5 Acronyms You Need to Know to Be a Healthy Living BAMF

Dear weekend,

Hello. How have you been? Did you have a nice summer? I've been extra good this week, so can we spare the stroke of sickness this go around? K thanks.

Kisses,

Emily

In other news, the sun came out to remind me that there's still 4 more months until summer. I can almost taste the lobster roll now...

In the modern day we live in, with no time for even full-on sentences or even words, acronyms are your BFF or BAE or MCM.

Besides describing your latest green smoothie shot on instagram, acronyms have their place in the healthy living world as well. In fact, they can help you become a healthy living BAMF in the process! (see what I did there...) Here's five my favorite 'nyms that keep healthy living easy breezy.

1. K.I.S.S

I would have gone with KIFS, but it's not quite as catchy or PG as KISS. Keep it stupid simple can pretty much be translated into any area of healthy living. There's a million and one new diet crazes, new exercises, and magic superfoods put out into the universe before you can even finish your acai bowl. Instead of trying to keep up, just keep it simple. Eat a lot of veggies. Drink water. Move your body daily. KISS those crazy diets goodbye 4evah.

2. PFC

No no..not KFC, PFC. When you're thinking about building your meal, focus on having a balance of protein, fats, and carbs, and at least two of the groups for snacks. Generally this balance keeps me fuller for longer, and satisfied since no nutrients are left out.

Some examples are a veggie omelette (protein + fats) and some fruit (carbs),  or a salad topped with grilled chicken (protein), avocado (fats) and black beans (carbs).

3. HALT

I recently found this one from Jae Berman in a Huffington Post article, and really loved its intuitive eating focus. Eating can and is much more than just giving our bodies the energy it needs, and can have a strong emotional connection for many people. Taking a moment to HALT before you reach for the fridge can be a big help in determining why you're going there in the first place. Are you physically hungry? Or are you simply bored, lonely, or stressed? This simple task could be all you need to redirect your actions and avoid mindlessly snacking.

4. SMASH

I learned this one during my undergrad in my pre-RD days, but is one I always remember when trying to tell people the best fish to eat. If you want to up your omega-3 intake without a supplement, just remember the SMASH fish! These ones have the highest levels of omega-3's yet are probably some of the most under-minded and avoid ones out there.  I find that lots of mustard and red wine vinegar help to mask the fishy-ness of most.

5. SMART

Last but not least, the SMART goals. Whether you're trying to eat more KISS and SMASH foods, or take up a new sport or workout, setting some SMART goals can help to keep you on track. Making goals that are really spelled out make them so much more realistic and achievable. Take the example below...

I want to workout more.

versus

I want to run 30 minutes a day three days a week for the entire month of March.

A lot more specific right? This way you know what you're striving for, and making it something that's reasonable for YOU is key. Saying "I wanna lose 50 lbs this month" is a pretty big and unrealistic goal for most people, but instead saying "I want to lose 1 lb per week for 12 weeks" is both a lot more reasonable and sustainable.

Make it a great day!

Have you heard of any of these acronyms before?

Any plans for the weekend?