Highway to Health – Week 4: Fuel Your Tank

This is a guest blog post from Michelle Cartmel, health and wellness coach for Highway to Health. If you’re not registered for the program, sign-up for free for the Highway to Health Wrap Up!

It’s WEEK 4, WOW, that went fast! We’ve covered so much ground and I’ve loved taking this journey together. I hope that you learned a lot and made some changes to your lifestyle that are making you feel great. Even if you’ve only been able to adopt any of my proposed habits for one week of this journey, you’ve gained something on this ride. Maybe it’s motivation, maybe it’s confidence, but it’s probably not additional LBS on your frame. Haven’t had a chance to start? No problem! You can still access all of my blog content and postings on the Facebook group.

We spent the first three weeks of Highway to Health learning how to clean up our diet, minimize sugar and eat more mindfully. Since you have the basics down, I want you to begin to focus on foods that are going to optimize your output and fuel your rides and busy lifestyle.   Let me ask you this: when you think of what you put into your body throughout the day, do you look at the food as fuel, or just a way to satisfy your hunger? If it’s the latter, it’s time to shift your thinking around food as fuel, and begin filling your tank with PREMIUM fuel, not economy.

• Premium = whole foods like fruits, veggies, greens, lean proteins, fish, beans and whole grains, lots of water.
• Economy = packaged foods with preservatives and long ingredient lists, fast foods, sugary sodas and energy drinks.  

And premium food doesn’t necessarily need to mean expensive. Is fast food like McDonald’s cheaper than some items in the produce aisle? Unfortunately, YES. But years of McDonald’s equates to a shorter life span. Years of consuming fresh produce and healthy foods leads to a long, healthy vibrant life.

Throughout this week, I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite fuel foods with you.  These are whole, unprocessed foods with a high content of vitamins and nutrients. Adding fuel foods into your daily repertoire and swapping out the bad ones has the following benefits:

high energy levels * keeps you lean * sharpens your mind * enhances your mood * boosts your immunity levels * promotes a strong heart * improves complexion

Check in to our Facebook group throughout the week, as I’ll be highlighting my favorite fuel foods and recipes Monday – Friday. Oh and just a reminder, you are worthy of the Premium fuel, people.

Now go and do good things!

Cheers to your health, Michelle