Planning – A Key to Happiness…

AS SEEN ON….There is a little old saying from a funny looking guy with specs, and I mean that in the most loving way, that goes something like this, “If you want to make God (or the Universe) laugh, tell Him your plans.” How many of us have planned something for months, days, weeks or even years only for it to turn out completely different than we wished or hoped?? I think that’s what Woody was talking about when he came up with those very clever words. As much as I agree with Woody on so many levels, I also think there are specific arenas in our lives that are very important to make a plan, and healthy eating and taking care of our bods is one of them.

As a wellness coach and nutritional educator, I teach my clients to plan their meals, plan their eating, plan their workouts, plan their cooking, plan their shopping, etc.  When it comes to health, Planning is the Key. You can’t be healthy without a plan. Well you could, but it would be hard and take a lot of work and you’d eventually get frustrated and give up.

The most important thing planning does for us, is gives us a structure which most of us need when we are learning anything new. Actually it even works when we aren’t learning anything new. It gives us a schedule – a way of being with ourselves that is committed. If you really want to eat healthy but don’t know how or where to start, planning will be the way to get you there. Of course pretty much anything new we try out has a learning curve, and eating healthy is no different. It’s about a commitment you make to yourself and your family, if you have one, to lead a healthier and happier life.

As I lead my participants through 30-day Vegan cleanses, I tell them that their key to success is PLANNING and it doesn’t just end with the 30 days, it’s a lifestyle choice! If they don’t do this, they will be stuck in the middle of the day with nothing to eat and then they will make an unhealthy choice. How many times have you done that??? And this doesn’t only apply to my cleansers, this applies to anyone who wants to eat healthy and take care of their temple that they have while being on this earth. It may not come easy at first, but aren’t you worth it?

Some people tell me it’s too much work. What? Too much work to take care of your health? They’d rather go through a drive-thru because it’s quick and convenient than make a choice to plan out their meals for the week. Well, let me tell you, the first choice will lead you to sickness, disease and possibly a heart attack.

This is not to say that you have to keep this plan for the rest of your life, in fact, it will eventually become habit. Just like driving through that greasy drive-thru became a habit when you’ve had nothing to eat. Keep in mind that all habits, good or bad, are created on our own. Some in childhood where we were taught to make certain choices, and some in adulthood out of pure laziness, convenience and not caring about what we put into our bodies.

This is about creating NEW, HEALTHY habits that will last you a lifetime and you need a plan to do that! I still do it, I plan out my food on the weekend that I will cook for the week, then I go shopping and buy the food and spend a couple hours in the kitchen, listening to some cool tunes, sipping some tea and chopping my veggies, not all simultaneously of course. This has become a way of life, and it’s a way of life that produces happiness. I look forward to it. Why? Because I’m healthy, I have no illness, I have no disease, I have energy, I have vitality…are those good enough reasons for you???

So when I say that planning is A Key to Happiness, I certainly think that all the benefits you get from healthy eating and the time you take to make sure you do so will bring you a happy belly, a happy body and in turn, a happy life!

What change will you make today to make a NEW plan for your healthy life??