Hi everyone,
How are you? I had a really happy week, finally.
To be honest, the first six weeks of self-employment were incredibly difficult. I was super stressed about practically nothing. My imagination about things going wrong made me anxious, whereas things around me are *touchwood* are going well!
I felt I couldn’t take it anymore and discussed this in my writing community when my friend Max told me that a creative field can be difficult if we don’t balance it out well. I used his technique of setting particular tasks to do in a day and shut my laptop when they’re done. And this made a world of a difference!
In the past month, I’ve got the worst acne in the longest time but just a few days of being calm has probably helped the hormones calm down too. I feel so, so much better now.
So if you’re stuck in a messy situation, considering using Max’s strategy? P
I recently posted something on LinkedIn, a little bit about me. Feel free to scroll down and check out what the title promises if this doesn’t interest you. :)
A quick update on my ebook on side hustles
It’s already undergone one round of editing and I’ll do another round on Monday. My website is getting a new look too so I’m still hopeful for it to release at the end of this month.
Of course, you’ll be the first ones to know!
These 11 Daily Habits Made Me Incredibly Healthy
A lot can change when you shift from ill or average health to good health. No matter what your age is, you’ll see improvements in various areas of your life.
Whether it's relationships, being more active to play with your kids, getting rid of hormonal disorders or looking like a million bucks — good health has something for everybody.
In the last 7 years that I have been into fitness, a lot has changed for me. From dropping 55lbs to battling a hormonal disorder, from being the silent kid who never raised their hand to becoming a confident woman, it’s these little things that have helped me get here.
During my weight loss journey, I often saw people with little or no experience in fitness give me complicated health advice. They told me to follow particular diets and stop eating fruits!
But if you’re new or looking for motivation to get ahead in your fitness journey, take it from me – it’s the simple things that count. To be healthy is our body’s natural state to thrive and that doesn’t need complicated meal plans or diets.
And moreover, being healthy isn’t an outward-focused act. What if you get abs and remain unhappy, do you count that as good health?
Being healthy is an elevated state of mind and body, and here are eleven micro habits that keep me in fabulous health.
1. Waking up to gratitude
I wake up and think I’m so grateful to sleep well and safe and wake up in good health. Coming from a developing country, I see people living in huts and straw houses not too far away and can only imagine how secure they feel during cold, rains, and storms.
Waking up to gratitude is an instant mood booster and pumps happy hormones. I have also been writing a gratitude journal for 5 years as a morning practice.
2. Having water
I drink water upon waking up and drink nearly 3 litres of water a day. The frequent walks to the washroom also keep my steps count up which is at an all-time low due to working from home. Having water is a free resource with numerous benefits as even mild hydration isn’t good for the body.
I know you already know this, so it's time you execute it.
3. Working out on an empty tummy
I won’t debate on what's better, working out on an empty stomach or with a pre-workout meal/supplement. I just know that this is what suits my body the best, and we all have different bodies. With diets, there’s no one-size-fits-all.
So figure out what suits your body the best and do that.
4. Workout 5x a week
I strength train 4 times a week sometimes followed by yoga. Apart from that, I keep 2 days for yoga or one for active recovery (short walk/stretch). Exercising has been changed my life. More than giving me a body I’m so happy with, it’s also a great way to start my day feeling uplifted.
There’s no shortcut to good health, and exercise is integral. Start with once a week, and move up gradually.
5. Adequate rest
Earlier, I used to over-work out if I overate. As I gradually developed a healthier relationship with food and got to listen to my body with frequent meditation, I’m now aware of when my body needs rest and I respect that. If that means to workout only 3 times a week, I do that don’t push my body further.
Respect your body and let it rest when you feel it. Overtraining can be dangerous.
6. Brain downtime
I’m all in for productivity, but I like to give my brain a break as a downtime. Each day after lunch I watch a bit of Netflix or get a quick nap.
Give your brain time to relax from all that optimisation you try to do. The engine needs to rest to function at its best.
7. Eating *mostly* healthy
Here’s a guilty pleasure – I love fries and coke when I travel. But apart from that, I have a glass of coke maybe once in three months. I try to eat healthy on most days and freely indulge in alcohol and an unhealthy snack once a week at maximum. Balance is the key, and I’d rather eat one piece of chocolate every other day than binge on chocolates at once.
Being healthy isn’t a 3 or 6-month diet plan but a way of living.
8. Not worrying about food
I’ve had times where I felt really guilty about eating too much or too late. I’m ashamed to say this but in university, I’ve even starved myself for a meal if I indulged during the day. Now, I set myself free. I trust myself to make the right choices depending on my body’s needs.
Treating your body as a friend instead of a machine helps.
9. Regulated alcohol intake
Alcohol is high in empty calories, and cocktails are high in sugar. According to Harvard Health, it also has other negative impacts such as
High risk of dementia
Liver disease
High risk of depression and anxiety
But humans are social beings, and I admit to loving beer in summers and mulled wine in winters. To have the best of both worlds is again like the previous point, finding a balance.
10. 8 hours of sleep
My friend told me that sleeping 8 hours a day is like spending 1/3rd of your life sleeping. I feel that sleeping 33% of your life means the remaining 66% will be a healthy one, and thats worth it.
Getting good sleep helps me wake up fresh and recovers my muscles. It also helps you boost your mood, regulate your blood sugar, have a healthier heart and controls your weight.
If you have troubling sleeping, I recommend reading Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. It is an eye-opener about the benefits of sleep and has strategies to sleep better.
11. Being mindful of my energy
Everything has energy. What you speak and think has energy. I consciously practice regulating my energy by trying to think, watch, and speak positively. I don’t indulge in negative content online and try to speak and think well about situations, people, and most importantly — myself.
The most beautiful benefit of this has been eliminating negative self-talk. It let go of my self-doubt and skyrocketed my confidence.
Lastly
To be healthy is to feel your best mentally and physically. It’s not about getting abs or being in a particular shape, but about staying safe from so many illnesses and diseases that you could otherwise get.
I know many people will tell me how I have it easy or it’s simple for me to say this because I’m young or skinny, but it took me a lot of hard work to get here. It wasn’t easy to wake up at 6 am every day for 3 years to shed 55lbs.
And you can do it too because it's the mild changes that help us make massive shifts towards a healthier lifestyle.
Even if you think of practising one out of these eleven things, I applaud you to get a step closer towards your healthier self.
I hope this helped and I’m SO grateful that you took out time to read this. Your time is important, and it means the world to me to own a fraction of it.
It’s often the ‘basics’, which done consistency, take you a long way.
If you enjoy my newsletter, I’d love for you to share it with your friends and family. I’m just a few followers away from hitting 1000 - so exciting !!!!!!