Oh So You Want to Stay Healthy?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Photo Credits: Cameron Bartlett, Instagram: @snappedbycam

Hey guys!!

New years, new me! Could I have thought of a more cliché way to begin a New Years post? …LOL I’ve actually been saying that quite often and I’m pretty sure people around me are going to start an angry mob if it happens one more time.

But anyways, its time for change! Making New Years resolutions are often criticized by many but I really don’t understand why. Yeah I guess you shouldn’t wait for something to start before trying to live your life or maybe people desire to take life as it happens …but at the same time, I think having goals is so essential for self betterment. And no one should knock others trying to better them selves. That’s just my two cents for anyone that cares.

I do have a really long bucket list of things I want to complete in my lifespan but I find resolutions are more, I guess you could say, urgent and short term. Kind of something you want to work on right away that’s going to add more meaning to your life immediately.  This year I don’t have a huge list of things I want to try and accomplish but I do have one that probably every single New-Years-Resolution-er has as well:

…TO STAY HEALTHY!

Becoming healthy isn’t about loosing weight, I can’t stress how bad of a mindset that is. Looking good is important but feeling good is ultimately what matters. And yes, everyone says that they’re going to become healthy in the New Years but then hops off the bandwagon in February… March at the latest. Making the resolution is the first step and its easy, everyone’s doing it, but the actual implementation part is where people struggle with especially when it involves major health changes. And I don’t think its only because of laziness, don’t get me wrong most people are just lazy, but some people just don’t know how to begin to do those initial lifestyle changes that will successfully Segway them into getting more fit forever. I haven’t jumped on this healthy bandwagon but for about six months now I’ve been trying to get into the best shape I’ve ever been and hope to achieve it in 2016. Here are some of the main tips that have helped me in my journey so far.

Finding a buddy to make lifestyle changes with is one of the biggest differences for me. When I see other people striving for something similar, it in turn motivates me. It’s kind of like when you’re at the gym and someone’s going all out it helps your adrenaline kick in. And also you’re always accountable. When I want to cheat, which is basically like every other day, my sister or my friends will encourage me to stay strong and vice versa. We might not be going to the washroom but the buddy system really works here!

Now on to eating habits, where for most of us the biggest struggles will always lie. The nutrients in the foods you eat is fundamentally what allows you to function properly and eating a balanced diet is vital. But for people like me who just basically love to eat it’s not even about getting the essential nutrients, its just literally hard to stop craving and consuming delicious fatty foods. And don’t be a devil's advocate -_- …fatty foods are delicious and that is a fact, no evidence needed. Back to the point, cravings are so annoying! Like it’s even science, areas of the brain that are responsible for memory and sensing pleasure give us food cravings. But of course anything can be overcome with hard work, even fighting our inner selves. One of the biggest things that help me combat my cravings, particularly the chocolate ones x_x, is to delay them. And it’s funny because its like I’m playing mind games with myself LOL. But honestly thinking about having it later helps me cope with not eating what I crave right away. And sometimes I don’t even need to eat it anymore. However, at the end of the day if I’ve had a good workout I do for sure reward myself with what I wanted. YOLO people. The balance just has to be there. People always ask me how I lost weight when I basically go out to eat like every night. Like hello, just killing it at the gym, you know. But always keep in mind, when you start over eating treats and feed into, no pun intended haha, your yearnings, you’ll just want more and more. Like when I eat too much cheesecake for example I sometimes literally have to crack the whip on myself every now and again and just go cold-turkey for a period. My first world problems are so real.

Another tip is having a controlled diet. Notice how I didn’t say “going on a diet”. Dieting is stupid and take it from me DIETING DOESN’T WORK. My one friend and I tried the craziest diets and literally usually ended up being super emo from lack of food. A good diet and the only diet anyone should go on is enjoying what you’re eating in moderation. In my house this is kind of a general mindset my entire family has, so we’ve been doing this thing where we put a different spin on what we’re eating every month. Nothing extreme like “The Five Bite Diet” where you eat whatever you want but only five bites of it, seriously just imagine the wastage …so dumb, but an actual twist on our food regimes that help with weight loss and are most importantly, health based. For example, one of the changes or “diets” we did was soup for dinner, where we ate hardy soups everyday for dinner for a whole month. It was extremely realistic because they had to be about 400- 500 calories a portion, so we got all our nutrition, but at the end of the day we were regardless having a light dinner because, its soup. And of course we we allowed ourselves like 3 cheat days each, because like I said before YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE. Right now we’re doing The Whole 30 program for this month and so far so good.

Keeping track of your journey helps so much its unreal. I can’t stress how much of a game changer logging what I eat and how much I burn during workouts is. It helps me proportion my calorie intake throughout my meals and I also know how hard or easygoing I need to exercise that day based on what I eat. I use MyFitnessPal, and its seriously fool proof. You can easily log everything from consumption to body measurements so you have daily and overtime reports. Its free to use on your computer and they even have a free app you can use on your smart phones. When you see it laid out you get this whole new perspective on everything you eat, like for example one tablespoon of butter is 102 calories, that’s like 2 cups of broccoli. Or even forget that, I find myself being really practical in certain ways, like why would I eat one slice of cake when I can literally eat like half a chicken instead LOL. One thing to always remind ourselves though is that this is a process that takes a lot of people at least a year. Don’t get weird about calorie counting and under eat. Extreme calories deficits will certainly cause major health problems. You can see how much you should intake based on your age and activity level according to Health Canada though this link-- http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/basics-base/1_1_1-eng.php.

Lastly motivation is key. You’re some kind of next level strong person if you can constantly keep yourself motivated just through positive internal reflection, but for the basics like me I need external motivation. And not everyone has other people to cheer them on during a lifestyle change journey but you don’t need others, you always have the mall! I seriously do things like get myself nice workout clothes so I feel confident and excited about hitting the gym. Another thing I did was go shopping, buy clothes in smaller sizes and throw out the receipts so nothing could be exchanged. Seriously the day I started fitting into some of the stuff I had bought was so rewarding, words can’t even describe. A friend of mine even got the dress she’s going to wear to her sisters wedding in 3 sizes smaller… I know intense, like I really hope that works out for her LOL. Not only do I look better to myself but doing it the right way, by working out and eating properly, makes me feel lighter and more energetic.

Remember you’re not doing this for others, you’re doing this for yourself. And always be the best version of you, regardless of what the scale says #Hater.

Stay fit my friends!

NEW YEAR, NEW…kidding haha.

Naheeda ♥

"The greatest wealth is health." ~Virgil