Bonjour, bonjour!
Trucking-along-Tuesday…
Mid-morning I had another lemon + ginger + H20 juice.
I have determined that my headaches this past week are probably related to female hormones instead of dehydration, but I figured another juice couldn’t hurt! ;)
I always feel better after a power drink of lemon and ginger! Ginger is good for the tummy and lemon is detoxifying.
Lunch was savoury avocado toast with tomato paste, an juicy, mouth-watering orange, and crunchy Mary’s Crackers:
Do you guys ever get a funky avocado? Sometimes, I get one and it FEELS ripe (i.e. squishy), but when I cut it, water drips out and it tastes flavourless. Hrmph!
My afternoon snack was a Golden Delicious apple with cashew butter- otherwise known as my favourite nut butter in the WORLD. Creamy and sweet, what is not to like?
I had a productive work day but I am no where near being close to caught up for tomorrow. The orders were just flooding in today due to the Adore Glo Bar sale and Mother’s Day coming up. I didn’t have time for a lunch workout, but Eric and I are going to go outside to exercise when he gets home!
I’m hoping we can do a brick workout– and this would be Eric’s first brick. Let me tell you though, he is not excited to run. It’s a shame really- he has these long, gazelle-type legs– you know, the kind of legs that were just MEANT to run? :mrgreen: I would kill for his legs. (Did I just type that?). I know in my heart that he could be an awesome runner, but of course he has to want to do it!
I will let him call the shots on the run- obviously he can stop when he wants and walk when he wants to! I don’t want to scare him off… ;)
Other plans for tonight include working on my website re-design and catching up on last night’s gossip girl. Here is a clue about my website redesign- I am getting rid of the horrid, horrid yellow! Blech. I have not liked the colour scheme after I changed it from that soothing blue (my long-time readers might remember!). I just never had the time to fix it, but I can tell you, I can’t wait for the new design.
Tonight’s questions: Have you ever been successful in motivating someone to make healthy lifestyle changes? What are your secrets? OR are you currently trying to encourage someone to make changes, but are not having much luck?
See you tomorrow morning for a reader request post on a problem with a jealous friend!
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{ 73 comments… read them below or add one }
i’m definitely encouraging my hubby to make healthier changes. the thing is he eats pretty well, but hates exercise unless it’s a game of basketball or something. i guess it’s better than nothing at all, but they’re so few and far between. any tips on encouraging him to WANT to workout?
Basketball is definitely a great workout! Just encourage him to do things that he likes to do, or ask him to do things with you :)
I invited my boyfriend to do one short race with me and he got bitten by the race bug! I didn’t push the topic the other 349854 times he said no though, I would just ask here and there and eventually one appealed to him. The same thing happened with my sister too actually, who is really FAST!
You’re going to find this funny….My husband is a pretty healthy man. He has always worked out and eaten decently balanced diet. The big problem? He NEVER would eat breakfast, and I’ve been trying to change that for YEARS. Well, after I found your website a couple of weeks ago I decided to try a Green Monster. He was curious, tried it….and now has one for breakfast every single day. In fact, he told me it was the best thing I had ever found on the internet!
OMG that totally made my day!! haha
I’m not sure that I motivate anyone directly, but I do notice that my coworkers comment on how healthy my lunches are, so maybe it’s rubbing off.
That juice looks great – I would love a juicer, but we don’t have the space in our kitchen!
I’m pretty sure I contributed to my parents making some changes in their diets. They’re eating a lot better now than they did!
I have been successful in motivating my husband to eat more vegetables and fruit. He used to believe every meal needed to have meat as it’s focus but he is much, much better now! And I motivate my 5-year-old by cooking her healthy meals but I guess she doesn’t really have a choice, does she? :)
My boyfriend is pretty healthy and fit but he mentioned recently that he was never as active as he is now because of me! That made me smile. It’s pretty true too…When we first started dating he said he hated hiking (I almost didn’t want to date him as a result–who hates hiking???). But I convinced him to go with me one time. He complained the whole time BUT he was bitten by the bug and loves hiking now. :)
I can happily say that I have been able to motivate many of my family members to change unhealthy behaviours, eating habits etc! I think the trick is to be encouraging and motivating as well as stressing that change does not have to be drastic, but remembering that even the smallest change is still change.
Eric – you can do it!
I think the best way to motivate is to lead by example and not to force things ‘down the throat’ of the people you’d like to see make healthier choices. In the end, they have to be the ones that want to change… If you can *show* them why other choices are working for you, they will probably start asking you questions… at that point, you can run with it w/o feeling like you’re forcing them to listen !
me and my boyfriend have motivated eachother equally along the way. My family is very stubborn but i am slowly working on them haha When I do my case studies for school, i’ll be doing my whole family so i’ll be able to better suggest things then!
What a lovely looking lunch – but yes – hate it when the avocado feels ripe but isnt!
Looking forward to seein the new website design :)
First of all, yea on the yucky avocado….sometimes that fruit is so unpredictable and unfortunately it’s hard to tell until you slice it open. How do some restaurants almost always have good avocados? I don’t get that.
As for motivating, ABSOLUTELY! My DH is one for sure that I believe in my heart that I’ve been a good influence on him. He like Eric, hates to run, retired Army…does that tell you…but he started walking avidly at least 2-3 days a week for almost a year now, with weights on his ankles, wrists and a backpack with 2-10 lb free weights. Plus, when I got into triathlon and cycling, I needed a training partner and he said he’d help me out. I talked him into doing a duathlon on his mountain bike and when he got passed by a bunch of well over 70 yr old men, he was like, “that’s it, I’ve got to get a road bike and beat these guys”….hmmmm a little bit of competitiveness I believe. I also talked him into doing a 65 miler one time and he said he’d do the 40 miler but when we got to the 40 mile turnaround, I said, “okay, see you at the finish”, cause I was doing the 65 miles and he was like, “oh no you don’t, I’m not gonna let a girl go 65 miles and me only 40″….from then on he was hooked on cycling. As for eating habits, well, he’s working on the healthy part. He does eat relatively healthy but like most of us, he has some vices that he refuses to give up and I have always tried not to push. I basically let him make the decision to make a change for the better. I do make goofy little comments like, “I sure hope I have a partner when I retire so we can travel and do things we can’t right now because we work”….teehee! :)
I’ve had a few friends that have attempted to have some of the same likes as me, but usually to no avail. They say I’m too active…LOL! Well duh…
Your eats all look delicious – I hate when that happens with avocados. I love cashew butter too – so great with apples!
It’s funny you’re talking about how to inspire people – I watched this video like 5 minutes ago about how good leaders inspire people: http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html
He talks about how MLK gave the “I Have a Dream” NOT the “I have a plan speech” – it’s important to first tell people why you do what you do, instead of what you do and then why you do it. That guy says it all way better than I do though :)
Thank you!!!
My bf used to run with me every weekend when we first got together, now he’s not into it at all. BUT! My bday is next month & he agreed to sign up for a race in Central Park with me. We registered last night; needless to say, Im excited!
My mom and sister starting hitting the gym regularly a few months ago, and I’d like to think it was partly due to me saying how great I felt for staying healthy (and setting a good example). BUT it could also be their fear of shorts-and-bikini weather, ha!
My husband’s legs are like that too! Long and lean and you can just tell he’d leave me in the dust if he took to running. He may just cave in soon–I had an awful experience with a very creepy guy while on my morning run and he is thisclose to running with me (or following me in the car, but I think he’ll get bored and end up running, too).
My bf didn’t really choose to eat healthy. I guess I kind of forced him into it. By forced I mean that I do all the cooking in the house and he had no choice. He’s only piped up about a few dishes that he really doesn’t like. Since he’s normally not picky at all, I’ve happily obliged when he’s made requests!
One of my proudest moments is when one of my clients got on the scale and reached her goal of losing 120lbs! That was amazing. I think being a role model in all aspects inspires people.
I have been vegetarian for about 6 years, and 2 years ago my best friend turned veggie. She said it was because of me, which, at the time, I did not realize. I was leading by example and basically did not push her, though she could see for herself the spiritual, physical, and emotional benefits that accompanied going veg. I would sometimes bring her to vegetarian restaurants to check out, but I never explicitly stated that I wanted her to be veggie…I wasn’t trying to convert her or anything!
I am also a huge breakfast eater. For a long time, my boyfriend didn’t eat breakfast. Then I left for India, and “in my memory” he starting eating breakfast – a healthy habit that he has yet to shake!
Moral of the story: people will change just by being around you and may adopt your healthy habits :-)
I’ve definitely helped my parents on the right track.. still a work in progress but I’m So proud of each and every healthy choice they make.
I was talking to my mother about Green Monsters, and sharing all the recipes I have found and would love to try (my husband and I live in a rural Alaskan village where there are no fresh fruits/veggies) when I get home for the summer. She called back a day later saying that they are the best things in the world! She bought a whole bunch of green spinach and some hemp protein powder, and hemp seeds.
It’s nice that the conversations I have (which are mostly about exercise/fitness/food) actually have an impact on my family!
Can’t wait to try those green monsters this summer!
So glad she likes them!!!
Hi Angela-
I just bought my first Glo bars!!! Yippee! Can’t wait to get the Spring Glo Variety Pack! I am going to split them with my mom and then I know we will be life-long customers!!!
Your question today brought up a conversation I had at lunch today. I had a chicken salad on sandwich thins, steamed broccoli and a grapefruit. One of my coworkers said, as she ate her fish sandwich and fries from McDonalds, “You have a lot for lunch!” I couldn’t believe it. I was eating a healthy, balanced meal and she thought I was eating a lot. I get a lot of flack for eating healthy meals at work, but I don’t let it deter me from my goal.
Again, can’t wait for my bars!!
Thanks for your order! :)
I can’t wait to see your website redesign!
I experienced the worst on going headache from female hormones as well. I knew I couldn’t be dehydrated because I drank 70+ oz of water and had some wheatgrass shots daily. ugh.
You motivate me everytime I read your blog! Which is often! Your lifestyle is so inspiring and I am currently going through what you descrive going through that got you to a healthy lifestyle! Thank you for your awesome blog
Aww thank you Devyn :)
My boyfriend started getting intrigued by the idea of running when he came to watch me do a half marathon. A few months later, I mentioned training for a 10 mile race, and he jumped on board! He was not always thrilled to go out and do the training, but I reminded him that he had wanted to sign up and we could just go out, run, talk, enjoy the weather .. and then drink a beer afterwards :)
I loved that design it felt more personal than this one has. But change is always good. Excited to see what you’ve come up with this time.
I’m slowly making an impact on my parents’ eating habits, or at least my Mom’s if anything. I find that forcing them doesn’t work too well, like some commenters have mentioned, and that just making helpful suggestions and letting them know you’re persistent because you care about them and don’t want to see their health become their demise is a great way to influence or motivate them. ~It takes small steps, one at a time, to make a big difference!~
Another suggestion for redesigning: Please change the font of the title of the blog! Really no offense in any way, but Papyrus font is a little… I don’t know, amateur-looking? :S Just sayin’.
I don’t know if I’ve made anyone make healthy differences! I’m certainly not trying to influence anyone right now (I’m still in ED danger zone) but I certainly eat a lot “healthier” than my friends do! I don’t like commenting about their food choices because I feel that sometimes it’s a little rude, but yeah… I comment. Silently. In my head. :P
Have a great night! That juice sounds awesome!
Wei-Wei
you arent going to like it cuz I am using papyrus! I love it
Can’t wait to see the new design! And I, too, wish I had my husband’s legs. He kind of has one of the Kenyan runner-bodies. It’s ridiculous. Anyway, one of my favorite parts of blogging has been inspiring others to run. Many of my readers, much like yours, I’m sure, have told me they’ve signed up for 5Ks, etc. feeling inspired after reading posts. And that makes me SO happy!!!
I have helped my mom get a lot healthier. She has stopped eating so much meat, she eats much more balanced and she loves green monsters!!
xo
K
You are right in letting Eric take the reigns when it comes to running. He’s already made such gains with nutrition, so I’d bet if you take it slow, he’ll like running too!
Interestingly, my not so healthy bf just called. He was at the grocery store and wanted to know what kind of yogurt he should buy!
I hope that I am having an impact on my kids. They are 8 and 5 yrs. They will still choose the more unhealthy foods sometimes if given a choice but they pretty much try everything. They will eat green monsters! They do tend to eat a lot of fruit so those are good choices I think. I just want to give them an example and let them make the choice eventually.
I think encouragement makes a big difference. Just seeing you make positive choices can definitely influence someone.
I’m currently interning at a non-profit org serving individuals with developmental disabilities where I’m working on the Healthy living program. So far I’ve been working on promoting healthy eating and increased fitness. My biggest obstacle was to get one clinet to drink less soda pop (he drinks ALOT) Finally, I was able to get him to buy one less 2 liter of soda at the store and it was the best feeling in the world! Especially since everyone thought it would be IMPOSSIBLE!
I am trying to motivate my husband but its so hard… he hates sports, exercise and has little interest in healthy eating. He has a family history of heart disease and diabetes. He’s making small gains (eg. he wants salad for dinner sometimes and will eat veggies if I provide them) and he says he wants to be healthier. I just keep trying to lead by example, make the healthy choices easy and give him a gentle push here and there I guess.
I am currently trying to get my boyfriend to eat better.
He now eats Green Monsters! Yay!
I love your blog. Doesn’t matter what you do to it.
:) Thanks!
Several of my friends have commented that my blog has motivated them to try something healthy that is outside of their comfort zone, whether it be run their first 5K or try a GM. I think the best way to motivate others is to be honest about your own road to health which includes struggles as well as accomplishments. Being relatable makes all the difference!
My husband lost 35 pounds last year by eating healthy and working out! He followed my lead and has stuck to it. I couldn’t be prouder of him and the fact that he looks awesome is pretty darn good too.
I have noticed that some family and friends have been influenced just by observing my lifestyle and asking for recommendations. I will never tell someone how to workout or eat but it has been flattering to “lead by example” and of course I’m always up for offering ideas when they ask.
I’m trying to encourage my hubby to make some healthier lifestyle changes. I also think just by blogging that I get comments from friends all the time saying they’re trying to take on some of my “healthy habits”! :)
Hope you had a fun run tonight! :)
I’m currently trying to help my mom get out of the calorie counting phase and to enjoy healthy foods without worrying about how many calories she’s consumed. And I wonder where I got my disordered eating from growing up! I just want her to be healthy and happy, mind and body, so it’s very difficult.
I’m also hoping that my boyfriend will see my healthy eating ways one of these days and want to eat healthier also. He’s making small steps, so I guess it’s something! :)
My little brother does NOT like any kind of vegetable. No greens, whatsoever. He also likes very few fruits (basically peaches).
I talk to him frequently while we’re in the kitchen together about nutrition. I try not to disparage any of the food choices he makes, but I let him know what I know about various good things for your body. He is a fit and “healthy” (except for Taco Bell!) 18 year-old soccer player, I just wish he would eat healthier!
One day I came home and he showed me the juice he made with carrots, an apple, KALE, and celery!! He chugged it down, and he says even though he hates vegetables, he will juice more often so he can get some of that nutrition in. :D I can’t tell you how proud I was of him.
I think it’s mostly just setting a good example. I would not want to nag and harass him about his choices – you can’t change something about someone unless they want to change themselves.
My Husband has gotten motivated by me for sure. Although, we motivate each other, it’s lots of fun to work out together and I love when he asks for Green Monsters.
I hate when I get avocado’s that “seem” ripe and just aren’t, such a bummer! Was the skin of the avocado dark or ligher? I find that when it feels ripe but the skin is a lighter green that it usually means it’s not going to be very flavourful.
I don’t really make an overt effort to motivate someone to make healthier choices- especially with diet. I totally agree with Christina that leading by example always leads to the best results. If they see how easy and enjoyable it is for you, they’ll be more inclined to take your suggestions to heart.
Yes I agree- the lighter green ones are never good tasting! I find the smaller dark ones taste better
My husband has been a willing participant in my journey to healthy living and it’s made the process a lot easier for me. He’s a great guinea pig, I mean, partner. :)
Hi Angela. Your drink looks great. Can you tell me how you made it? Thanks!
In my Breville juicer :)
I have had both, some people have enjoyed hearing about my healthy lifestyle and always come to me when they have questions. Others in my life congratulate me on my weight loss, but give me a myriad of reasons why they could never do the same thing. Telling them otherwise is like talking to a brick wall. I think people just need to be in the right mindset to take it in.
YUM lunch. It’s awesome to hear when you’ve made a difference for someone’s health. I’ve definitely heard some positive feedback from a few commenters. The best was a friend of my Aunt’s who somehow heard about my blog and now makes much healthier choices, and is starting to shop at Whole Foods. She is also making GM’s filled with spinach! I was SO insanely excited to hear that was all from reading my blog. My husband has definitely joined the health train with me. He eats meat [ethically sourced at least] but I haven’t been for a few months now. He probably does a little more snacking than me but loves everything I cook and we enjoy biking + climbing together. So much fun! Glad you guys are enjoying training together…one thing Chris hates is running!!!
Here’s some TMI comin’ atcha…..Hormone headaches are the worst and almost impossible to get rid of. Even my migraine meds don’t really work.
I take 3 months of birth control pills consecutively without periods in between just so I can skip those headaches. My doctor suggested it, and I just wish someone had told me sooner.
Sometimes ice on the head works when nothing else does. Good luck!
I love a cold damp cloth on the head :)
I’m known as the “healthy eater” among all my friends becUase I consistently am eating healthy foods. I also tend to talk about too much because I think it’s so interesting. I trying to be better about that because I don’t want to come off as critizing. Anyway, one thing I do struggle with is knowing when I am hungry. I tend to eat preplaned meals and snacks but I wish I could stop that. It’s a way to be in control and it’s not a healthy behavior. That’s what my friends don’t see. If u are ever in need of a post idea, I think one about hunger cues would be awesome. Thanks for an awesome blog!
SO funny that you mentioned the funky avacado! I had one like that on my salad for dinner! I was seriously wondering if I needed to relearn how to tell if they were ripe or something…. I guess it’s not just my problem!
Hey,
Does anybody know if you can make your own cashew butter??
I’ve made Angela’s raw almond butter before and it is AMAZING.
I’m just wondering if you could make cashew butter the same way.
Cheers from Australia. xx
I have definitely been working hard to motivate my boyfriend (his name is Eric, too!) to change his ways. He’s always loved playing soccer but that was about it as far as health and wellness goes. The change started with us cooking and making meals together; he really respected my healthy eating habits and dietary needs. A few months ago he found the self-motivation to start working out on his own outside of soccer (huge move!). And even more recently he has responded to my need for a workout buddy and motivator and we have begin mountain biking and hiking together :). We go mountain biking at least a few times a week:)
You and Eric’s Try-a-tri have inspired me (us) to sign up for a Duathalon in the fall!!!
thanks Ang!
Goodluck!
My husband is a much faster runner than me and when we run together, it always really annoys me when he runs slightly ahead and I feel like I have to run faster than is comfortable trying to keep up! So don’t do that!
Hey, Ange.
In terms of motivating others to change, yes. But not in the way that you would have thought. I find that people start wanting to change when you back off, and just keep doing your thing. Like you said – they need to be ready.
Kate
I get the worst hormonal headaches that time of the month. Every month I wonder why I have a week of headaches. And each time my husband reminds me that this happened last month. It really is no fair, considering the other pain that’s happening. Grr.
Yup that is SO me! Every month!
I think I scare people into making lifestyle changes- I am very intense. lol Nevertheless, it usually works! muahaha
Yesterday, my best friend told me that reading my blog inspired her to want to start running again and actually be serious about making healthy lifestyle choices! I couldn’t believe it! I dreamed of inspiring SOMEONE when I started my blog but I didn’t know my REAL LIFE best friend even read my blog, let alone that she could be inspired by it. It was the best feeling ever.
I have! haha My brother told me that my blog and weightloss have inspired him to be healthier! It was such a great feeling to hear that.