Stop Eating Junk & Feel Better

You walk into the break room & there it is: cookies & pizza. A “Thank You” gift from some well meaning soul. The struggle is real. How in the heck are you suppose to stop eating junk when it’s everywhere you turn? 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful & happy because I know there’s great intention behind it.  But I know that I feel like crap when I eat this. This is my body signaling to me “Hey, I don’t like this! This isn’t the fuel I need..” Do you get that same feeling?

Ways To Stop Eating Junk

When you avoid the junk food left in the break room, you’ll feel more energized, be more productive, & better able to focus at work. There won’t be a sugar crash or you mentally beating yourself up after the fact that you kept going back for a few more pieces of candy. 

1. Don’t eat at your desk/workplace

Now, nurses everywhere know most of us *aren’t* suppose to eat at the nurse’s station depending on your workplace. But when you don’t have a chance to pee, you’re probably grabbin’ something to eat at the computer while you chart. Or maybe you’re a teacher and you’re forced to stay at your desk to eat because of lunch room restrictions. 

You know it’s easy to say to get up and eat elsewhere, but if you absolutely can’t, be sure to not chart, grade papers, or stare at your phone while you eat. This can lead you to over eat or eat too quickly, which makes it harder for your body to digest food. It can also lead you to feeling more stressed as you aren’t able to pull away from work, which can cause digestive issues & binge eating in itself.

2. Eat a healthy, yet filling, breakfast

If you walk into work without eating breakfast, you’re more likely to grab the donuts or bagels you see when you walk in the door. Also, remember, breakfast is called breakfast for a reason. You’re breaking your “fast” from the night. If you’re too busy to create filling healthy meals each morning, take the time to prep your food. Your body & mind will thank you late.

Some ideas clients in the past have done are:

• froze smoothie ingredients (berries, spinach, etc) then added a protein powder & plant based milk before walking out the door
• made veggie & egg burritos, frozen them, then zapped them at the microwave at work
• made homemade granola with nuts and added it to frozen fruit and yogurt
• bought sprouted grain english muffins, topped with hummus, sliced avocado, & veggies, then ate it at work (one of my favorites!)

3. Drink water 

Start your morning with filtered water. Throughout the day, set alarms or mark a water bottle on how much water you need to drink by certain points in the day. If we get too dehydrated, sometimes our body thinks “well, maybe I’m hungry” so you get the hunger cues instead.

And those extra bathroom trips? They’re REALLY good for your urinary tract and kidneys. It’s helping flush out toxins and bacteria. This is one of those things where you’ve gotta take care of yourself so you can best take care of those around you too!

4. Know What Can Make You Give In

Don’t get me wrong, havin’ the occasional sweet treat is normal. But I know many people have talked to me about how they “the fun don’t stop” when it comes to junk. They eat one salty potato chip which leads to two, then three, etc.

Or maybe you’re become accustomed to walking to the coffee stand with your co-workers for an after lunch sugar laden frappe. Maybe you start going, but you just buy black coffee or none at all. See if any of your friends want to also ditch the habit and go for a walk instead. It can be hard to break a habit, but if you keep up with it for about 3 months, you can see your new habits forming! 

5. Pack Healthy Snacks

Or if it’s a pot luck, be the one to bring the veggies. I’m that person, I won’t even lie. This way, when you’re tempted by the junk, you have something you know won’t make you feel like poo. In fact, once you start eating healthier food, you’ll realize your body craves it. We often have hummus in our fridge because we love dipping crunchy veggies into it. Magical things happen when you try new things and you may surprise yourself! 

No one said it’ll be easy to stop eating junk, but it’ll most certainly be worth it. 

Keep these tips in mind and I promise you’ll start feeling better. It won’t happen overnight and inaction definitely won’t make anything happen. But if you put the work in, you’ll start to notice how great you’re meant to feel. 

Ready for a free, no strings attached coaching call to empower yourself to take back your health? E-mail me at holisticnursemomma (at) gmail.com so we can get you on your way to health. Or, hop over and request a time here.

 

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