On Getting Healthier and Optimism

Photo by Julia Zolotova on Unsplash

Hey friends,

Most people believe that getting fit is only about eating healthy and exercising. But in reality, creating a healthy lifestyle and maintaining it isn’t about just those two factors. 

It’s usually about being able to keep a positive attitude, practising mindfulness, and a healthy self-image. It starts with creating and building better healthy habits. The key to building lasting habits is focusing on creating a new identity. Your current behaviours are simply a reflection of your current identity. What you do now is a mirror image of the type of person you believe that you are—either consciously or subconsciously. 

There are a ton of advice out there to achieve a healthy lifestyle, here are some key factors. 

Eat the rainbow

Pick brightly-coloured foods in the produce aisle at your local store. These are high in antioxidants (antioxidants remove free radicals in our body that damages our cells) and make a more appealing plate. Here are a few examples to look out for:

• White (Bananas, Mushrooms)

• Yellow (Pineapples, Mangoes)

• Orange (Oranges, Papayas)

• Red (Apples, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Watermelons)

• Purple/Blue (Blackberries, Eggplants, Prunes)

• Green (Guavas, Avocados, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Celery)

Cut down on processed foods

Processed foods are simply not good for you. 

They are extremely low in nutrients compared to whole unprocessed foods. Most nutritional value is lost in the making of processed foods and the added preservatives are bad for our health. These goods contain a high amount of salt, which leads to high blood pressure and heart disease. 

In general, the more ingredients on the label, the more processed the item. 

Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments.

Avoid negativity within yourself

You don’t need negativity from yourself, either. Let go of all negative thoughts with yourself. 

Negative thinking blows out of proportion. Over eating tends to happen when one feels unhappy, so by staying in a positive state of mind, you cut out an unhealthy dependence on food to be happy.

Drink more water

Most of us don’t think enough water every day, but it is essential for our bodies to work properly. 

Water is absolutely necessary for carrying out our bodily functions, removing waste, and transporting nutrients and oxygen throughout our bodies. Since water is expelled every day through urination, bowel movements, perspiration and breathing, we need to replenish the amount of water in our bodies constantly. The amount of water we need depends on a variety of factors, but generally an average adult needs two to three litres a day. 

A good way to tell if you are getting water is by your urine—which should be either colourless or pale yellow. 

Take your time eating

Your brain, not your stomach—is the organ responsible for feelings for hunger and fullness. 

If you take your time during meals and eat more slowly, you allow your brain adequate time to send the ‘full’ messages to your stomach and allow food to be fully digested. Don’t rely on a clean plate to tell you when it’s time to stop eating.

Become an optimist

Be a balanced optimist. 

Nobody is suggesting that you become an oblivious Pollyanna, pretending that nothing bad can or ever will happen. Doing so can lead to poor decisions and invites people to take advantage of you. 

Instead, be a rational optimist who takes the good with the bad, in hopes of the good ultimately outweighing the bad, and with the understanding that being pessimistic about everything accomplishes nothing. 

Prepare for the worst but hope for the best - the former makes you sensible, and the latter makes you an optimist.

Stay mindful,

Pách Deng