What is healthy living?
I used to think it was all or nothing when it came to putting my mind to just about anything! I’m not sure if I changed my mind when I started having children…realizing time was too short to obsess about the little details? In my opinion healthy living is about keeping a balance of “health freakishness” to “practicality/compromise”. I try to follow a 70/30%. I think as with everything in life we can get caught up with perfection to where we obsess about all our decisions and goals, inevitably missing out on the fun life has to offer.
Setting Goals
Let’s not miss the picture here of goal setting vs setting standards too high to where we alienate ourselves from the life around us causing others to think we’re possibly bonker righeous and/or boring. We should instead have attainable goals for healthy living so that we can Enjoy Living! Rather start with attainable goals, not ones that are so strict we get all excited by with New Years resolutions falling short of the target a few months down the line. Here are 3 basic goals I live by.
Goal 1. Exercise
In my opinion doing 20 min of exercise a day is better than doing nothing at all. That and staying active during the day is a good start. You can gradually build up to a lengthier time as you get on. I believe if I tell myself that I can definitely fit in 20 min during my day then I won’t make the excuse of “not having time”and I may even go on to fit in a good 45 min. It can be anything from a quick jog, to dancing with the kids (for all you mama’s out there:-) to doing some relaxing evening yoga. There are loads of “youtube” video’s out there if you need a bit of guidance to get you started.
Goal 2. Diet
There is so much out there in the world of healthy eating with conflicting messages, for example. Eat meat…don’t eat meat. Eat dairy…don’t eat dairy. Wheat is good…wheat is bad, etc. Where do we start? And what is practical to our surroundings and climate? To make it easier start from the beginning. When going grocery shopping buy the basic essentials for the week. Fill your cart with fresh vegetables and fruit, moving on to some protein of your choice, some carbohydrates, and then finally allow for a little treat or 2…just to put a smile on your face throughout the week! If you fill your trolley following the “stick-to-the-basics” rule – with a little treat on the side, you’ll not only start eating healthier but also saving space and money on items that looked nice but are full of nasties, and/or completely unnecessary.
Goal 3. Home Life
Healthy living isn’t just about diet and exercise. It’s also about making good choices in what you surround yourself with. Shopping is a good start. Are you quick to fall prey to the “Sale Frenzy”? Sure – we’re all hooked at one time or another. I’m not talking about saving money on the sales when it comes to something you need that you decided to wait to buy to save money. I’m talking about being prey to the consumer world…buying things we really don’t need. All we’re doing is filling up our houses with items we don’t need or have to find place to store! Encouraging over production and waste. Buying quality over quantity is a much craftier option for us and for the environment.
What goals are you setting?
Remember it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, start small and you’ll get there, enjoying it all the while.
Happy New Year to all Layali Lifestyle readers – May 2014 bring us attainable goals to Healthy Living!
LAYALI LIFESTYLE 