How Do You Maintain New Healthy Habits During a Crisis?

How, indeed?

We are going through difficult days,

the south, and now central Israel too, are being bombarded,

reservists are being called up, and the winds of war are blowing.

"And you have time to fuss over nonsense?

What to eat or not eat right now??

Who has the energy to think about health now?!"

Well, that is exactly what my neighbor said to me yesterday afternoon,

and I remembered the amazing woman who had begun treatment with me (let us call her Ola for this story).

Through her story, I will suggest a few ways to cope.

We had a phone appointment. Although we had to interrupt our telephone coaching session twice, Ola would not give up and insisted that we build the best diet for her. When I asked, "Where do you find the strength to focus on your eating right now?

You have 3 children in the protected room and a husband called up for reserve duty..."

she answered:

"I love my children more than anything in the world. I have had colitis for more than ten years,

and things are not improving.

I decided my children deserve a healthy mother,

a mother who is not confined to bed every hour or running to the bathroom every half hour.

They deserve a mother who sets a personal example of coping,

of a healthy lifestyle that includes healthy eating, resisting temptation, positive thinking,

and being able to spend time and play with them.

For all of this, I need to take responsibility for my health.

Nobody will feed me healthy food if I do not arrange it myself.

Nobody will put iron and vitamin B12

into my diet if I do not take my supplements on time.

My children deserve a mother with vitality and the energy to play with them,

not one who is tired, ill, irritable, and frustrated.

If I take the security, financial, or family situation into account every time (delete as appropriate),

I will never stick with anything.

Until now, I neglected my own needs and devoted myself entirely to my children and husband.

What did that achieve? They are the first to lose out,

while I have low hemoglobin and active disease depleting my body and mind.

So now I have decided:

No more!

I will eat the food that is good for me, meditate on the blanket beside my baby,

and whenever I feel like eating something fried again,

I will remind myself of its price,

and "think through my body.""

That, ladies and gentlemen, is how it works:

What you tell yourself is what will happen!

If the thoughts running through your head sound like:

Not now, it is not the right time, who can focus, I deserve a treat,

what difference does it make, when the war ends I will start being careful again,"

that is probably how you will act.

But if you decide you deserve to care for your body

at least as much as you care for your family,

you will probably find it much easier to eat the vegetable soup,

the fruit, or the baked chicken breast that does your body

much more good than cake, fries, or a hamburger...

To conclude, choose a positively worded sentence,

a sentence that strengthens you,

and turn it into a "mantra" that protects you

and your health.

Wishing you quiet, calm, and good health!

This is general news information and is not a substitute for personal advice from a doctor or dietitian.