Keeping up with health

Ola! I've been doing some thinking recently....

HOW DO WE KEEP HEALTHY IN THE LONG RUN?

It is the toughest thing to do. I love to feel re-charged and energized, but I've grown to dislike mundane things. These things represented me, now I've changed. I don't like to have oatmeal for breakfast every single morning. I want to have my full-fat cake and eat it too, sometimes. How am I going to cope with it all? My weight has once again increased because I'm still meandering through, trying to experiment with different things. Thankfully, in a short amount of time (about a week), I've come up with a conclusion... for now.

1. Enjoy going out with your family and friends (pic below: broddy and me). 

They may not make the best choices, but you can! And when I put it upon myself to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in people's lives when it comes to health, eating with them gives me a bigger "stage" to showcase my knowledge as well as discipline my own choices. 

2. Treat yourself, and I don't mean that overloaded hamburger!

I have grown a love for chocolate of late. It's great because chocolate is said to release endorphins in our bodies, not only that, it has health benefits too. The best brand I've finally sourced is Venchi, found at the basement food hall of Takashimaya. I only love DARK chocolate and pure white chocolate. So these that I bought include a mix of various dark chocolates (75% to 85%) from their 'healthy heart range' and a small amount of pure white chocolate from their 'specialty range'. 

3. Eat your greens/ fruits FIRST thing of the day.

The abundance of nutrients in your fruits and veggies get absorbed BEST on an empty stomach. It passes through your digestive system really quickly and FUELS (fills) you up. I had this plain salad wit balsamic and a multi grain roll the other day for a first meal. It works wonders on the body. Even if you don't love fruits and veggies, just do it, these things can be accustomed to, really!

4. Always choose healthier alternatives even when there's none.

What do I mean? Your body may be hungry and the house is filled with "great" carbs, fats and "delicious" things. Make a good choice. There is BOUND to be something healthier around. Today's lunch, I fixed me a wholemeal sandwich with a slice of WeightWatchers cheese, boiled broccoli atop a canned Korean jajjang (black bean paste) tuna. When I just didn't feel like eating the best Ezekiel bread, I do not have to resort to other "delicacies", I love wholemeal bread too, so while it isn't in my 'BEST FOOD' range, it sure beats the carbs from instant noodles.

5. Read, read and read labels! 

Yes, trust none but yourself. Read the nutritional labels for fats, fiber, etc. When dining out, scan through your menu. You're paying for your food and putting it into your body, you have EVERY RIGHT to pick out the best. Keywords include: steamed, poached, baked and sometimes grilled. Look at this appalling text at the restaurant yesterday. "FRIED" and "HEALTHY CHOICE" obviously do not go together. Unless it is air-fried (fried without oil), you can be sure it's loaded with artery clogging fats. Imagine, we only need 2 tablespoons of olive oil a day. You cannot possibly use 2 tablespoons of it to deep-fry anything for nuts. 

Being healthy is my personal conviction. I do not view it as a chore or a means to be slim. It is what is found in my body system that encourages me to always want the best for myself. Sometimes in life we can never get the things we want, or achieve the best in everything. But when it's just you and your body, surely there's a way about things! 

xoxo. God bless.