A Healthy Lifestyle Is All About What’s Right For YOU

Finding what’s right for You

A healthy lifestyle is not a one size fits all.

1. Drink Water and Stay Hydrated
2. Exercise Regularly and Be Physically Active
3. Reduce Sitting and Screen Time
4. Get Enough Good Sleep
5. Manage Your Emotions
6. Watch your weight
7. Limit Unhealthy Foods and Eat Healthy Meals

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah. We all know these things.  But how to implement them is different for everyone. A healthy lifestyle begins with listening to YOUR body. 

This post is all about a healthy lifestyle, but most importantly, how to get one that suits your lifestyle.

Good health and a healthy lifestyle is not just the absence of disease or illness, it is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. 

What works for some, will not work for others. Here are some examples. It’s a popular belief that it’s good to have an accountability buddy to walk with.  I have tried this a number of times and no, it does the absolute opposite for me. It stresses me. Drinking  the recommended amount of water every day (2 litres) on some days bloats me terribly and 8 hours sleep a night is way too much for me. 7 is plenty. 

To have a healthy lifestyle starts with what works for you. Not what is ‘supposed’ to work for the masses, the focus here is YOU.

 

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Taking a wholistic approach is best. How do I know this?  My weight has yo-yoed most of my adult life. I know for sure that being focused on one aspect of shedding the kilos/pounds is not effective. And remember, there is not a ‘one size fits most’ here.  It’s what suits you.  It has been recommended to me many times, to weigh myself daily to make sure I’m ‘on track’. This does little more than deflate your confidence.

We don’t realise that there are so many variables that effect us daily like hormones or certain foods.  If I eat chicken for example, even the recommended portion, the next day, I can guarantee seeing the weight on the scales go up. I have a friend who, when eats tomatoes, even the smallest amount, gains weight the next day. It doesn’t always have to be a food that is unhealthy or high in calories, which is the common misconception . It depends on how you metabolise a particular food. So rather than focus on the number on the scale,  focus on what you know agrees with your body. This may take time to figure out, and initially you may have to weigh often to figure this out, but again the key here is ‘listening to your body’.

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Of course, watching what you eat is only part of the wholistic view. Moving that bod, however much or as little is important. I loath scheduled, vigorous exercise, so what works for me is incremental movement, often. Stretching has also been vital for me for so many reasons. Being 6 foot tall comes with inherent problems – back issues, so stretching irons out the knots, elongates the limbs, helps to keep me nimble and does in fact aid in weight loss and regulation.

During lockdown, we were all obviously severely restricted from seeing people. It was a testing time in many ways but it has definitely taught me a few things. One being, not to waste time  being with people you really don’t want to be with. Whether out of obligation or politeness. Out of lockdown, It highlighted to me who I wanted to see and who I didn’t want to spend time with. But being social is very good for emotional wellbeing, so choose whom you want to be with wisely.

I do have a lot of screen time for work and the best way I combat this is by getting up off my chair and walking around for a few minutes.  It stops the blood from pooling, clears the mind and gives my eyes a rest. My husband has a standup desk, however, I actually like sitting so it wouldn’t suit me having one.  Again it all comes back to doing what is right for you.

I don’t subscribe to going to bed early either.  If I go to bed before 1.45pm, I can almost be certain to be wide awake at 4.30am but if I am in bed and asleep by 11.15, my body clock wakes me at 7-715am. It works for me.

If I had to choose one thing to do consistently for an overall healthy lifestyle it would be meditation. It sets me up for getting in the right headspace for all the above. It gives me clarity and peace, reduces any stress I have and just enables me to cope so much better with daily life. If you are new to meditation (or not) sign up to download my FREE Miracle Meditation Audio on our home page.

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This post was all about having a healthy lifestyle by doing what’s right for YOU.

image: Daniela Spector