So you wan't to be a resolution master?

So you're thinking of, or setting a new years resolution. Since this is a (majority) a health blog, I'm going to go over a few things health related resolutions and how to approach them.

DON'T MAKE THESE RESOLUTIONS:

I want to give up bad foods.

I want to exercise more.

I would like to be X weight.

I'll try to give up smoking.

I want to be more successful.

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DO MAKE THESE RESOLUTIONS:

I will be more healthy by next new years.

I will fit in X item of clothing again.

I will quit smoking.

I will quit alcohol.

I will build the body I want.

I will achieve X goal.

*Notice the will , thisis because the words "Want" "Try" and "going to" are all approaching words not doing words. Telling yourself you WILL do something is more likley to result in positive subconscious approval over I'LL TRY, or I WANT.

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I want to be X weight by X date.

So you have an idea what weight you want to be, and while in most cases weighing less would indicate a healthy person this is not entirely true.

The real question isn't being X weight, it's rather "I want to be a lot more healthy by X date".
WARNING:
When setting any variables (dates, weight, size, anything that is reliant on a time frame) you HAVE to be realistic, most people fail this aspect I'll give an example:

"I want to lose 2 stones (28 lbs) in 2 months"

This is very unachievable without putting your health at serious risk, and since your health should come first. You will fail this goal, get disheartened and likely quit. However:

"I want to fit into X item of clothing again before summer."

This kind of goal is a lot better, even if to fit in said clothing you'd need to lose 2 stone (28 lbs), its not a giant number any more  its an item of clothing, something tangible. And also losing 2 stone within 6 months is doable at a healthy rate.

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SUMMERY:

Make resolutions:

• Precise and not vague.
• Achievable.
• Beneficial.
• Tangible (something real to you, something you can image how you'd feel if you achieved it)
• You would break your back (metaphorically speaking) to maintain, DO NOT even a little bit go back on what you set out to do.
• MOST IMPORTANTLY, because YOU want to do it, DO NOT do resolutions with friends under the illusion of support, the foundation has to be because you actually want to do this regardless of friends doing the same thing.

So you want to be healthy / lose weight / build muscle / tone / become fitter / become more attractive (yes).

Well the bad news is, no matter what you're goal is you can only BENEFIT a great deal by changing your diet.

Good news is that this is no where near as bad as people and the media make out, take it from me, I'm a hugely fussy eater.

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Little side note: while studies show the body only absorbs so much vitamin content from foods, you do still absorb an amount. I highly recommend taking Vitamin B12. It's a vitamin that increases serotonin output which is responsible for making us feel happy. Feeling happy is always a bonus when you do anything. 

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Do you suffer from heartburn or indigestion?

Well I used to, it's actually really easy to fix, eat less red meat (nobody is banning you, just limit your intake) and avoid meats that have been processed too much, more processing = more heartburn from the fatty stabilisers they add to processed foods (helps increase its shelf life).

My personal tip, always buy raw ingredients and cook from scratch, its not hard to learn a few recipes, if you buy batches of food and make large amounts to freeze and eat later or things that you can store in your fridge and eat over the space of a few days, you'll find yourself rapidly saving money.

AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE:

Processed ready meals.
Why:
They have high saturated fats and salt contents, the meat is heavily processed and the vegetables lacking in nutrition.

Low % pork sausages (I always aim for over 70% pork, you can look on the pack to see).
Why:
The rest of that % is the bad stuff, cartilage, tendons, guts, connective tissue, bits from the head and other parts of the pig. This stuff is lacking in nutrition and not great for you.

Non free range / organic chicken or eggs. (I know that it costs more for them)
Why:
Caged chickens have a terrible life, you must not ever forget to be thankful for the life you consume, and I just think if a chicken has to die for me it should at least have a life with dignity, not injected and modified and not feed altered food to make it grow abnormally fast. Chicken might be a great food source but it is also a living creature. Plus remember all the growth hormones and modifiers get absorbed by the animal and passed into the meat in one form or another.

Fast food:
Why:
Fast food has little nutritional value and is generally bad for you, sometimes its a nice treat but that is how it should be viewed, and if I'm honest, after having a prolonged period of not eating fast food or heavily carbonated drinks I actually realised just how disgusting and how unnatural they tasted.

Cheese:
Why:
This is a hard one for me, I love cheese and do have it now and then as treat. The problem is that it is mostly fat and a high percentage of it saturates, only one cheese is really good for you and that's cottage cheese, it has a high protein content and is great for people working out.

Carbonated (Fizzy) Drinks:
Why:
Carbonated drinks have a huge sugar content, this can help cause diabetes and will aid to terrible dental health. They offer very little actual hydration, and as for diet drinks, they have sweeteners in which are actually carcinogenic (indirect cancer causing chemicals).

HIGH SATURATED FAT FOODS:
Why:
High sat fat foods are very hard to digest, in my experiences you should't really eat anything that contains over 5grams of sat fat. Some foods will surprise you very much! I once bought a kids lunch box kit (came with cheese and ham slices and crackers) and it was over 10 grams of sat fat!! ALWAYS CHECK THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FOODS YOU EAT!

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Next update I'm going to show you cost effective ways to buy raw ingredients and make healthy, good food that will help boost you in what you do.

I'm basically going to formulate recipes and foods that match the common goals people have!

On the next exciting episode of KIKOJUI EVOLUTION SAGA!!

"P o w e r  U p  M e a l s"
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Peace you beautiful, beautiful readers.