Tips for a healthy lifestyle
“Weight loss doesn’t begin in the gym with a dumb bell; it starts in your head with a decision.”
You don’t necessarily need fancy gadgets to start running, neither do you need expensive track-suits to do the first forward-lunge, or pay someone to learn how to plank. The most stubborn hurdle in your path to a healthy lifestyle is your MIND. It plays silly tricks you see, it misleads you about your capabilities and tries to glorify short-cuts. But train it and all your goals will start moving into done-done folder.
Just do it. First day. Second Day. Every day.
Without a doubt, training the body is much much easier than the mind.
I am a work in progress, and working on myself is probably one of my best endeavours. Unless you feel good about yourself, smile often and laugh heartily, how will you convince the world to do the same?
There is no shortcut, trust me. I was once naive enough to believe in crash courses – diets and workout routines, but whatever I lost would come back in half that time. If I can spend on moisturisers and go for hair spas, I can for sure do some push ups to keep my arms strong.
It’s not a struggle, it’s an adventure when every day you realize how much more you can push yourself. You feel proud, you tell everyone, you smile, convince others and feel even more proud!!
So what do I do exactly? Let me just share few things that worked for me.
Break it down
Don’t look at the big picture and go ‘OMG! I can’t do that!‘. Split it. Have monthly goals, fortnightly or even weekly goals. Try to conquer bit by bit. This is why I love one-month challenges like push up or splits. If you are a beginner, google and you will find all kind of challenges. Find your groove, set your mind and do it.
My living room is my gym :). I don’t have a trainer, neither do I attend any class (although I really want to). Start with simple routine, follow it diligently and then move forward. The first thing I do while learning something new is read and watch videos on how NOT to do stuff. So if you are like me, invest some time to educate yourself.
And don’t forget to celebrate small achievements – be it weight loss, plank challenges, staying away from fast food or even drinking water.
Listen to your body
Well, you all know that Yoga is my mojo. I love all sort of core building moves and dancing too, which is an awesome workout in itself.
But I can’t run to even save my skin, my dislike for running increases with every meter I cover. There are so many options these days now – Zumba, pilates, cardio, weight training. Pick whatever works for you. Pack your kids and husband/wife and go indoor rock climbing, challenge a match of badminton, buy a skipping rope and start skipping, wear a good pair of trainers and go brisk walking or even swimming.
Did I tell you that I learn swimming only last year? Because I was tired of being so afraid of water all the time.
And if nothing works, let yourself lose in the wilderness once in a while. Walk across rugged terrain, listen to the wild rustling of leaves and maybe even find yourself a waterfall … to admire and write poems about.
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| Last year, hiking in Blue Mountains |
Eat Healthy
Don’t you cut down negative people or throw away things that bring back bad memories? Similarly you need to keep a tab of things that you are letting your body to process and absorb. If you read my blog, you would know what a nutcrack adventurous foodie I am. I don’t hold back in trying out new cuisines, but not without maintaining a balance.
I guess in that matter I have been fortunate as I dislike potato fries, didn’t take much convincing three years ago to stop eating at KFC/McD, can’t drink any soda drink as it burns my throat and rarely drink alcohol.
I prepare Indian cuisine that includes rice/roti with vegetables/lentils/beans. There’s not a single vegetable I dislike and my husband has to drag we away from grocery stalls as I uncontrollably start hoarding vegetables in the cart. Once a week I prepare chicken and egg curry. Friday is my cheat day when I explore the corners of Sydney looking for awesome dumplings, Laksa or Tonkatsu. I eat three times a day – breakfast, lunch, dinner and about 3 cups of green tea in between. If I am hungry I snack on Sushi roll and have a big jar filled with unshelled walnuts in the kitchen cabinet (the only trouble with that is the resulting dent at the bottom of the cooker I use to break them 😛 If only I was that strong … sigh!!! )
More tips in the below Infographics as well.
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| Source Cotopaxi Cotopaxi is a company that believes in a lot of the same principles that I mentioned in the post. Not only do they encourage getting outside and staying active, but they donate a percentage of every sale to their favorite health, education, and livelihood organizations around the world! Some of their most popular products are their hiking backpacks! |
I seriously hope I didn’t sound preachy and scared away the readers.
Do let me know your health hacks in the comment section.
Word hard and stay humble!
Thank you for this lovely post! It is exactly what I needed right now 🙂
Some excellent advice here. I'm not always the greatest at working out – age, arthritis and asthma have all played a part in that. No more excuses! Thank you.
I love the quotes in your post, Raj. Health is a very serious matter and we must cultivate the habit of focusing on keeping ourselves healthy. I hate to run, too and compensate by walking super-briskly. All other exercise is great. Being active makes life more exciting, I've noticed. Loving your photos on Instagram! Great infographic in your post, too!
Excellent post and I'm glad to have found your blog – you seem to have quite a few posts on weight loss. It's a journey I'm embarking on, slowly, gently, with a lot of kindness and body positivity.
Cheers!
Modern Gypsy
Few years ago I read this book by Rujuta Diwekar "Don't lose your mind, lose your weight" and it helped me lose 8 kgs in one year (all of which I gained back again when I moved cities and had lifestyle changes). But I still do swear by her tips. Yours are pretty close to hers and quite doable too. I've gotta get back on track and your post has inspired me again. Thanks! By the way, it's easier to crack the walnut by holding it between the side ledge of your door and shutting it with the nut held there for cracking. Spare the poor dented cooker! 😉
very timely post, agreed with everything you said. Now I realised so many excuses I was making and have started making small changes. I have renewed my commitment and started yoga again in the early hours and close with meditation in the morning. I have started with rotis for the family with vegetables as all of us need to be healthy, avoiding rice which used to make us feel full stomach. On weekends some chicken or fish. Training my mind to believe and stay active and positive. Thanks for motivating me:)
I am not a fan of green tea but I try to do yoga as much as possible. I don't really cut down on anything because I want to slim up. Fried stuff is bad for me because my system can't process it well but I also have my cheat days. I can't just practice by myself. I need guidance. Until such time I can without guidance, pre – planned yoga is the way to go 😊
Your commitment towards health and fitness is awe-inspiring! I have started baby steps in this direction… a long way to go, but nevertheless a beginning! Hope I can stick to it!
And you just become more and more inspiring! I've often complained about lack of facility or time or space as excuses to not doing exercise and an explanation to weight gain. I've learnt control food though, and it's time I listened to my body like you said. 🙂
Thats such a informative post.. Thanks for sharing and yes am gonna start implementing