I’m so excited! Welcome to day 1 of my new ongoing series: Your Whole Life. I will be posting regular tips and ideas to help you live a whole healthy lifestyle that makes real sense. My goal is to help you get past some of your barriers with easy to manage and digestible tips and insights. No preaching here- just simple doable ideas that you can fit into your busy life.
Let’s start with #1-
This first tip has been a blessing for me. I am one of those people who gets excited and inspired by beautiful fruits when I’m at the market. I’ll load up my basket and very proudly unpack them at home and stash them away. But then a terrible thing happens. I get hungry. I have no problem grabbing a banana or apple, but fruits that need washing or trimming have a tendency to stick around too long- and sometimes end up in my smoothie bin rather than being eaten fresh. Am I alone here?
The Barrier: “But I want to eat something NOW”
The reason for this occurrence for me is simple, it’s a barrier I like to call, “But I want to eat something NOW”. During the course of my day I sit at my desk for long stints at a time. It’s usually not until I am dying of thirst or hunger that I get up and head down for a refreshment. Because I have been thinking and using my brain so hard I don’t want to have to tackle another task in order to get my treat. My excited self yesterday when I bought the fruit had no problem taking the few minutes to cut up and wash the fruit- but my fatigued brain today says…. uh.. I’ll have a few nuts instead…
[bctt tweet=”..it’s a barrier called, “But I want to eat something NOW””]
The Solution: Ride the Excitement Wave
When I first bring fruits home from the market I capitalize on their fresh best. Yeah I might be a little blasted after shopping, but if I think back on how I got my juices flowing at the market, a few extra steps at the sink can set me up for success. When I was at the market I could visualize and even “taste” how delicious the fruit would be, so I ride that memory wave and that inspires me to prepare the fruit to enjoy at whim.
Creating a New Habit
It can take a little effort at first to get the ball going, but I’ve created a new trigger = habit for myself. My trigger is unpacking the groceries, the habit is preparing the fruits. What spurs me on is the reward to easy access to my delicious juicy fruit + the feeling of satisfaction and order in my kitchen. Try it for a few weeks and see if you don’t catch that wave too.
A Few Suggestions for Success
I have two little suggestions for you. The first is I don’t buy more than 1 or 2 types of fruit that need preparation. I try to keep my prepping to a reasonable level so I don’t overwhelm myself which can lead to feeling of dread. Now I buy the best fruits I can find in limited quantities, and vioila!, it gets eaten. The second suggestion is to keep any cut fruit in a clear container front and center in the fridge. I put mine is a simple elegant bowl and just slip a bread plate on top of it. It’s pretty to look at and easy to access. That gorgeous eye candy gets me every time!
I hope you have found this helpful. What are your ideas for success with your fresh fruit?
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