It's not about being skinny, it's about being in balance and feel good about yourself! I must admit that several years ago, I did follow a weight loss programme, but not merely to lose the weight. Due to some health issues I had gained some weight and simply just didn't feel comfortable anymore and wanted to feel better about myself. Besides, something that is very important to me is move that body, walk, sport whatever and I needed this back in my daily routine. Having personal guidance, tips & trick, motivation really helped me getting my life and health back on track.
Once I was on a healthy weight (following BMI and belly fat/cm) it became more a new way of living for me, making small and graduate changes to keep my new lifestyle sustainable. Having a sustainable lifestyle means focusing on your overall wellness to me. I like to be lean and feel good about myself, but also to have muscle and feeling strong. Do what feels best for you, people will have something to think and say anyways...
If you ask me, we need to balance in order to stay healthy, also later in life, and feel confident about ourselves. And this is not about some tips & tricks, no... it is about making small changes to develop new habits.
Consistency
Changes do not happen overnight, and they shouldn't, so you can keep it up and your new habits become more and more incorporated in your daily routines. It's all about making choices, be good to yourself like you would to your loved ones, treat yourself and your body well, eat as much real wholesome food as possible, make as much as you can yourself, move that body, and be honest & true to yourself.
Eat (leafy) greens
Over the years I gradually developed the habit of incorporating more greens in my meals. The main change I made was eating salads more often over lunchtime and even sometimes for breakfast. Especially the Middle Eastern inspired salads I love for breakfast. Some more ideas to get more greens are adding them to your smoothie, oatmeal and serve a side salad over supper.
Veggies, veggies, veggies
Mind you, I do like meat, but I slowly made a shift in eating more veggies, less carbs and meat. Vegetables are really a good news show, they are full of nutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals. When for example making a salad, stew or topping for tour pizza, try to be colourful so you'll have a nice mix of veggies and it's nutrients.
Don't skip protein
Protein make us feel full and it helps to build and maintain muscle, especially after a work-out. After you have filled your plate already with all those veggies, a protein the size of the palm of your hand it perfect. This can be eggs, beef, chicken, fish etc. make a nice omelet with some left over veggies and you're ready to go.
Eat fats
That is, healthy fats... Fat is not a bad word, we need it to stay balanced and healthy. Besides, it helps your dishes to taste ever better! Healthy fats are good for us in several ways, like for our brain, good hair and skin. Some nice food with good fat are avocado, olive oil, nuts (butter), fish such as salmon and mackerel.
Take those carbs
But balance them... I do eat carbs and don't count macros or anything. However, with me being sensitive for a quicker higher blood sugar I need to be conscious about my carbs. This means choosing the wholegrain pasta and rice etc. and still balance with, here they are again, veggies.
Water
Drink water is very important, I am not sure about the 2 liter a day though, but I do notice when I don't take enough water, I will feel tired and might even get a headache. Besides just water, (herbal) tea is also a good option also to have a different flavour every now and then. Personally, I (luckily) am not a huge fan of sodas and juices; water, tea and coffee it is! Okay every now and then a glass of wine or a refreshing beer.
Don't skip breakfast
I will probably never understand people who skip their breakfast. I prefer some yoghurt with homemade granola and fresh fruit, so I'll have a bit of everything to make a good start of the day. If you're in a rush, prep your breakfast the evening before of make a smoothie.
Don't deprive yourself
As mentioned, I am careful with my carbs for my blood sugar and I take very little dairy related to my asthma, but for the rest no hard and fast rules. Follow your gut and one day you just know what makes you feel good and that's all what matters in the end.
Move that body
Moving my body is really part of my daily life nowadays. I believe also in balance here as well, I try to run 3x a week, usually about 5k each time, sometimes a bit more and sometimes less, depending on my schedule and how I feel, but at least I went out there and did my thing. Further I also like to do boxing inspired cardio, which is a nice mix of jumping around and being sharp and a bit technical. Recently I also started with lifting again and as I need to build it up, I mix with dumbbells and barbells and vary between different weight, reps and speed. Last but not least a few times a week I love my yoga, even just for 10-15 minutes. This all seriously helps me to feel relaxed and energised at the same time. More exercise means less stress!
In the end, whatever you do, do it for you!
Take care of yourself...
Comments