The few things I’ve done so far to be healthier are pathetic. Yet, I can’t help but feel accomplished! I’ve changed some things about my lifestyle that I’m actually proud of, because I took the initiative and I could go through with them. For me, this was a big step.
1. Cutting on sugar. I don’t drink tea with sugar anymore. Sometimes I add some raw honey to it (which I can get for a really good deal from a friend) if I’m feeling particularly spiffy that day. I also don’t eat flavored yogurts – I buy flavorless ones and then add honey and slices of fruit. Sometimes my dinner is a bowl of muesli with these yogurts and truthfully, it really wasn’t that hard to make the transition. I do feel myself enjoying this quite a bit, unless I’ve been craving chocolate all day.
2. Drinking tea and water instead of sodas or processed juice. I have never felt better by drinking tea – it’s relaxing, it’s yummy and it’s natural! I do need to drink more water though.
2. Shampoo and shower gel. I don’t use those anymore; I’ve actually switched to organic soap that, despite not being all-natural is quite an improvement towards the enormous toxic-containing label of shampoo and shower gel. I do dye my hair so sometimes, in the first few weeks, I do use color-staying shampoo. But I wash my hair separately from my body; that is, I lean over the tub and wash it and THEN I get in the tub and scrub myself clean. And I know hair dye is really bad for you too but I’m taking baby steps! I will eventually stop dying it or at least try henna or something of the sort.
3. Cutting on the chocolate. For me this has been really hard and I haven’t been following this rule as strictly as I would have wanted but it’s something I’m working on. Firstly, I’ve started investing on fruit or oatmeal or fiber cookies. I know they’re not ideal but I’ve checked the label and sugar and fat-wise, they have lower percentages. So it’s still better than when I was eating tons of chocolate every day and feeling sick because of it.
4. Doing some exercise. Not much, I have to admit, but I do try to walk as much as possible. I use the stairs instead of the elevator, unless I’m in a hurry or carrying heavy groceries. I do walk instead of taking the bus (because I don’t own a car). And I do have a little bicycle-thingy that I’m supposed to use more when I’m home but I’ve been conveniently forgetting about it lately. I don’t know, it’s just weird and fussy and annoying. And I need to be sitting, so it’s not practical for me.
5. Sleeping early. I like to sleep, a lot. But I was never one to go to bed early, even if I had to get up early the next morning. I simply wasn’t sleepy and got too distracted with the computer or the TV. So I decided to make an effort and go to bed no later than 10, 10h30 at most when I have to wake up at 7h or sometimes 11, 11h30 when I can stay in bed an hour or too longer. This applies to every single day, including the weekends. I’m so used to it by now that I find myself feeling exhausted if for some reason I got past my bedtime (it sounds so childish) and have the need to go to bed right away. I can’t even function by then, and I’ll fall unconscious in less than a minute. So, needless to say, I haven’t been going out much.
6. Sitting straight. I’ve always been told to sit straight and don’t slouch and I never cared about it until recently, when I got such bad backpain that I couldn’t sleep or even do anything properly for days. My neck was sore, my shoulders, my spine, the small of my back, everything ached. So I started paying attention to how I stood (I always shifted my weight to one leg while standing – not anymore) and how I sat (slouched like a rebellious teenager) and correcting those postures as frequently as possible. It did get some time to get used to and I do still slouch sometimes (like now, while I’m writing this) but I’m definitely better.
7. No alcohol or smoking. This was actually something I had to do because I was taking medication for my anxiety. I also started taking birth control recently so more to worry about. The smoking… I’ve never actually liked the idea of putrefied lungs so I never actually smoked in my life. I did try once but that could hardly be called smoking since I didn’t inhale. And when I tried to, I almost choked to death. I get sick just with the smell of cigarettes, but only when they’re burning. I love the smell of cigarettes still in the box, don’t ask me why. I always try to get away from smoke when people around me are smoking and I always ask my boyfriend to avoid it around me, which he does.
8. Being calm. I’ve been trying to relax more, not take things or people so seriously and generally just let go of grudges or any bad vibes that meet me. It’s hard for someone as hot-headed as me but I’m getting there.
Basically, this is what I’ve been doing to try and improve myself. I do have some things in mind to do more, which are:
1. Yoga.
2. Go vegetarian and then vegan.
3. Get a work-out activity.
4. Reduce a lot more my sugar and fat-intake.
5. Something else I don’t remember right now.
I do love my computer and I do stand too much time in front of it. I waste hours in this computer, doing pointless stuff, and I should get outside more. But oh well.
I guess the real reason why I’ve been getting so health obsessed lately had to do with not only my anxiety/hypochondria but also my acne. At 18, I thought I was free of this epidemic but apparently, it found me. So after some research I realized food played a big part in it and I decided to do those changes. With birth control I don’t have it anymore but I do have scarring, which I hate. Still, compared to how I was before I’m thrilled with my skin now and I can’t believe I don’t need to wear copious amounts of make-up to feel presentable. I do feel a bit self-conscious about it but nearly not as much as before. I just feel I’m the only one who actually cares about this and life’s too damn short to be this vain.
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Merry Go Round 