The Simple Life

Life Style Choices. - Simplicity Is Key.

Ever looked in the mirror and realized you've put on a bit of weight, and then noticed your jeans are just a bit too tight and your gut is sticking out a little more than usual OR Woken up on a Saturday and been tired and unenthusiastic about life? Yeah me too.
Unfortunately for me, I lack in a minor (major) essential attribute required for success in life; Discipline (that in turn means patience). I have this strange way of dreaming BIG and forgetting the baby steps to the bigger picture, so I get really really addicted to something, but don't often see it through. So I did a bit of research on how to get healthier, progressively. Here's my conclusion.

If you're anything like me, you wake up in the middle of the night and opt for that quick late night snack and go back to bed, you set your alarm for 6am but find an excuse to stay cozy in bed instead of go for that early-morning run and you always, always make excuses when it comes to unhealthy luxuries- i.e 'This is the last time' OR 'Only one bite'.
Here are some simple and easy to follow guidelines on how to keep both mind and body happy, and HEALTHY!

FIRST
Forget your crash diets, and fat burning pills, your soup diets and your personal trainer. This isn't the biggest loser, no one will force your dieting and working out on you. It is not an instant makeover #InstaSkinny #NoSuchThing

SECOND
Get moving. No walking from your bedroom to the kitchen and back doesn't count, lazy. All it really takes is 20 minutes a day of getting your heart pumping... Go for a run/a bike ride/ do a boxing session, pick anything! Cardio is good for the heart and good for the mind. Stress does not help weight loss!

THIRD
Eating healthier. No, don't go cutting out all your favorite chocolate's and candy. Depriving yourself will not teach you anything about discipline, once you're off your diet, you will jump back on the fast food train and all your efforts won't be worth it. Portion control is key. The easiest way of watching what you eat is by increasing your intake of whole grain, fiber, fruit, veg and protein. By no means should you cut out all the things you love to eat, you should just condition your mind into thinking them of them as more of a treat than a go-to snack. Also, try your best not to eat fast food. It's full of trans fats which usually leads to high cholesterol and diabetes.

FOURTH
No more smoking and/or alcohol. Again, this doesn't mean you can't ever have the occasional beer with friends, but all either do is impair your judgement and condition you to think that you NEED an un-natural substance, to aid you in day to day life. They serve no good purpose, if you can, cut it out!

FIFTH
Sleep! A friend of mine not too long ago, stressed to me the importance of sleeping a minimum of 7 hours and a maximum of 9 hours every night. This isn't only good for your brain, it's good for your body too. Resting helps your muscles relax and repair after a long day. NO this does not mean you can oversleep and become a sloth, this means you sleep the appropriate hours and get back up healthier and in a much better mood. Sleeping in makes you more tired than sleeping less. Remember that.

LASTLY
Stress? What stress? No secret's here, there is stress in everything you do, typing this means I stress my mind and my fingers into taking action, but I can't stress to you enough - see what I did there?- the importance of de-stressing. The easiest way to de-stress is to talk about, and let go of your problems. But beware, the relationships around you shouldn't be a constant cause of stress for you, a friend who puts you down, or makes you feel bad, isn't a friend, they're a foe. Be wise in your decision making and make sure you always keep good, strong and positive people around you at all times.
To be honest, the only full proof form of stress relief I have ever participated in, was prayer and meditation. I think a lot of people have a big problem with accepting that there is a God who is in control of our lives, because we are so caught up in taking control ourselves. I find it rather comforting that the big guy in the sky is looking out for me, plus, I always know I''m not alone!

So to simplify,
FOOD = GOOD FASTFOOD = BAD

EXERCISE = GOOD SMOKING = BAD

SLEEP = GOOD DRAMA =BAD

I hope my guide lines helped, they sure as hell were a great stepping stone for me!