If you’ve tried a strict diet, such as the ones to lose weight, then you know how hard it is to stick by it. If you’ve also tried a strict workout regimen, then you know how difficult it is to see results unless it's accompanied by a healthy diet.
I for one, have never believed in extreme diets, I think they can be impractical and ill suited to all body types. One cheat meal a week becomes two, and two becomes three, so where is there ever an end? We’re just back to eating unhealthy foods day in and day out, and with demanding lifestyles its not easy to cook every meal to according to your dietary requirements.
I have never been on any diet myself, nor have I ever tried an extremely difficult workout routine and so I’ve never had to “Cheat” any of my meals.
If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you’ll know I believe in sustainable workouts.
I strongly believe that healthy and clean eating comes from practicing a good, efficient workout routine. This means that you’re not tiring yourself out every day just to see quick results. All good things come to those who wait, right? I think all good things come to those who wait, but put in the right amount of effort.
From being an extremely picky eater, barely liking anything home-made, to now a healthy eater (if I do say so myself) who prefers home cooked food over anything else, I genuinely believe that my eating habits have changed because of my practice.
Have you ever eaten something as a child that made you repeatedly feel sick, but your parents convinced you it was just in your head? I felt this way about a lot of foods, and I was convinced otherwise too, but I began to notice that it was just my body’s way of rejecting certain items that didn’t suit it, irrespective of how “healthy” it was supposed to be. More than learning how to eat healthy, ive learnt to listen to my body and be aware of the changes, physically, mentally and during practice. I now notice how my body reacts to certain foods, and if I feel the need to throw up because of a certain food, then I stop consuming it.
For any of you wondering, I practice Yoga but that doesn’t mean I am vegetarian. The reason being; I don’t see a difference in my practice consuming only one or the other. So I enjoy both, and yes I have tried being only a vegetarian for a while too!
I also think with continuous practice, your minds way of looking at healthier food alternatives changes, veggies aren’t so horrible to taste anymore, and you enjoy simply cooked, wholesome foods.
I assure you this isn’t just me! I have never tried to make a conscious change in my diet for the better in a short duration of time. The change was gradual and it took me years to even realize it was happening, but I can say with assurance that Yoga is my primary reason for eating healthy.
I indulge in all kinds of food, just like you I love a good pizza, a cheesy pasta and huge serving of ice cream. I never call these cheat meals and I probably never will. I eat what I like, but I know that I only eat these things once in a while, but I never restrict myself from not indulging in my cravings.
Some tips for those of you who want to eat healthy, but start small :
Eat half of your full capacity ; this is a really simple but extremely important one! Try and limit your consumption so that at the end of each meal you are only half full! This way your digestion is better and it has a whole load of other benefits that you’ll see in rather a short time.
Right meal times; this one im sure you’ve heard before, but stop eating at odd times of the day! Eating at the wrong times can have horrible side effects, and its really not the best for your body or mind over the long run.
Eat breakfast ; Yes, this one is really important too. I would say you can skip any meal, but not breakfast. Not having breakfast can actually make people gain weight! And it really is the most important meal of the day.
Identify your eating habits ; eating habits can be fairly easy to understand, I would suggest that you look at your weekly diet and see if there are any unhealthy elements that you tend to consume often. Once you understand the frequency of unhealthy consumption, try and limit yourself to only consume it maybe once or twice a week. And slowly see if you can cut it out of your weekly diet altogether.
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