Staying motivated is one thing where healthy living is concerned, but there is also being able to maintain an overall healthy lifestyle.
It has taken me so long to realise what is right for my body in terms of health and fitness. At one point I was under eating an over exercising and eating all of the wrong foods. The comparison between my life then and my life now are complete polar opposites. I’m in such a great place right now and no longer chasing skinny but striving to be happy and healthy!
For this week’s One Step Closer to Healthy post I thought that I would share a few tips that have helped me to stay happy and healthy as part as my new long term fitness goal.
Don’t sweat the small stuff
I used to feel so guilty if I didn’t work out for over 1 hour a day, of course now I realise how silly this was. Just getting out there and doing something even for just 15 minutes is still worthwhile. It’s not the quantity that counts but the quality of the workout.
Balance
I am a great believer that balance is key to a healthy lifestyle and cutting back on everything that is deemed “bad” in your diet may cause you to overeat on a load of junk food. A little of what you fancy does you the world of good, but just have one cookie instead of the whole cookie jar.
Being organised
With a busy lifestyle it can be hard to stay on track but being organised really helps with this. Meal planning and even preparing meals the night before to take to work is a great way to make sure that you’re eating healthy outside of home. Check out my Life as a Commuter post for some great tips on staying healthy even when time isn’t on your side.
Take it easy
After an injury I used to be really hard on myself and tried to carry on training at the same pace before my injury. However, I realised how dangerous this was and I could have caused further damage. Now I make sure that I rest up and ease my way back into exercise once I have recovered from an injury.
This links back to my first point about not sweating the small stuff. Feeling guilty that you cannot workout because you feel like you are somehow failing your body is something that I’m sure we have all experienced. However, during my own journey I have come to realise that missing a few workout doesn’t mean that I’m going to turn into a blob. In fact, after a period of rest from exercise I feel that I get my best workouts in as I feel re-energized and eager to get back to it.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is all about perception too, learning that resting and easing off exercise when needed has done me the world of good and given me a healthier outset.
For me health and fitness is a major part of my lifestyle and my long-term goal is to be happy and healthy and I have never felt better.
Check out my previous posts on how to get into healthy eating and healthier cooking methods if you need to catch up.
How do you maintain a healthy lifestyle? Please share your tips below as I know that they are appreciated by others.
I really needed to read this today. I did get to the gym (but only for a quick 5k) and ended up eating pizza and gelato with friends for lunch and I couldn’t be bothered with dinner so I ended up eating bread and jam. Wasn’t my greatest day. But I am glad to be reminded to just relax, because you’re right – don’t sweat the small stuff.
It’s nice to just eat your food without any consequences niggling in your mind, which is how I used to eat. It’s great that you had fun with your friends. Food should be fun and enjoyed, good or bad.
Love this post! Chasing healthy and balanced is SO much more important than striving to just be thin. So happy that you’ve found your happy medium in life 🙂
Thanks hun! It’s taken me a while but I’m so happy that I made the change in perspectives.
It’s all about balance. In my opinion I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been at the moment. I tend to make ‘healthy’ choices the majority of the time and this means that I then don’t feel guilty if I do fancy some icecream or chips with my salad. I work out six days a week. If I miss one day, there’s still five more. It’s taken a long while to find the correct balance for me, and I believe everybody is different but it really is all about doing things in moderation.
Having support from those around you also plays a part. I’ve seen people teased for not staying out late drinking on a Saturday night as they have a race in the morning or for not picking a mixed grill whilst out with their mates and I’m very lucky to have friends and a boyfriend that support me and my choices to live the way I do.
I’m so glad that you are in a good place. Having a good support network is also important, I’m very lucky in that respect.
For me it’s all about being part of my routine. It’s just second nature for me to run or eat healthily. Obviously I don’t always eat healthily – where’s the fun in that?? But normally I do and so when I do enjoy a treat (like cake) I really enjoy it and appreciate it for what it is.
It also helps that I love running and couldn’t imagine not doing it every week!
Cake is always good in my opinion! 🙂
Balance is definitely a big one for me. I love eating healthy and keeping active, but there are definitely those times where I need to let myself indulge in unhealthier habits so that I don’t end up feeling deprived.
So true! Deprivation can end up doing the reverse i.e. over eating. I think it’s best to have a little bit of what you fancy every now and then.
I sometimes tend to go to extremes, which is why balance is so important to maintaining a healthy work/life balance
I totally agree, balance is everything.
I love this post! I went through a similar period but as you say, every little helps. Just because I haven’t got time/energy for a formal workout doesn’t mean I shouldn’t enjoy a walk or stretch and relax instead!
Exactly! I think doing something is better than nothing no matter how long or strenuous the workout. 😉