How Words Can Be Misinterpreted:
Wellness is not a one-size-fits-all. I was prompted to write this article after having a conversation with someone I met at breakfast during my travels. It all started with chia seeds and that person telling me that certain words I use to describe my work made them feel uncomfortable and not belonging. What????
I am thankful for having that conversation because it made me aware of how the definition of “creating a healthy lifestyle” and use of words such as “diet and habit” are misinterpreted by many.
My company is based on the knowledge and expertise gained from my personal lifestyle since birth with health and wellness. I do not speak on medical practices, body image, gender, race, or sex. I educate on how food connects to our mind, body, and soul. Customers lifestyle and well-being are between their bodies and their doctors. What I provide and teach is applicable to anyone on all levels.
We all have different bodies and minds, which means we’ll each have different needs and challenges on our wellness journey. I tell my customers - comparison is the killer of joy; don’t let someone else’s fitness story negatively impact yours. However, the earlier in life you start to care about and pay attention to your wellness, the better off you’ll be when you reach 50, 60 + years of age. There’s no better time like the present to get your health affairs in order, just like you do with other areas of your life.
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, HABIT, DIET
These three words were the reasons I was misunderstood, so I’ll shed some light on each:
1. HEALTHY LIFESTYLE - A way of living that LOWERS THE RISK of being seriously ill or dying early. Not all illnesses and diseases are preventable; however, a large proportion of deaths, particularly those from coronary heart disease and lung cancer, can be avoided or slowed down.
What is the difference between healthy and lifestyle?
Healthy refers to being free from disease or abnormality, on a physical, mental, and emotional level, or to the harmony between the body and its environment.
Lifestyle refers to the patterns of interaction between individuals and their environment.
2. HABIT: Something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way. An example I use with my clients is - “do you brush your teeth once and consider your mouth forever clean?” Brushing our teeth is a habit forever engrained; it becomes automatic and keep us supported. Same method can be applied for a healthy lifestyle. One that’s forever engrained and supported.
3. DIET: The type and variety of foods that we regularly eat. It does not mean starving or restricting yourself. It just means either changing the usual variety of foods, reducing, or adding certain types of foods we consume regularly due to how our mind and body reacts to them. Although it has the word “diet” in the name, it’s not a diet at all. It’s a lifestyle.
I’m a firm believer that if you want a donut, then you deserve to have a donut. But it’s important to understand that there is a fine line between eating what you enjoy and eating absolutely anything you want. For example, it would be unwise to have ice cream and donuts as every meal. It would be delicious, but it wouldn’t be great for your overall well-being.
It’s an idea that allows you the freedom to eat whatever you’d like while still staying on track towards your goals. The issue is that many people misunderstand (and will continue to misunderstand until the end of time) what that means. It doesn’t mean that you should eat whatever you want all the time. For example, if we just ate whatever we always wanted with no regard for our overall health, we’d survive off only donuts, ice cream, and pizza.
Being flexible means knowing that you can eat whatever you want at any time. It doesn’t mean you’re going to eat pizza every single day, but it’s understanding that you can enjoy pizza every once in a while, and be perfectly healthy and happy.
Traditional and outdated dieting methods make us believe that choosing pizza is wrong, and eating it is counterproductive to a healthy life. That’s just not true - you can be perfectly healthy AND enjoy foods that may not be super nutritious if it’s okay with you and your health care provider. We’re not robots. We’re going to have cravings. We’re going to want food that may be less than best choice, but if we focus on living overall healthy lifestyles, there is nothing wrong with having ice cream for dessert or apple bread pudding for breakfast.
This sounds great, but how do I know when I can have unhealthy options?
Here’s my example - when I’m on a road trip and stopping for an iced coffee and a quick breakfast, and want the sausage egg & cheese sandwich, but also really want a lemon filled donut. I can certainly have both. However, I don’t want to consume 1,000 calories for breakfast because I’ll be sitting in the car for a long time. There are obvious ways to save calories, like ordering egg whites with no meat. But I want that sausage egg and cheese sandwich!
By making 2 simple swaps of choosing turkey sausage instead of pork, and an English muffin instead of a croissant, I can now have a donut for fewer calories than the original sandwich I would have ordered (of course the sugar content is higher because it’s a donut! But I’m not depriving myself.)
And, suddenly, having a donut doesn’t seem so bad. This is the core of creating healthy lifestyle habits without diets and restrictions.
For a variety of delicious and healthy recipes that can be tailored to your liking pick up a copy of my award winning cookbook & spice blend, HERE.
