We live in the generation of quick fixes, chop-chop lifestyle, meals on wheels, going under the knife to achieve enhanced plastic beauty, pumping steroids, gastric bypasses, anorexia, diets, fads, pills and shakes, or just fixated with the Hollywood Wannabe hum drum fast everything ideal! How do we achieve a balanced lifestyle and health?
I decided to keep a journal to track my eating habits and activities. This idea came from observing various television studies and reading nutritional books on various lifestyle tips. More specifically watching BBC airing “Secret Eaters”, a reality show which exposed couples who indulged secretly and were in total denial of what they actually consumed / or oblivious to the fact – these subjects when filmed in turn utterly exposed to the truth of their “bad habits”, astonished and horrified at the outcome.
The lesson learnt is that when you take time out of your day to monitor and get to the facts you in turn are educated and are able to make gradual changes in improving your lifestyle.
When equipped with small tools and incorporating this into your day to day busy living you can devise new and improved lifestyle changes which you tailor make to suite you – prepare meals in advance creates vested conscious effort to achieve – Balance!
We set out some easy pointers in achieving balance and slowly improve your lifestyle and health:
Exercise as little as 20 minutes per week, brisk walk, swimming, dancing, cycling, Zumba, Tybo, meditation (or dance and play!). Choose the exercise which you enjoy, it should be done effortlessly and have fun!
Educate yourself by Reading bookings on nutrition, read food labels, stick to fresh/organic produce and get inspired to use these tools to make a success.
“De-stress”, avoid STRESS as this is one of the largest factors contributing to unhealthy lifestyles.
Diet, or not to diet that is the questions? Choose healthier options, replace processed foods with refined foods, say NO to junk foods, skip the sauce, fat, sugar and carbohydrates – keep fresh fruit, vegetables and meat on the menu – get into the max with the low GI trend which dramatically reduces Diabetes (Tim Noakes and Atkins – dieticians promoting low carb lifestyle cannot be wrong)! Get your cave man groove eating habits on and do not succumb to the fast food way of life – eradicate the BAD toxic foods.
Hydrate – drink water!
In general the recipe is, do everything and anything in moderation and curb over indulging! If you want to fall off track, do it intermittently. Your body will adapt and react. It takes your body approximately 3 days to follow a new regime and adapt. Through repetition you stick to your new regime effortlessly.
People are afraid of change, however if you gradually do so things become enjoyable and manageable … “You have to be an expert on your own body. Everything is a clue”. – Dr Oz