Healthy habits for a healthy lifestyle

Hello fellow supporters of SkipItCommunity!

My name is Ivy and I am currently an associate Nutritionist from Australia.
I have been given the lovely opportunity, to talk to you about some of my nutritional tips.

I can tell you all the nutritional advices in the world and workout exactly how much you need to consume and workout in order to reach a healthy BMI or build your dream physique. But let’s face it; there are plenty of health experts ready for hire, free advices from health coaches and gurus on social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. On some days, you love yourself as you are, other days you become so fed up with yourself you start Googling: “Fastest way to loose belly fat.” “Do I have to workout to lose weight?” “Best detox tea for fast weight loss”. By the end of it, vowing to start a new health journey. Now, some of you may be successful, however most will either: Wake up saying: “I’ll start tomorrow” or catch yourself giving into your cravings- and so, cheat day becomes back to old habits.

Let’s back track a little. I said, I was a Nutritionist right? I would now like to confess, my-oh- so-terrible-“sins”. I have struggled with my weight since I was a child and even to this day, I am not physically active enough or healthy enough. NO ONE IS PERFECT. I’m not, you aren’t, let’s face it- we ALL aren’t. And so, here we have a fine example of: Knowledge does not mean taking action.

One of the most misused words in the health industry is, the word diet. This may shock you, however diets are not something temporary or short term. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines diet: “Nutrition is the intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary needs.” Why do so many “diets” backfire? Well, nothing happens over night.

In order to reach optimum health, a healthy lifestyle is all about balance; it needs to be consistently applied. Failure, is part of the process, persistence is the key.

Instead of writing a typical a list, I am going to provide you with nutritional tips, which I consistently apply every day and the days after my failures. Essentially an overall guide as to how you can achieve a healthy lifestyle.

• Stay hydrated! You should aim for: 2 Liters (8- ounces/ half a gallon) a day.
• Eat: Don’t skip on a meal. Eat smaller meals frequently (replenish your body every ~3hours).
• Have healthy snacks on hand; do not give into temptations out of convenience.
• Consume low GI (glycaemic index) foods: Foods in this category are digested more slowly, releasing glucose (your body’s source of energy) gradually, so you will stay full for a longer period of time.
• Cut down on sugary drinks, these are outrageously high in energy and do not offer satiety.
• Establish a healthy sleep routine: A lack a sleep can throw off your body’s hormonal regulations (hormones associated with balancing weight: cortisol, thyroid, insulin, oestrogen and testosterone).
• Reward yourself: Eat your favourite snacks; portion controlled (this reduces the chances of binge eating).

A healthy diet is all about balance and consistency. Happiness should not be defined by the scales or size of your clothing. Stop beating yourself over a bad day, turning it into a bad week. Pick yourself up. Stay positive. Fight for yourself. Love yourself. Do it for yourself and only yourself- not the media industry telling us what is beautiful or the crush you have been all over.

Lettuce, work towards a healthier lifestyle. Because, you should give a fork.

Your not so typical nutritionist- signing off!
Instagram: aimez_lavie