From Ice Cream to Green Beans and Brussels Sprouts!

WellnessWednesday

From Ice Cream to Green Beans and Brussels Sprouts!

By Donna Martelli (Fitness Trainer)

 

Last week I had green beans for an evening snack; last night I had Brussels sprouts.  I chuckled as I thought about a typical evening snack in the 80’s and 90’s – a bowl of ice cream, sometimes with various incredibly rich toppings.  True, I weighed 25 lbs more back then and was concerned about the continual expansion between my waist and my knees.  I did exercise and was somewhat physically fit – but…oh, the ice cream!

How Things Have Changed

Education started it – learning about the extra calories and sugar and how they were affecting my body.  Often I could not sleep because of the late night sugar onslaught.   Then the next day, I would try to wake up with lots of coffee.  The ultimate motivator to change things was not feeling well and getting sick too much.  I also had a stressful life and developed Fibromyalgia.

So, What Happened? 

Just like everyone else, I wanted to feel good!  So, I tried to eat more fruits and vegetables (it always comes down to this, doesn’t it)!  And I started taking a multi vitamin.  Better?  A little.  I still had to deal with the rest of my diet which was similar to the average Americans.  I never really liked fast food (except Taco Bell),  so that wasn’t a major problem.  I just ate what I was trained to eat – eggs and bacon or cereal for breakfast, a sandwich or salad (with lots of goodies) for lunch, and  meat, potatoes, vegetables and dessert…plus the ever present bowl of ice cream at bedtime.  No wonder I was carrying around that extra 25 lbs and gaining more.

Considering the options, I remembered my diet as a dancer: fruit and cottage cheese, yogurt, tea and coffee, meat twice a year or so – not so great for being healthy but effective for keeping weight down – especially with all of the strenuous dancing I was doing at the time.

OK, Back to the Future

I’ve studied and learned, listened to my body, and trained it to like the right things.  Am I perfect – emphatically, NO!  But I no longer carry that extra 25 lbs; my diet is full of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and a small portion of lean meat every day or every other day.  I drink plenty of water and take the right vitamins and supplements recommended by my doctor.  A bite of dark chocolate in the morning zaps my desire for sugar and gives me some great antioxidants.

One More Change for the Better

One habit I got into through socializing and trying to medicate physical pain was drinking wine in the evening.  It was a great sleep aid but became too important to me.  It was great fun but it sharply cut into my creativity and leached my energy; not to mention, I felt sleepy and shaky most days.  A minor health scare and a strong word from my doctor convinced me that this was NOT  the answer. Excessive alcohol use has been linked to breast cancer and osteoporosis!!  That is certainly not the path I am taking!

So, another turn for the better…and, I think it’s time for my evening bowl of…Brussels sprouts!  Yum!

Photo by Make it yours