The vague word of things meaning food and exercise.
There's a big separation between people I've found.
On the one hand you have those straight-to-the-point, blunt, no question about it people who's response to the ultimate question of how to stay at a healthy happy weight is;
'It's simple calories in < calories out.'
And I mean, sure that makes sense in theory. But you would often find with these types of people that their lives become extremely structured (this is only a very broad overview and in no way assumes every single person who has a similar belief behaves like this!!) in that meal plans weigh out every morsel of food, certain foods are foregone because their calorie count is too high and an extremely structured and planned exercise regime has to be carried out on the daily to ensure the optimal weight is maintained.
So, yes, this is a way in which becoming a healthy weight can be achieved. But if I'm honest with myself, that's not a way in which I want to be living my life on this Earth. I don't want to wake up each morning with the structured plan of my entire eating schedule formulated in my brain and quite possibly written out on a meal plan somewhere.
I don't want to have to force myself to go to the gym for specifically 45 minutes of intense cardio if I'm feeling a nice relaxing yoga session.
I don't want to make living a happy, healthy life, an unhappy, mentally, emotionally and probably eventually physically unhappy life.
And then there's those on the other end of the spectrum, who like most other people desire the happiest, healthiest, most energetic body they can, however look at food and exercise in a negative light. As something dread-worthy- on account of perhaps the stigma the above life creates about what a 'healthy' life entails.
This in turn could lead to a healthy body weight once again (depending on the strength of your will!) however ultimately an attitude like this will result in a negative atmosphere surrounding your very being. So the most common answer for those acquiring this attitude to health and well being would be to neither eat to honour their bodies, or exercise. And this too saddens me at all the positives a healthy relationship with food and exercise can elicit.
More examples of different views towards health include all those ever-changing new fandangled fad diets, claiming eating 25+ bananas a day is the way to be healthy, not eating a certain food will make you the happiest and healthiest you've ever been, eating at certain times of the day will cement the perfect body you've always dreamed of, this type of exercise will age you, this type of exercise will blast away ALL the fat! So on and so on.
So you're question to me right now is probably; 'Well Steph, what's your big secret to health and happiness in one's body?'
And it's probably fair of me to come up with something seeing as I've just listed multiple ideas and attitudes that I deem unhealthy in relation to wellbeing. So here it is:
Eat for you.
Exercise for you.
Live for you.
Because in the end everybody is different! If someone told me that a low-fat diet is the only solution to maintain a healthy weight, I would reach into my cupboard/ fridge and spoon a big blob of peanut butter (or other nut butter!) into my mouth right then and there.
Don't look for some magical answer that will resolve all of your health issues. Instead find out what works for you. From quite a long time of experimenting myself I've come to some conclusions about the way in which my body looks and functions its best...
First of all, I know that my body needs fuel. And a lot of it!
I don't hold back portion sizes as a result of a calorie plan for my day. If my stomach is at the stage where it wants to eat itself, I l feed the beast.
I have also found I feel best on plenty of veg, a bit less fruit and then wholegrains. My ratio would probably be a higher ratio of my calories from fruit, veg and healthy fats and then protein and carbohydrates from wholegrains. But that's me! Your body could be a protein loving machine. Or a carb consuming engine. It depends on you.
Avo, eggs and cashews- give me all the good fats!!
As for exercise- that's probably the most volatile aspect of my life! I have phases where I run up to 6 times a week, then times when it's only 1 or 2 and I supplement in weight training, online workouts or yoga. It depends on what feels right for my body an I listen to that to ensure I don't feel a sense of dread when I go to exercise- because exercise should be something you look forward to and love doing!
Now, this post is getting a little lengthier than expected (see? Passionate!) so I'll wrap it up here :)
When it comes to health and doing what's best for your body- you do you! Don't get sucked into the next big craze or see that a super model only eats carrots for her lunch so now you will only eat carrots for your lunch. Eat the foods that make your stomach smile and move your body in the way that energises and invigorates your body for the whole day.
Healthy isn't a set pre-packaged plan. Healthy is a random experiment that we all need to test out for our entire lives to get the most valid and fair result. :P (Science jokes from the girl in exams :)
So tell me:
Have you ever struggled to work out what works best for your body?
Ever got sucked into a diet plan/ way of living that simply wasn't right for you?
If you have worked out what works best for you, tell me below!
That's it for today friendly friends. I hope you have an amazing rest of your week- do something fun that you enjoy and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now! :D
