"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live"
I don't know where or when it began exactly, when I started feeling what my body wants. I guess it has been a slow unfolding journey for over five or so years now. I hope I am not fooling myself, when I think I know what and why I am feeling. Usually it has something to do with either one of those - eat, sleep, exercise. Of course, there are things beyond, such as stress at work, relationships or something of that kind. In this case I am not touching that matter. Purely factors directly affecting my physical well being here and now. Nowadays I think it's even difficult to define healthy.
Some claiming to lead a healthy life style are vegan or raw diet practitioners, who also don't use certain products or brands for specific beliefs. And I mean a lot of products! This is one extreme. There are those, who claim life is too intense to spend time on thinking what you put in your mouth and worrying about it too much. This is another extreme. I am somewhere in the middle. I'll be honest - over the years I've tried a number of diets (which woman is not aiming to lose a kilo or 10 here and there?), have been on a weight gain and loss roller coaster, the same with physical activities - my workouts have been up and down. And yes, I know there are so many inspirational articles and stories out there about changing the way you think, one step or habit at a time and doing it for good. We've all heard that, but... Oh well... We are just human beings, who are no strangers to our old habits, feeling lazy or procrastinating. There's always tomorrow, right?
Some claiming to lead a healthy life style are vegan or raw diet practitioners, who also don't use certain products or brands for specific beliefs. And I mean a lot of products! This is one extreme. There are those, who claim life is too intense to spend time on thinking what you put in your mouth and worrying about it too much. This is another extreme. I am somewhere in the middle. I'll be honest - over the years I've tried a number of diets (which woman is not aiming to lose a kilo or 10 here and there?), have been on a weight gain and loss roller coaster, the same with physical activities - my workouts have been up and down. And yes, I know there are so many inspirational articles and stories out there about changing the way you think, one step or habit at a time and doing it for good. We've all heard that, but... Oh well... We are just human beings, who are no strangers to our old habits, feeling lazy or procrastinating. There's always tomorrow, right?
There is no "this is it" moment in my story here. My ongoing changes are still happening and I do hope (and work for it) they will continue. I did not wake up one day thinking "from today I'm gonna listen to what my body tells me". It kind of sank in over the years.
What can I say more than five years later down this road? There are many benefits - first of all, the way I feel in general. My principle is to follow my own cravings for food and exercise with moderate deviations.
Summary of changes I've adopted:
* Don't eat meat
* Don't eat meat
* Stay away from dairy
* No processed foods
* Avoid any ingredients that have foreign label to me (although in my language)
* Don't count calories - rather avoid chemicals
* Water is my best friend
* Find the way you like to move (exercise) and adopt it as your daily routine. You do wake up each morning, take a shower, brush your teeth, etc. Physical activity must be high on that priority list.
Now come to think of it when looking at my list - maybe I am not somewhere in the middle :).
One other rule I have and hardly ever compromise - no vitamins or supplements in the shape of pills, drops or similar forms. Instead - all kinds of green stuff. With the sprouts - green is quite literal!
Cress sprouts are so easy to grow and take just a few days. All you need is either a special plastic container with a mesh sieve (made for growing sprouts) or simply any kind of container, where you would spread out the seeds and make sure they're always very moist, since water is absorbed very quickly.
Give it a week or so and sprouts will be 4-5 centimeters tall, fit for harvesting. Add them to smoothies, salads, soups, as a side to your protein. It has a tangy and peppery flavor and aroma. To me it also contains a nutty flavor and most importantly - is a rich source of all kinds of vitamins.
Now come to think of it when looking at my list - maybe I am not somewhere in the middle :).
One other rule I have and hardly ever compromise - no vitamins or supplements in the shape of pills, drops or similar forms. Instead - all kinds of green stuff. With the sprouts - green is quite literal!
Cress sprouts are so easy to grow and take just a few days. All you need is either a special plastic container with a mesh sieve (made for growing sprouts) or simply any kind of container, where you would spread out the seeds and make sure they're always very moist, since water is absorbed very quickly.
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| Gazpacho with cress |
Be your own gardener and enjoy a little extra flavor with little effort.
Bon appétit!
