It’s a question that I never really thought I’d ask myself as I was happy with my lifestyle. Throughout all my teen years, I never really tried to be healthy, it always seemed to be something that people did just to follow celebrity lifestyles.
I used to eat as much chocolate as I wanted and then when I was at university, I just used to eat junk food like pizzas, pies, take outs etc. I never really did much exercise although I tried a few times to get into it. I tried running (but being in the UK, the weather was against me and I didn’t enjoy running in the rain). I tried the gym but I didn’t feel any real benefits from it and it was taking up to much time driving there and back when I did go. I have a dog but he doesn’t always want to go out for walks (I think he gets that from me). My horse requires a lot more training so I couldn’t exercise with her as I didn’t really have the time to invest.
Anyway, none of this really bothered me until my final year of university where I ended up quite unwell. I started feeling extremely nauseous, dizzy and then started developing panic attacks. I have struggled with severe anxiety but never panic. The doctors and everyone around me put it down to stress which seemed totally plausible. It’s only now in hindsight that I realised it was my diet too.
It’s so important to give your body what it needs so that it can cope with stress as well as normal day to day activities. Luckily for us, it’s a lot easier now to be healthy than it was a few years back. The first thing I would recommend tackling is food.
Honestly, I’m still figuring things out but things are a lot better already and I haven’t had a panic attack for a while. These are my few recommendations for how to eat well.
1. Buy Organic
It may be more expensive but it’s better for you. Some say it has more nutritional value but there are also less chemicals involved in the process and that’s important for you to be healthy. Personally, I notice a big difference in the taste and it seems to suit me and my family better.
2. Eat a lot of vegetables
This one is a bit tricky for me as I never actively tried to prepare veg. My favourite way to have plenty is in a soup. You just boil a mixture of vegetables for 20-30 minutes and then blend together. It’s really tasty but it also means your body is getting what it needs. You can also grill some vegetables as a side dish or cook some of them in the actual main dish.
3. Freeze food and meals
I think it’s good to do a weekly shop and then freeze what I can so that when I want to cook it, it’s more fresh. It also decreases cooking time for some things (like butternut squash which takes me forever to cut). If you want to cook in bulk, you can also freeze them into portions that you can just reheat for yourself when you want it.
There are loads of other things you can do but those are the main things I am focusing on at the moment. The next thing is exercise. Below are some of my suggestions to incorporating exercise into your life without too much hassle.
1. Take up a sport
Now this might mean joining a club or just doing something fun with your friends. I’ve recently started racquetball with one of my friends instead of going for coffee and I feel much better for it. It’s roughly the same price but much more fun and it’s helping with my fitness.
2. Go outdoors with friends
Find a few places you want to visit an go there with friends or family. You wont realise it but you will be building up your physical condition. Me and my friend went to London and I didn’t realise how much walking we did. You could also go biking if the weather is nice.
3. Do some simple exercises when getting ready
When you are at home, doing simple tasks like washing the dishes or brushing your teeth, you can maybe do some simple exercises. I try to do a few squats every now and again. Also, whenever I need to reach something low down, I do stretches to try and get it. It sounds silly, but it improved my posture quickly.
I know all of this may sound silly but it is stuff that’s worked for me and hopefully can help you too. If we can prevent ourselves from getting ill then we should, and we should enjoy a healthier lifestyle in the process.