Jessica Style

My relationship with food has not always been a healthy one. But as I have grown older (and hopefully wiser) I try to learn from my mistakes. Some of you might relate.

We like to postpone the beginning of our quests to a healthier lifestyle by saying things like: “I will just start over on Monday”, “On the first of next month”, “starting with the New Year.” But why don’t we rather lean on someone else to hold us accountable. Share your fitness goals with your partner, family, friends … you might be surprised at the support you get in return. They might even want to join in. I often find tasks to be more fulfilling when you have a friend to share them with. You could even find a friend through social media, where you can connect and support each other.

Nix the foods that don’t serve your goals. Out of sight, out of mind they say, so something must be up. How likely would you walk or drive to the store just to get a bar of chocolate or a gelato on a warm summer day? If you ultimately decide you do want to go, I suggest picking a greener option – walking, (or an alternative version to it – biking, rollerblading…) and that way you’ll burn the calories off anyways. Make a date out of your sweet outing, tell your friends to join you.

Substitute your sinful habits with healthier options. You might love a hearty granola bowl in the morning. Make sure you’re granola is not hiding too much sugar in it. And try substituting some of it with unsweetened coconut chips or dried fruits. I gradually made my morning routine healthier by substituted milk for a scoop of greek yogurt, granola for coconut chips, added some fresh fruit, and seeds to the mix, sprinkled it all with powdered stevia and now I like it even better then I did the old version. I also switched from drinking my tea sweetened with honey to either agave syrup or stevia. Experiment. And if the thought of it sound daunting let us know below, so we can help you out…

Always have your water bottle nearby and filled with healthy liquids. A lot of times when we feel hunger it is actually thirst. If water is not your thing, then mix in some fresh fruits, lemons, raspberries, peaches, oranges, mint, or whatever you have at home. These practical infuser bottles are an easy way to add natural fruit flavors to your drinking water.  Whatever your preference in beverages is, just make sure there are no artificial sugars added, those would make you crash quicker and therefore make you crave sweeter foods at your next meal.

Commit a good 10 plus minutes to working out every day; it tends to speed up your metabolism, making you feel lighter and more capable of achieving whatever goals you set for that day. A study from the Oxford University has shown that people who practice yoga once a week

– have less stress

– have lower blood pressure

– sleep better at night

Set a time for it and treat it like it is a business meeting (as it, after all, is a meeting with yourself). I promise you that you’ll be happy with the results. Find rituals that work best for you and use them to your advantage.

Those tips helped me establish a healthier and happier life and I’m looking forward to hearing your tips on doing the same, maybe you have an inspirational story you’d like to share with us, too. Please write it below, we’d love to hear from you.