Every year, individuals make the choice to give up certain things for Lent. Whether this is giving up junk food, or using less social media, these changes are meant to help individuals make healthier lifestyle choices. It has been proven that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Lent is almost twice as long as this, making it the perfect time to practice forming healthier habits. While you may be giving something up for Lent, you may not know how to make healthy lifestyle changes in order to fill this new gap. Choosing a new habit or making a healthy swap will make giving up something for Lent that much easier. Here are some ways in which you can replace something you gave up for Lent with a new healthy habit or choice.
Making a replacement with a food you normally eat that might not be the healthiest, or encouraging yourself to practice a healthy behavior more often may be difficult. However, these changes will benefit your body in the long run and enable you to live a healthier, happier life.
Something people commonly give up for Lent is junk food, especially sweets. While this may be difficult, it is extremely beneficial to your body and can be made easy with the right replacement. If you are giving up crunchy snacks, such as chips, try replacing them with cut-up vegetables in order to provide that same crunch. If you are giving up desserts, try replacing them with a healthy dessert like fruit and yogurt. Making smart food choices that are still just as flavorful can make giving up your favorite junk food or dessert much easier. Giving up unhealthy food can aid in a transition to having it in moderation after Lent, allowing you to lead a balanced lifestyle.
Many individuals choose to give up technology. Whether this is eliminating TV watching or staying off social media, it is always a healthy choice to work towards decreasing technology use. Looking at a screen for many hours can be very damaging to our mental and physical health. In our society, many individuals spend hours on social media or watching TV. If you have given up something like this, it may be difficult to find something to fill your new free time. Taking up a new type of physical activity can be a great way to do this. Physical activity is not only very beneficial for your body, but it is great for your mental health as well, due to it producing endorphins that make you happy. Another way to fill your time is to try a new hobby. Reading, crafting, or learning how to sew can be a fun way to challenge your skills and spend time away from your phone or computer screen.
Certain people may choose to give up alcohol for Lent. While some alcohol in moderation isn’t a bad thing, alcohol is primarily empty calories and provides no real health benefits. Excessive drinking can especially lead to increased health issues such as high cholesterol and heart issues. It can also lead to a decline in mental health. While it may be difficult for some to give up social drinking, there are many ways you can fill this gap. Trying out different mocktails can be a great way to not feel left out during social events. These can taste just as great as an alcoholic beverage, and be much healthier for you. Additionally, replacing any type of beverage with water is a healthy change to make. A majority of people are not as hydrated as they should be. An individual should be drinking at least half their body weight in ounces per day in order to stay hydrated.
A common food item that individuals will give up for Lent is meat. In our current society, it has been found that a plant-based diet can be extremely beneficial. The physical benefits of a plant-based diet include better digestive health, a healthier immune system, lower cholesterol, stabilized blood sugar, and reduced risk of certain cancers. A plant-based diet has become increasingly easier to follow in recent years due to the plethora of plant-based recipes and substitutions available. At Clean Creations, we offer many plant-based options, as well as meal plans with little to no meat in them. We offer pescetarian, vegetarian, and vegan meal plans in order to make eating meat much easier for those trying to cut back.
Lots of individuals struggle with overeating. Oftentimes, we are not as in tune with our hunger queues as much as we would like to be, preventing us from eating intuitively. If you have decided to focus on not overeating during Lent, then learning about intuitive eating can be a helpful lifestyle change to make. Intuitive eating is listening to your body’s hunger and fullness queues. While it may sound as simple as eating when you are hungry, and stopping when you are full, many individuals may struggle with this. People can become used to overeating and not know when exactly to stop. It can be helpful to take breaks throughout meals and eliminate distractions while eating in order to aid yourself in listening to your body.
Keeping up a healthy lifestyle can be time-consuming. Making the choice to replace foods in your diet with healthier ones can be difficult at times. Healthy, fresh food usually takes longer to prepare, and with a busy schedule, maintaining a healthy diet can be put at the bottom of your priorities. That is why Clean Creations offers fresh, healthy meals delivered straight to your door, or picked up at one of our locations in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. Healthy eating has never been easier with our wide variety of meal plans and a la carte options. Sign up for Clean Creations today to begin making healthy lifestyle changes.