like products that people 200 years ago would not recognize as food. If we want to get the best results from our bodies, good health, and longevity we must put in real whole foods. Foods that have a minimal number of ingredients and are not far from its originally grown state are the best options.

The human body is an extraordinary thing, even when we abuse it to the point of illnesses we can provide it with highly nutrient-dense real foods and our bodies will heal itself. We need to provide our bodies with inputs that it will recognize and know how to utilize. Our quality of life is dependent on how good or bad we feel from day to day. If you are feeling bad, make a choice to make a change.

I realize that change can be daunting. Some people make change by using small steps in the right direction and some people by going all-in; regardless of how you like to make change happen in your life the key is to start. Do not let fear hold you back, let fear drive you towards the change you want.

We all can do better than we did yesterday. Remind yourself each day – ‘it’s your health’. The choice is yours. Are you going to choose to be a Cheeto??

I bought a Psychology Today magazine a while back, it is from June 2014. I bought it because I was wanting change in my career. The front cover reads “Reinvent Yourself: How to Plan Your Next Act”, how appealing is that!? It is now October and my life has undergone a tremendous amount of change. I have completed my Bachelor’s degree, gotten married, moved homes in a new area, and switched companies. This is not what I had in mind when I purchased the magazine. I was wanting and dreaming of a new career doing something that I am passionate about and can make a difference with. I am quite passionate about nutrition, health, and longevity. I want to make that my real life’s work. I have been thinking about it, but too busy making my life happen from day-to-day to actually do anything about it. I was listening to a pod cast, as I very often do, and got inspired to look into a mini-first step in the direction I want to go. I saw the magazine sitting there…….I picked up the magazine today and started to read….here are some of the nuggets of gold I picked up….

“You have to give yourself enough time to actually accomplish your goal,” he says. He being Art Markman who is a professor at the University of Texas in Austin, TX. If you don’t have long-terms goals, Markman warns, you run the risk of doing lots of little things every day – cleaning the house, sending emails, catching up on TV – without ever making a contribution to your future. That can leave you feeling restless and unfulfilled (pg. 57-58).

Markman suggests that we ask ourselves “What will I regret not having done?” and then working our way backward to avoid that end (pg.58). Makes perfect since to me. I have done this for years, just not in this context. That is why I like pictures of the food I am cooking from a recipe. We must know where we want to go in order to get there, right?!

“The experts in reinvention say we need to find concordance between what really matters to us and the goals we chase” (pg. 58).

Being realistic in our dreams and pursuits is important though. It is ok to dream big, but setting realistic goals along the way to accomplish the ultimate dream will determine if you make it there or not. Doing this tends to also steer your dreams into different directions along the way as well.

Very rarely in our lives are we handed things we actually want. Nothing beats out hard work, perseverance, persistence, and consistency! Nothing! Being realistic and with proper planning and these traits I dare say that an individual could achieve any goal…eventually.

The article goes on to suggest that we should seek out those who already have achieved what we want and learn as much as we can from them (pg. 60). Learn from their mistakes. Also, I think it important to learn from our own as well…and not to look at set-backs as “failure” or to look at our failures as nothing more than learning experiences that get us one step closer to our goal. Focus is also key. Do not lose sight of the end objective, the light at the end of the tunnel, the reward when you get there…wherever there might be. Remember to celebrate each achievement, milestone, and short-term goals along the way; they are not insignificant because the big goal has not been achieved yet.

The one thing that I do know for sure, is that if you do not start taking steps in the direction you want to go you will never get there.

I know what my first steps are going to be to take me one step closer to the career I want. What steps will you take towards the future you desire?