Do you need to go on a diet?
Many people think they need to give up all the foods they LOVE and be super strict to get in shape… do you agree? Or do you think it would be better to have a more balanced regime? Which would you prefer?
Read on gorgeous as today I’m going to be talking all about healthier habits and balanced living. I want you to realise by the end of this email – that living a happier, healthier, lighter life is all about balance and not about mega restrictions.
If you know me you will know that for the most part I’m anti the super-strict diet mentality. Of course they have a place and a need when there is a health crisis or a need for quick weight loss or a detox etc but I also think that when we go too strict always and tell ourselves we aren’t allowed something constantly, we then absolutely obsess about it and finally we end up massively binging on the forbidden foods. Do you agree? This is certainly something I have found over the years for myself and for a lot of other people that I know too.
When I was younger I found myself often going into the diet and binging cycle as anything carb related was seen as too fattening in my mind.. but then of course I would want that bar of chocolate even more because I was not allowing myself any. When I started to change my beliefs around forbidden foods and told myself that everything was ok in moderation- this helped me hugely.
It took me a long time to understand how much better balanced, ( not strict dieting) healthy eating and living is for the body, health and your mind and I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years! But because there was always some new faddy regime and diet over the years it of course can make even a health and fitness professional doubt their nutrition sometimes. Don’t you think it can be confusing on what the hell to eat sometimes because of all these diets?!!
But the truth is I’ve definitely found over the years, it’s so much easier to follow a balanced regime rather than super restrictive dieting. This is something that I love to teach to my clients now. Do you have a balanced lifestyle? Is this something you want to do?
In my mind, to build something that’s sustainable, it needs to be something that we can learn to enjoy so we continue to stick to our plans. This is why I created my B.H.M system. This is a lifestyle of an 80/20 regime. Eating super healthily and happily 80 % of the time – so an abundance of fruits, veggies, salads, lean proteins, a small amount of good quality grains etc and then 20 % of the time not so much clean eating and enjoying a bit of chocolate or a meal out with friends etc. No gruelling starvation but living in a happy, healthy balanced way with daily exercise or walking for happy health and wellbeing.
Recently I’ve just come back from Dubai. And many of my clients have asked me how I didn’t put on weight ( except a pound) on such an indulgent holiday so I shall explain how I did it – as once again it’s all about balance.
On this holiday we went half board and I’ll be totally honest the food was absolutely incredible. I’m not a fan of all inclusive as its a bit too excessive for me but half boards suits us very well. In my younger years I would have denied myself having any of the delicious puddings etc that were on offer. Nowadays, I allow myself on holiday to have a little pudding or ice cream alongside my dinner if I so wish. However what I do to combat me piling on the pounds is I will make sure that my daily healthy habits are kept up even whilst on holiday.
This meant with regards to water and food I would do the following… I would drink shed loads of water daily. And I mean stacks.. this meant that I stay hydrated and full of energy. Often If we are dehydrated we lack energy but being fully hydrated ensured that I didn’t just want to lie around all day and fuel up on sugary snacks for energy. Being hydrated meant I had energy and my system was being given what it needed. Sadly I had absolutely no homemade green juice on this holiday and boy did I miss it.. ( I was super excited to get back home to make my juices!)
With regards to food, I would have a pretty healthy breakfast, although a lot bigger than normal, which consisted of natural yoghurt and fresh watermelon, melon and pineapple and maybe some cereal or toast too. I might even push the boat out and have 1/2 a pain au chocolat! We wouldn’t really eat in the day because it was so hot although maybe a lemon ice lolly occasionally.
And then in the evening we would have a 3 course meal every evening… but to be honest most of my plates were full of veggies and salads and some lean proteins and then a super tasty desert or some ice cream. I don’t really drink alcohol so to be honest I didn’t drink out there too… but having a 3 course dinner every night is certainly something I wouldn’t normally do… But because we had a lot more food ( especially the rich deserts) than we would do usually I would then make sure that I increased my activity levels in the day to combat the excess.
This meant every morning I would still go for a quick run to start my day fabulously ( whilst saying out my affirmations of course) and throughout the day instead of just lying on the sun lounger on the beach to sunbathe, my husband and I would often slowly walk up and down the beach – arms stretched out to the sides like we were human planes lol- to try and catch a few rays whilst also burning a few calories. This meant we moved enough to ensure our bodies got the exercise it needed to burn sufficient calories to enable us to have some indulging foods. Honestly life is all about balance.
I really do recommend making small, healthy, better choices on a daily basis so that when you do want to go away and indulge a bit or go out for the occasional meal you can still do this once in a while.
So if you are wanting to start living a healthier, leaner, lighter, fitter and more balanced lifestyle start thinking about maybe doing some of the following..
- Going for a walk daily
- Starting your morning off with a fab mind morning routine whilst also including exercise
- Drinking more water -aim for 2-3 litres a day
- Running around with the kids more in the garden or at the park
- Working out with some weights a few times a week
- Increasing your overall general active living and steps -aim for your 10k steps a day
- Adding juicing into your daily regime for a plethora of vitamins and minerals- helping your system to work more efficiently
- Thinking about following my B.H.M system of the 80/20 healthier, happier lifestyle regime
- Decreasing carbs at the end of the day
- Increasing your veggies and salads massively with your meals
What daily habits do you want to start putting into your regime?
If you would like some help with creating happier healthier habits then message me today….
Have a fab weekend
Lots of love Davinia xxx
