As the Clean Eating Coach, when I work with my clients on how to make clean eating a lifestyle (not just another fad but something that sticks), we often talk about the importance of finding your own clean eating groove in the kitchen.  Like so many things in life, it’s easy to try something out for awhile, get sick of the effort required and fall back into your prior routine, even though that’s not your intention.

And yes, we’ve all been there before, myself included.  I can’t even count how many times I said, “but this time things will really be different,” only to retreat to my old, admittedly comfortable ways.

Creating a clean eating lifestyle, however, is something that we all endeavor to do for good, not just for a month.  And that takes a different set of skills to make happen consistently.  First and foremost it’s about shifting your mindset and determining that keeping yourself healthy, preventing disease and/or losing weight can be fun and is meaningful in your life.

Yep, I said it, FUN.  Doesn’t whipping up delicious, healthy meals that are totally appealing sound good?  Eating clean and feeling your best is only drudgery if you decide it is.  This is really about your mindset and the choices you make about your health.

For me, finding my clean eating groove meant thinking differently about the experience of being in the kitchen and preparing meals.  Instead of, “I have a ton of other things to do and I can’t wait to get out of here,” I began to see the possibility to relax and enjoy myself instead of rushing through on my way to completing a mile long list of tasks.  Needless to say, this was no easy task, and has evolved over time.

I like to do lots of prep and cooking on Sundays and I’ve created it into a meditative experience.  Sometimes I quietly chop and slice, enjoying the silence of being in the kitchen by myself, getting in touch with body and letting my mind rest.  Other times I put on one of my favorite jazz musicians like Pat Metheny or Joshua Redman and soak up the music as I work.  And for those days when I need a boost of energy, it may be the Black Eyed Peas or my favorite old schools jams from the 80s that get me dancing around the kitchen, totally in that joyous moment.

Truth be told, what I’m doing is hardly rocket science, I’m simply taking easy steps to make clean eating fun. When I’m relaxed, not racing against the clock and am feeling inspired in the kitchen, I have so much more fun and tune into the joy of creating healthy and delicious meals.  Not to mention that I swear the food tastes even better when I’ve got positive energy flowing through it.  Even better, I have the chance to reflect on the bigger reasons I’m doing this and how it’s supporting my long term health, not just in the moment for the day or week.

What do you need to do to find your own kitchen groove? What will help you get you inspired to keep coming back to the kitchen to create clean eating meals?

Take it from me, Wendy Battles, the Clean Eating Coach, if I can find my kitchen groove and feel inspired to make clean eating meals, I know you can too!

Filed under: Food preparation, Fun, Healthy Meals, Prevention, clean eating