Change and Challenges

Have you ever set yourself a goal that really challenges you? The month of January starting Jan. 1st I challenged myself to go without sugar for the entire month. Sugar was something I'd been reading and researching a lot about and had been wanting to cut back on for awhile. So it was a month of change and challenge for me. I do love chocolate and my husband has a big sweet tooth as well so he was often eating his treats while I ate a piece of fruit or nibbled on a few dates.  Now by not eating sugar for this time, I mean I had no desserts, no chocolate not even a mint during the month. I did not eliminate what is called hidden sugars, sugars that are found in things like maple syrup which I only had a couple of tablespoons of but I don't eat a lot of prepackaged or processed food anyway so this wasn't too big of an issue for me. 

I really only experienced a handful of days where I had strong cravings for chocolate but I did not cave in and powered through. I found if I changed up my routines and did things a little differently I could avoid thinking about what I was missing. 

As I wrote about the addiction to sugar in my last post this is kind of a continuation to let you know I survived the month. I found doing this really lets you take a step back and think about what you are feeding your body on a daily bases, I really consider now my choices for what I want to put in my body. I am eating way more fruit, nuts and seeds now in place of the sweets. Now that I know that I can handle leaving many of the sugar things out of my diet I feel so much better.  My gym workouts are better, I have more energy throughout my day.  It was a great challenge and I encourage you to give it a try if you want to boost your health and create a healthier lifestyle for yourself. 

List of Healthy Snacks to Replace Sweet Ones

- cut up fruit like apples, pineapple (my favorite) cantaloupe or whatever you like
- 1/4 cup of peanuts or walnuts
- pumpkin seeds
- 4 or 5 naturally sweetened dates
- a 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt, add your own fruit like blueberries or strawberries
- 1/4 cup of cooked oatmeal 

I hope this inspires you and challenges you to make a change in your own life. It can be whatever works for you.