Systematizing your mealtime routine should create more freedom in your life, not less.
Yet it's so common to experience feelings of overwhelming restriction when someone begins eating By Design.
It's easy to focus on all the foods you're "not allowed" to eat; grains, legumes, vegetable and seed oils, refined sugar and low fat dairy… and not on the abundance of whole foods you are adding in to your diet; vegetables, healthy fats, pastured meat, wild fish, free range eggs, fruit, nuts and seeds.
So how can you get over of this feeling of restriction?
Start by adding rules.
Instead of being unclear on what your most important goals are, instead of being uncertain on what changes you need to make to get there, instead of remaining uncommitted to making consistent lifestyle changes… instead, try adding rules to your life.
"Rules don’t limit your freedom, they are the gateway to it. They are your way of guiding the energy you have towards your goals. They are like pre-decided answers to many of life’s important questions—when “that” happens, do “this.” Yes, they are boundaries, but they are the boundaries created by you to keep your energy from leaking in every direction." - Michael Stanwyck
The rules that you create in your life are intended to create more freedom, not limit it, because they allow you to remain focused and committed on working towards the things that are most important to you. There's no time to worry about what's for dinner, whether you're going to the gym tomorrow or if you should call it a day with a glass of wine when you've created rules for yourself. Your days become more predictable, simple and fun.
So where do you start?
Start with the end in mind. What changes do you want to see in your health? What would you be fuelling your body with if you had all the time, energy and money in the world? If you had seven extra hours a week, what would you spend them doing? Is there any aspect of your life that could be better?
Once you have an idea of where you want to go, chunk your five-year vision down to a one-year vision, then into goals and then into tasks. Next create rules in your life to allow you to remain focused and committed to working towards your most important tasks.
These rules need to be your rules, not mine. They need to be specific to your busy lifestyle and priorities. But to help get your gears turning here are four rules that I have implemented that have helped created an incredible amount of freedom to my life.
- Ritualize a food prep day. Want to know how I've added an extra seven hours to my week? I've ritualized a food prep day. On Sunday I create my family's weekly menu plan and grocery shop. On Monday I spend a few hours prepping all our food for the week. This takes the guesswork out of dinnertime, but has also cut down on my cook and clean up time significantly. I allow my food prep day to be rescheduled to a different day that week, but it's non negotiable to enter my week blindly with an empty fridge and no plan.
- Turn electronics off one hour before bed. You know what happens when you turn all electronics off an hour before you go to sleep? You gain an hour doing something you absolutely love. Having a great conversation with your husband. Reading to your kids. Journaling. Planning your day for tomorrow. Working on that next big idea for your business. When you get off Facebook before bed, expect better sleep and more energy the next day.
- Develop one new habit every twenty-one days. Habits can be difficult to break… but not impossible. And definitely realistic to break if you stick with it for at least twenty-one days. Maybe you want to kick your coffee addiction, do yoga daily, read more, take your essential supplements, spend more time in nature, wake up at 5:00 a.m., listen to podcasts or play with your family more. Whatever new habit you want to develop, make it a rule and commit to it for twenty-one days and then reevaluate at the end if it's something you want to stick with.
- Say no to dessert when I'm with my in-laws. There's no shortage of sweets when I'm with them. And I will admit… they always look delicious. But I know the damage they do to my body and I remember how bad they make me feel… but I also want to be a good health role model in front of them. So my rule is to always say no. Does that mean that I don't indulge in off track food? Of course not! But I bring a homemade grain-free alternative with me instead. I know that it is not ideal and doesn't move me towards health, but that it is less damaging than it's high fructose corn syrup counterpart.
Now it's your turn to create your rules that fit your busy lifestyle, priorities and goals.
For more simple By Design recipes why not pick up your copy of the Eat By Design Cookbook. I’ve created it in the form of a 28-day meal plan (plus grocery lists!) so you don’t need to think about what’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner for the next month. Or you can grab the first 7 days FREE by clicking here.