That’s a scary thought isn’t it? How frustrating is it when your body won’t respond the way you want it to? Why does it keep storing fat cells? Why don’t I have energy? Why does everything seem so hard???
Here is the thing. Our bodies will respond to the environment that we put them in. Seemingly harmless actions accumulate over time and, influenced by the power of The Compound Effect, before we know it we are an extra 20kg’s heavier, we wake up feeling tired, life is stressful, overwhelming and just plain hard. And we have no control over it?
WRONG!!
We can’t control what our bodies do BUT we can control what we do with our bodies. How we treat our bodies. The environment we put our bodies in.
The human body is an amazing thing. It just does its job. It’s OUR responsibility to ensure we are giving it everything it needs so it can do its job optimally.
So what exactly does a Healthy Active Lifestyle look like?
Moving our bodies – have fun with it.
What do you love to do? Is it the gym? Is it group fitness? Is it riding a bike? Going for a run? A bush walk? Dancing? Whatever it is for you just get it done. (Make sure you remember to do something that creates resistance for your muscles, this will help build and maintain lean muscle, which helps to increase your metabolism, and is essential for healthy aging). (P.S. If you like to dance why not come along and try Dance Fit at KAMA in Lower Hutt – only $5 to come along as a casual attendee and loads of fun!!!)
Nourishing our bodies – Stick to whole and real foods.
Our bodies are just not designed to digest a lot of the junk we put in our mouths. Garbage in equals garbage out. And years of poor food choices compound over time and have a detrimental impact. Forget about the weight – the majority of non-communicable diseases can be prevented through making good nutrition choices.
Do you love yourself enough to clean up your eating habits? To learn what you need to in order to make better choices? You’re worth it. But if you’re not quite there yet in the self love department then what about your loved ones? Don’t they deserve good nourishment? Health, energy, and vitality? Every possible chance in life to reduce their health risks and get the most out of each day?
Mind set – “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change” (Wayne Dyer)
Develop a growth & solutions focused mind set. Like any habit, this takes time to develop. Every one’s journey is different. Start where it feels best. Read, watch, absorb. I started by listening to something motivational on Youtube for 10 – 15 minutes every morning when I got up. While I was drinking a cup of herbal tea, or washing the dishes, or getting dressed. I did this for about two years…slowly but surely the way I behaved, reacted, acted, responded, felt about myself and life, changed.
Then I got more intentional about what I wanted to learn and chose my direction from there. But always learning, always growing, always learning new perspectives.
Stress Less – Stress will play havoc with your health and your weight.
Exercise your “no” muscle. You do not have to say yes to everything just because someone asks you. We wear “being busy” like it’s a badge of honor but how much are we really achieving? Life is for living, for enjoying, for connecting with others.
Take stock of what’s in your life and what just does not need to be there, then get rid of it!!!
A lot of the time we are in a state of perceived stress but as above, if we change the way we look at things the things we look at change.
The stress response is a vital function in our bodies. However, prolonged stress can cause all sorts of issues including weight gain (our bodies are trying to protect us). Until we get back into the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), or relaxed state (which is where we should be the majority of the time) forget about losing weight. You are fighting a losing battle.
Most of us are stuck in a stress state (the Sympathetic Nervous System) so make it a priority to do things to relax your body. Tai Chi, meditation, Yoga, Legs up the wall, watching the sunset or the sunrise every day, or whatever else relaxes you. But it’s up to you to prioritise yourself and make that happen.
Another technique (I learned from Dr Libby) is at regular intervals throughout the day take 20 deep diaphragmatic breaths. First thing in the morning while waiting for the jug to boil, sitting at the traffic lights (instead of reaching for your phone to check texts, emails, Facebook), every hour on the hour. Whatever works for you. But deep breathing is the way to get yourself back into the PNS and like anything, it needs to be done regularly, especially until it becomes habit. Give it a go, I know you can do it and will be totally worth it. Watch how your life changes.
One of my favorite ways to take 30 minutes for myself is to use the Cyclo-ssage Therapy System at 360 RNR in Lower Hutt. While it’s designed to help people relieve chronic pain it’s also super relaxing, great for destressing and just general overall well being.
Start your day with a good night’s sleep – this is a major priority.
We all need 7.5 – 9 hours of sleep. Forget what you THINK you can get by on, by sacrificing a sleep cycle or two you are depriving your body of the necessary time it needs to go through all its restorative processes, increasing health risks, the likelihood of weight gain, and it will be harder to lose weight.
And…by making sleep a priority you will find that you will be more efficient and productive though out the day.
Now where do the shake fit in with all of this? As I said earlier our bodies aren’t designed to digest and process a lot the rubbish we tend to feed; unhealthy fats, excess sugar, white flour, excess salt, preservatives, food coloring. We need to be nourishing our bodies with vitamins, minerals, fibre, quality carbohydrates, healthy fats, proteins, amino acids, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. The shakes are a quick simple way to get all of these in with 1-2 shakes a day supporting good whole real food choices (because remember our food supply is lacking in a few key nutrients) and you’ll start to notice the effects quickly which helps MAKE EVERYTHING ELSE EASIER to do.
When I first started my sleep drastically improved and I now wake feeling refreshed and ready to go. Which has a cascading effect. You are more likely to exercise, to make better food choices (most of the time and I really feel it when I don’t).
But don’t take my word for it. Try it out for yourself, see what happens for you in just 5 days with our low cost trial either at our Lower Hutt Based Smoothie Club or from the comfort of your own home.
Did this help you? If yes please feel free to share on Facebook.
Email: helen@trilogynz.com
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