In my younger years, when I used to live with my parents, I was quite ignorant about what I eat and how I spend my day. Most of my activities were backed up by my impulse energy. Most of what I ate was only to treat my taste buds which were quite biased to the processed food available easily in the nearest shop. Even after ample of failed convincing from my parents and grandparents, I never listened. The whole idea of routine bored me. Hence, I barely developed any good habits in my early ages. So, when I moved away from home for my higher studies, for many years I practiced wrong eating habits and irregular regimes. And, what was the result of all this lack of attention for me? Well, I became a pessimist, I lost interest from all activities I used to enjoy, I lacked energy, I had social anxiety, my hair and skin got effected, my BMI was nowhere near the mark, my hormone levels were uneven and I really started to feel like it’s the end of my world. The nutrition deficiency and a sedentary lifestyle took a massive hit on me and pulled me into the dark hole of sadness.
If you have seen the Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises”, you’d remember that scene where Bruce Wayne (Batman) is beaten hard by Bane (the antagonist); he breaks his back and leaves him wounded in a deep, dark prison. I felt like that, completely broken and unable to move. In my case, my own ignorance was the antagonist. For many days, I was unable to figure out what was wrong with me. Why was I not enthusiastic and energetic like before?
It took time but I finally understood what my body needs. I started paying attention to what is lacking from my daily habits. I started to follow some really helpful YouTube channels and Quora posts on health and hygiene. I was no more under the aegis of my parents or my loving grandparents. I had myself up. And, I realized it is every being’s prior responsibility to keep them fit and fine. As the Hindi proverb goes, “Jaan hai toh Jahaan hai” (If you have health, you can have the world”).
That was my wake up moment. And ever since, I love the new version of myself. I have been paying close attention to what I eat, how much I eat and maintaining the calorie cycle by balanced intake and burning. In this post, I would like to share some of the good habits which are essential for anyone. I understand that every person has disparate requirements according to their body type, daily schedule and medical conditions. So, the points which I mention here will be the generic habits which I think can be followed by people of all kinds and ages.
1. Count the Calories
It is really important to know how many calories your body requires. An average person needs around 2000 kcals each day. But, it really depends whether you want to lose or gain weight or just stay fit. It is no hard to count the calories that we eat and burn. It is a matter of simple addition and subtraction. You can always check the amount of calories in the food that you are eating and regularize that accordingly. To find out how much your body requires, it is advisable to consult an Nutritionist or your Doctor. A cheaper way to find this out is to use apps such as HealthifyMe, where one can easily track their eating report.
2. Invest in a good pair of running shoes
Well, if your willpower is not attractive enough to make you wake up to the alarm in the morning and go for a run, get yourself a nice pair of shoes, not just to add it to your shoe collection but to inspire you to get up every morning to wear them and spend at least half an hour or more to religiously work out, go for a walk or practice yoga. There are so many options. I personally like to go for a 5 mile walk; it rounds about 10000 steps, enough to burn about 350 kcals. In case, I have a busy day, I cut it down to fewer steps and compensate the rest with work out reps such as push ups, crunches and planks. In Android Playstore, I find apps such as Fitbit and 30 days workout challenge beneficial in tracking my workout habit.
3. Keep a check on the source of your nutrients
Today, there’s a plethora of options in any marketplace. It is important that we know what we are buying and not falling for the advertising and promotional offers. It is really easy to quickly buy a packet of chips, processed, sugary foods, or pick up a happy meal on the way to your workplace from fast food chains. These foods are cheap, easily available and make us feel full for the day. But, even though these food satisfy the number of calories our body requires, they are not really a good source of the nutrients our body needs. So, it is necessary to keep a check on the source from where you get your protein, carbs and vitamins. I, being an ovo-lacto-vegetarian, go for foods such as green salads, fruits, customised smoothies, fresh juices, milk, curd, eggs, whole grains, nuts and seeds. They work for me in providing all that’s necessary for a healthy living.
4. Breath in optimism, Breath out pessimism
Along with our physical essentials, it is also our duty to keep our mind free of unnecessary distractions. Most of our days’ time goes in screen staring, scrolling irrelevant feed, facing negative environment and sitting at one place. All this mostly leads to depression. So, it is advisable to take out some time of your schedule to dive into nothingness or being aware of your consciousness. Meditation makes your mind relax and free you from all the stress and sadness. It makes one live in the present and lose intangible loads of future worries and ghosts of the past, on which we have no control. A much needed tool to become more proactive.
5. Water is my favourite drink
It is needless to say that how important water is for our body. Yes, just keep a bottle with yourself. A one litre bottle and drink it between every meal. A minimum of 2 litres is recommended but it is always good to go for up to 3-4 litres. Some benefits include lesser headaches, better digestion, detoxifying and glowing skin. Do you not want all that?
Being healthy is not only about having a good body shape but also about having a good mind to generate constructive thoughts and not be pulled into a chain of negative thoughts. It is about being happy and energetic person overall.
Apart from all the enormous benefits one might achieve after following these habits, it is a really enjoyable process. It does not give any instant results. This is a time taking process and requires complete discipline. So, checking yourself in the mirror everyday might not make you notice any change but in few weeks or months, may be the mirror will itself will speak out and praise you and tell you who is the most beautiful of all.
Even if it doesn’t show any instant results, practicing it every day, makes you feel good for yourself and those who find it difficult to understand their purpose in life, feel more positive and figure out ways to get busy living.
And, just like Batman succeeds to jump out of the prison walls and rise above all his miseries, you can do it to by defeating your inner demons. For that, you have to follow the five habits mentioned above and be tough like a fighter.
I am joining Saffola #ApneTareekeSeHealthy initiative and sharing my ways of being healthy in association with BlogAdda.
