Living a healthy lifestyle looks and sounds miserable to a lot of people. Some ultra "healthy" people can make it seem like it's all about going to the gym three times a week and eating nothing but flavorless, joyless food. It seems like being healthy is all about punishing yourself, rather than becoming happier. But the truth is that you can live a healthy lifestyle in any way that you want. Being healthy can be all about pleasure and joy, and finding a healthy balance in your life. There's a middle-ground between never having anything you love and not making any healthy choices at all.
Don't Diet
If you want to live a healthy, joyful lifestyle, don't diet. That's not to say that you shouldn't change the way that you eat. However, the best way to do that is by making healthy, balanced, and sustainable changes to your diet. By speaking to a weight loss consultant, you can work out a plan to improve your diet without fad dieting or short-term solutions. Instead, you can discuss how to eat healthier long-term. It's much better to think about the future, rather than going on a crash diet for a few weeks or months before returning to your previous eating habits.
Find Exercise You Enjoy
On top of dieting, exercise can feel like punishment to a lot of people. It may not be something that you're inclined to enjoy, especially if it reminds you of having a terrible time in PE at school. One way to reframe exercise so that you find it more enjoyable is to forget the usual activities, such as running or going to the gym. If these things aren't for you, look for something you do like. It might not even seem like exercise or sport at first, but if you're moving your body, it counts as physical activity.
Let Yourself Indulge (20% of the Time)
Being healthy doesn't have to mean denying yourself the things that you love. Avoiding the little pleasures in life could help to make your body marginally healthier, but it's unlikely to make you happy. If you're not sure how much indulgence is too much, try following the 80/20 rule. Try to make healthy choices 80% of the time, and allow yourself to indulge the other 20%. For example, make most of your meals healthy and allow yourself to eat a few meals a week without worrying about the ingredients or calories.
Stop Being So Hard on Yourself
If healthy living feels like a punishment, part of the problem may be that you need to change your attitude and approach to being healthy. Being too hard on yourself or expecting too much from yourself could simply end in disappointment. One thing to avoid doing is setting unrealistic goals. While it can be good to aim high, it's also important that you're honest with yourself about what you're capable of. If you have a big goal, try starting off smaller and then moving on to bigger things later.
A healthy lifestyle doesn't have to feel like punishing yourself. You can be healthy and still enjoy life with the right choices.
And until next time...
Stay Curious!
