It’s everywhere! Especially in January after a season of over indulgence. Live healthier, eat healthier, lead a healthy lifestyle, blah, blah, blah! It gets redundant and annoying.
Beyond the blah, blah, blah chitter chatter, there is truth in all of it. Look beyond the fads though peeps, make sure whatever you decide to do is attainable, feels good and make sure you will stick to it!
So HOW do YOU live a healthy lifestyle anyway? It’s actually pretty simple and the most important thing to take away from this long article is Eat well, sleep well and exercise. That’s the winning formula people. Simple right? Yet it can be so tough for some of us! So let’s break it down. Hang in there, this is a long post y’all!
Eat Well.
What is eating well exactly?
Do you go to the super extremes and be left with non-stimulating dishes and far fetched diets? Seriously, are you really going to stick to that? Some do, and that’s fantastic! But donuts are way too tempting! My solution, balance. Allow yourself ONE of the donuts, just always be aware of what you’re eating. In other words, don’t eat 2 and don’t eat one every day.
Our minds love color (my own belief here, no science backing this little statement up). Doesn’t color and bling attract you? If not, cool, revert to the non-stimulating dishes. For me I LOVE COLOR in all aspect of life, including food. Bland plates of food do not satisfy me, so I follow the rule of color. Lots of color in my diet.
Also, watch your sugar intake, too much sugar can literally make you sick. For me, sugar messes with me badly, it makes me sick easy, makes my skin look horrible and it doesn’t allow my body to detox properly. So I certainly try not to consume too much of it.
Let’s look at Meals
Breakfast is super important but keep it simple with toast, cereal, oatmeal, a fruit bowl, an egg or 2, maybe even just a protein shake will do.
Lunch, I keep this one as simple as possible with a sandwich, an omelette, soup or even a few left overs will do, but in smaller portions than supper.
Snacks, keep them under 150 calories and twice a day between meals. These can be yogurt cups, fruit cups, some nuts, an banana or an apple and my favorite go-to, the granola bar.
Supper though, that’s where it’s at! We can over indulge in a hurry! And if you’re like me, you eat fast which doesn’t allow the stomach to catch up to the brain or vise versa.
The image below is an example of my supper plate and looks a lot like the “WOW” emoji… lol! I don’t eat dessert all the time, but when I do it’s just a small portion. CONFESSION: sometimes, there is no glass of water. It’s a glass of wine instead.
If you’re feeling like you’re not getting enough nutrition in your food, turn to some supplements or even substitute a snack with a protein shake. Like anything else I will ever talk about though, listen to your body. If it feels good, cool. If not switch it up or go see your family doctor or a dietitian for some suggestions.
Then there’s the sneak-it in-snacks or movie time snacks. We all do it! Just be aware of what and how much you’re consuming!
Get Sleep.
I am terrible at this one! I’m lucky to get a few hours a night, but I do try. It depends on what night of the week and what show is on! For reals though, this one is important. A regular sleep routine makes all the difference, I do feel so good when my body follow a regular sleep pattern. Life with a senior dog prevents a full night sleep for me, so I try to go to bed a bit earlier and I get up at the same time every morning to get in my exercise.
Exercise
I could seriously talk about this topic forever. It’s my fav!
However, this topic can get so over complicated with fads, models, and super ripped influencers or overly hyper programs. That stuff scares even the veteran fitness freaks like myself. My body, like most, is far from perfect. I certainly can’t hop like a bunny for an hour, you can’t see my abs, I have cellulite, and that’s cool.
Biggest thing here, JUST START!
My personal routine… get up at 7, have a glass of water and get in 30 minutes of yoga, weight lifting (not body building) simple 5 lb weights, and body weight exercises. Most of the time I combine all 3 of these things into one 30 minute routine before my breakfast and cup of coffee.
I also try to fit in a walk somewhere in the day. Not a marathon run, a simple walk. See the common word here? SIMPLE. You can certainly go beyond and push yourself, by all means! BUT if you’re just starting, keep it simple and realistic for your abilities.
Beyond all of this, as a lifeguard, I do have to hold a higher level of fitness. Therefore, truth be told I also have a regular swim routine. Just because I go above the norm, doesn’t mean you have to in order to have what is labeled as a healthy lifestyle.
How can you keep yourself accountable? Join a virtual yoga or fitness challenge. Follow my Instagram account because I am usually doing a daily challenge of some kind! You can connect with me on Facebook too!
There it is in a nutshell.
A healthy lifestyle is simply a balance of eating well, sleeping well and getting exercise. SO go ahead, have the apple and the chocolate. It’s about balance and everything in moderation.
