Planning Journeys Can Help You Arrive at Your Destinations

Some folks thrive on living without a schedule or plan, and others fall, crushing any ambitions and dreams they might have, without a routine to help them reach their goals in steps. When it comes to major life changes such as diet and fitness, especially during the first several months of a transition, I’ve found I do well sticking to a regular course of action and think most would benefit from the same.

These days, sticking to my diet and fitness program are givens for me. I know I’ll cheat my health and vitality and pay a severe price for it if I eat outside my wholly low-fat raw food diet or miss my daily Egoscue Method E-cises, designed to promote proper postural alignment, or a yoga practice or workout, also part of my exercise routine. I’ve chosen to make diet and exercise as much a part of my life as breathing and sleeping.

If you’re exploring or transitioning to a raw diet, the best first step you can take, I think, is to prepare green smoothies such as Green ‘n’ Clean Smoothie each morning for breakfast. Most on the standard American diet—and many vegetarians and vegans, too—are malnourished, and this delicious, nutritious meal, which can be made as simply as adding bananas and greens (and water, if you don’t have a Vitamix blender) to a blender and hitting the power switch for 30 to 60 seconds. These greens produce a wonderful cleansing effect and make a big difference in a body and mind compared with enjoying just fruits! I experienced this difference upon feasting on my first green smoothies in April 2010 and haven’t missed a day enjoying this meal since I started!

Make preparing green smoothies a daily practice and plan ahead so you have fruits and greens at the ready. Having no fruits and greens means no green smoothie and, perhaps, a return to suboptimal fare such as cereal, donuts, eggs or coffee. A simple way to plan ahead is to regularly buy a 40-pound case of bananas, placing some of these wonderful staple foods, if necessary, in your refrigerator or freezer to extend their freshness when ripe. Additionally, make time for food-shopping trips. One big and one small trip a week should work well for you, far better than stopping every day or two to replenish supplies of fruits and greens!

With a physical fitness program, find the time that works best for you to make the strides you’d like to achieve. If you’ve been largely physically dormant for some time, start off with a simple change such as stretching and walking or jogging before ramping up your program to include strength training, for example. I complete my E-cises every morning and save other activities such as working out using Bodylastics resistance bands during evenings. I didn’t begin to thrive physically until I made E-cises a morning practice, freeing the rest of my days for additional activities. Based on your schedule or demands, you might find you do best when you complete your fitness program in the mornings or evenings.

Discover why consuming green smoothies is the first step toward optimal health!