There is so much information around about what it is to be healthy, and diets and fads for achieving health that it’s difficult to see the woods from the trees. I am not a qualified nutritionist or dietitian but I have read alot about health, nutrition and exercise. Through trial and error I have found a diet and lifestyle that works for me and that helps me feel my best. We are evolving creatures, having different needs at different times, facing periods of stress and busy-ness, and periods where we feel more calm and in control. Therefore, it is important to constantly assess our life, physical, mental, spiritual and emotional state on a regular basis and listen to what these parts of our lives are trying to tell us about our needs.
Here are my top tips for holisitic, healthy living:
1. Eat a healthy diet, filled with fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds.
2. Try to incorporate more raw foods into your diet, such as a salad with dinner, or a fruit based breakfast.
3. Limit your intake of refined, sugary foods, meat and animal products (i.e. dairy and eggs), alcohol, and gluten.
4. If you smoke, quit. Honestly, the evidence is unequivocal on how bad this is for your health.
5. Find an exercise that you love and incorporate into your daily living.
6. We are spiritual beings, as well as emotional, physical and psychological beings, therefore we need to nurture this part of ourselves.
7. Be kind to yourself. If you binge one day, get drunk, haven’t exercised for ages, eat too much chocolate don’t beat yourself up about it. No good can come from this. It will only create issues, guilt and other negative emotions. It will make you feel awful and will hinder your productivity and relationship with yourself and others.
8. Find time to socialise and enjoy your hobbies (you know the saying: all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!)
9. Identify your strengths and weaknesses and embrace them. Imperfection is natural. Perfection is boring.
10. Try to live ethically. For example, try to recycle, can you walk to your location rather than use a car?
That’s it for now. It’s all a journey so essentially just enjoy successes and embrace the trials.
I love #7! That’s probably the most important thing I can teach my clients (I’m a weight loss consultant), and the hardest thing to convince them to do…be kind to themselves.
Thank you Iris. Yeah, I think most of us struggle with this one!