Being a girl in her early twenties who has just completed graduation and is looking for a job, it might be easy for people to assume that I have a very physical lifestyle, based on the fact that I look completely healthy and fit. The truth is, my daily life does not include a lot of physical labor, and to some, that might sound like I’m not concerned about my health at all and that I might suffer future consequences because of it. To others, the assumption may be that I’m just naturally inclined towards a healthy and slim body structure. Nonetheless, in reality, I’m very much concerned about my health, and although I don’t look for outside validation, my slimness happens to be the one thing that I receive compliments for. The other comments people make are usually about the marks on my skin. But I have learned not to stress about that anymore. As the old Hindi song of Kishore Kumar goes, “Something will people say, as their job is to blabber…”(translated). So yes, my health is important to me, as it is the basis of my overall life, career and dreams. As it is said, health is wealth, and so it is!
In today’s busy world, people sometimes don’t understand that we require both physical activity and healthy eating habits to develop a healthy body. A healthy diet is a way to ensure our exercise efforts show a hundred percent results while making our bodies clean. We live in a world of excess; in particular, we’re surrounded by an abundance of food choices. Most of our beliefs about food, fitness and nutrition today is influenced by the manipulative world of capitalist economy and market. In the scenario of the cutthroat economic world, it’s one’s health that suffers the most.
After a few months of dedicated research, I was able to conclude that healthy eating habits are more important than exercise if we want to live a life filled with forever fitness, development and success. How can healthy eating habits be more important than exercise? First, let me start with how I even became interested in this subject.
It all began with my acne, which can’t be cured by itself or without regular medicines. I have tried several treatments, both homeopathic and allopathic, for years. Out of all of them, only one worked. That one treatment was through the advice of my doctor who made me quit all types of unhealthy products. Within three months, my face was completely free of blemishes or marks from acne.
I have read some of the major theories about evolution, ancestors and our lives in the present-day world. I realized that our physical fitness includes ninety-five percent of our eating habits and only five percent of physical exercise. Both are necessary and interconnected with each other. Eric Edmeades, an author, speaker and entrepreneur, has proven the same in his program WildFit.
What does evolution have to do with healthy eating habits? Well, three thousand years ago our ancestors were hunters and gatherers. Due to climatic conditions and constant movement, they had to store food for survival. This food was seasonal, not a plate full of a variety of food, which has been called a ‘healthy diet’ by our present-day food experts, food code-makers and agencies. A healthy diet is not about eating all kinds of food or products. It is about eating natural, seasonal food that’s not polluted with unhealthy material like chemicals or sugar.
Does this mean exercise is not necessary? No. We still need physical activity to make our bodies completely healthy, even if it is only five percent of the whole process. But what kind of physical activity? I enjoy dancing and basic yoga, and every day for at least thirty minutes, whenever possible, I enjoy doing one or the other. There are lots of options to choose from, like Zumba or even walking. Just don’t limit yourself to exercise that keeps you in your comfort zone. Deliberately push yourself, even if it’s just for five more minutes. In the words of Muhammad Ali, “I don’t count my situps; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count.”
What should you avoid eating for a healthy body? Here are some things to consider:
Sugar
There are more than sixty names for sugar in the world of food production and for a valid reason: people get easily addicted to it. Almost all ready-made or instantly-available food products have a high amount of sugar in them, be it green tea or Cornflakes. The only reason behind feeding you so much of sugar is to make you addicted to it and accordingly, making you a loyal consumer of the product.
Chemicals
What you might think of as natural, isn’t natural at all. Almost every sort of ready-to-eat product, especially the ones which are not raw, has several types of chemicals that are harmful to our body’s metabolism. These chemicals can be any sort of food coloring or preservatives.
Nonseasonal Fruits
The food production industry has developed many artificial means to produce anything and everything, at any time of the year. It is highly recommended to only buy seasonal food, instead of buying all of them in one go. Nonseasonal fruits or vegetables, which might look raw, fresh and healthy, are mostly grown through artificial and unnatural means.
So, what can we do to improve our health? Here are some suggestions:
‘Eat’ Liquid
Yes! It is not necessary to push yourself to drink eight glasses of water every day. You can keep your body hydrated by eating fruits and vegetables that have a high water content. Also, adding a squeeze of lemon to water or making homemade lemonade keeps it interesting, not to mention healthy and refreshing.
Eat More
If you choose healthy food, you’re not as restricted in terms of the amount you consume. But choosing to eat only natural, seasonal, healthy food is the key. The more you choose healthy food, the better your body will feel.
Physical Activity, No Stress
Any physical activity which stretches your muscles is beneficial. In India, squatting to clean the floor is the best physical exercise for ladies! Also, a muscle’s pull and push is an interesting way to keep away the stress. Trekking or walking is one of my favorites, as it is not only easy but the end destination is always a moment of triumph and relaxation.
The truth is, your physical body is a direct reflection of your diet. As evolution is inevitable, there might come a time when we will get used to the foods of our time. Thus, there is no use stressing about how you look until your body speaks to you, suggesting something other than it feels healthy and just fine. If you know it pains, then don’t ignore it! Consult your doctor, and always check with your dietitian. Don’t always rely on Google. Nonetheless, I am quite sure that balanced food intake, along with 30 minutes of regular physical activity, 15 minutes of silence and laughing crazily can help you live a lifestyle of your dreams in the current world! All of this together makes you healthier inside and out.
As I have in many of my articles, I would like to conclude with a quote by one of the world’s greatest dancers:
“…Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye but the dance lives on. On many an occasion when I am dancing, I have felt touched by something sacred. In those moments, I felt my spirit soar and become one with everything that exists…” – Michael Jackson.
Art of any type has that power! So, whenever you feel sad now, just eat some seasonal food, keep your head held high, look at your target, take a deep breath and shut the world out for a moment before you start climbing again.
Dance like mad until all your lips know is to smile!
Photo Credit
Photo from Pexels
Guest Author Bio
Ritika Gupta
Ritika Gupta is a published, young female author with more than four years of experience in editing, writing and blogging. She is an eBook designer with her own eBook store. She’s aware of the poor condition of artists/writers in India and thus, aims to continue working as a freelancer who knows the worth of her content. She inspires other artists to fight for the same.
Know more about Ritika here: https://www.ritikapeace.com
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