Eating wholesome food is a cornerstone to health and wellbeing. This being said, most of us...me included...have much room for improvement. I have found that in order to eat better, I must eat more. Yes, you heard me right. I must eat more!

Previously, a good portion of my diet consisted of "filler foods". When I say filler foods, I am talking about processed foods such as chips, pretzels, crackers, cereals, snack bars, pastas, breads, and the like. I am also talking about sweets like soda, juices, and baked goods such as cookies, brownies, and pastries. All of these filler foods equated to eating a bunch of carbohydrates lacking in nutritional value.

As I have improved my diet over time by replacing processed foods with whole foods, I have learned many lessons along the way. The main lesson is that I have to eat more good foods, such as vegetables, at each meal. By eating larger amounts of good foods, it helps to stave of cravings for unhealthy filler foods later in the day.

At each meal, I now know that I have to eat larger portions of whole foods than I ever did before. For instance, I must eat a second or third serving of steamed vegetables, another piece of baked chicken, another bowl of salad, etc. Getting enough of these good foods, combined with adequate amounts of water, helps me resist the siren call of desserts and snack foods throughout the day.

Another tip that I offer is to eat some good fats along with your good foods. I have found that even a little bit of good fat at each meal greatly decreases my cravings for carbohydrates. For instance, I mix in some avacodo and/or nuts into a chef salad. I feel fuller and I can go longer without cravings.

Reducing your carbohydrate intake can be hard, and it definitely was not an overnight change for me. However, with time and perseverance, I have become much better at avoiding the sweet trappings of filler foods. By eating more good foods, I have managed to eat less bad foods and improve my overall health and wellbeing. I wish my readers such success.

I was mowing the back yard with a push mower. It was late evening on a Friday after a long and exhausting work week. I was mowing because my three young boys decided they wanted to take over lawn maintenance this year. They had all three finished what they could, and the rest was left to dear ol' dad. All of the sudden, the big idea hit me. Mowing the yard provides instant gratification.

You physically push the mower through tall grass and you clearly see your progress. There is no waiting or ambiguity involved. Instead, you put in the focused effort and you immediately see the results. All the while, no one is bothering you (others naturally steer clear of a man with a mower in his hands). After an hour or so of pushing a mower in a patterned manner, one may be overcome with feelings of peace and accomplishment.

For most of my adult life, I have wondered why so many people would want to waste so much time mowing grass. Now it makes total sense to me, and it is apparent why some are even borderline obsessive with the practice. Mowing can be a luxurious haven for the mind, body, and sole. Yes, mowing the lawn is therapy for a good portion of our society!

The therapeutic recipe of lawn mowing can be applied to many other aspects of life. The key ingredients are...

Physical activity
Being outdoors
Controlled focus
No distractions or interruptions
Instant results you can see

If you have a difficult task at hand, try applying these principles. Or, maybe just ditch what you are doing, and go mindlessly mow the yard. Cheap therapy indeed!