Being healthy is a way of life. A way of being. A mindset. Being healthy takes dedication. Being healthy is a lot easier than people think it is. I know that because I have gone from one end of the spectrum to the other. I have also figured out the trick behind maintaining health AND happiness.
So many of us believe that health is unattainable. We believe that in order to be truly healthy, we have to spend hundreds of dollars on health products, fully loaded gyms, in-home fitness equipment, personal trainers, nutritionists and any other health type product out there. These are all great, and in time, accumulating them would be extremely helpful, however they are not necessary to achieve a sustainable level of health. You only need to change your mindset. And that comes with time.
A healthy mindset isn’t only focused on diet (and by diet I mean a way of eating…not deprivation). It is focused on all aspects of your life. Personal development, diet and exercise. It focuses on relationships with friends, family and colleagues. It focuses on your activities. A healthy mindset allows you to thrive…not live a life of deprivation, unlike most fad diets out there. When you have a healthy mindset, you achieve health in everything you do. You think more clearly, you act sharper, you live happier.
I have learned firsthand that depriving yourself of foods in your diet doesn’t work (unless you need to due to allergies of any sort). At one point I was on a gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian diet. It was rough! When I went to BBQ’s, I couldn’t eat anything delicious. No hot dogs. No hamburgers. Pasta salad was out of the question and no beer. It was torture. So I decided to change that. It wasn’t necessary to deprive myself of so much.
Making the adjustments, and telling myself that it’s ok to treat myself every now and then, and enjoy life in so many fundamental ways, really made a difference. I give myself “treat days” rather than “cheat days” because there is no guilt to it. Treating yourself every now and then is a gift. Gifts make you feel good. Cheating makes you feel bad. Why would you want to make yourself feel bad? A treat day can consist of anything from ice cream, wine or food that is not gluten free (for me). Only you can decide what your treat would be.
One thing that is key, when taking on a healthy mindset, is to realize that it’s not all about food. It’s about a mindset, about a full body and soul health plan. Resetting your system to live a full, happy, healthy life that allows you to thrive.
Ultimately, only you can decide what healthy means to you. However, it all starts as a mindset. It all starts with a decision.