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I can't think of another example where doing one thing better has such a profound, comprehensive and important effect on our lives.
Eating better is not only that "one thing" that improves everything. It is also immediate. It's not expensive. It's not difficult. It's not something we have to learn how to do, or practice. It really is as simple as "eat better and your life will change". I also try not to be dramatic when I talk about health and exercise etc, but I really do feel this way about eating better.
The strange thing is it's also not exactly one of those big revelations. One of those ground-breaking "oh my goodness" moments where we discover something we didn't already know. We ALL know bad food is, well, bad for you. We know the rules.. eat rubbish food every day and you put on weight and become unhealthy. But we still all do it. Often every day. Worse still, I happen to believe that eating sweets, fast food, junk, processed foods etc is now such regular behaviour for lots of us that it normalises it for our children, saying "hey kids, this is regular food.. nothing to worry about here". That's a whole separate conversation for another post (and also only an opinion - I've no data to support that.. yet).
So, I suspect that whole question of "what exactly gets better when I eat better" probably doesn't need a scientifically comprehensive answer, so I'll sum it up...
Your physical health will improve, as will your mental health. Your blood sugar will be more stable, helping to prevent cravings and binges. You'll lose, then manage, your weight because you're consuming fewer calories. Your macros and micros will be balanced and probably within naturally healthy boundaries without even trying. You'll sleep better, feel better and have more energy to tackle every day stuff like the hero you are. You'll also have better skin, hair and other smaller stuff, but which we shouldn't ignore. Finally, when your friends start saying "oh my, you look great" your confidence will shoot through the roof and you'll make it way harder to slump back into your old routine. That's pretty cool.
Having hopefully convinced you that eating better should be rather higher up your "life's priority list" than it is at the moment I obviously need to deal with the handful of challenges you could make. However, that will make for an uncomfortably long post, when all I really want to do is make you sit up and say "he's right.. this is really important and I need to make this happen".
With this in mind, give it some serious consideration. Even if you only make a few minor tweaks you'll have made some improvements which provide properly important benefits. You'll notice those improvements and it will make you keen to learn more and keep improving.
If you eat badly too often you're missing out on so much good stuff. Give it your all, be brave with your changes and enjoy the immediate fruits of your labour.
I wrote this post for "The Hub", my online weight loss community. Come on over and see what it's all about. Thanks, Dan Morgan - General Manager, Oakwood Sports Centre, Horley
