4 ways to make it a 'Lifestyle' not a 'diet'

As many of us go about setting our new intentions and goals for the year ahead, it’s important to have an all-encompassing or holistic view of our lives in order to identify areas where improvement and self-growth may be necessary, especially when it comes to our health and wellbeing.

We may have reached that place at this time of year where we would like to challenge ourselves to achieve more than when we did last year, we may have brand new goals in mind, or maybe we will strive to continue to build upon the efforts we already established in previous years. In all of these areas, owning a holistic health mindset is key for success.

I’m sure many of us are familiar with the commonly used phrase, “it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle”. This is absolutely true in so many ways. When you come to the understanding that the best way to health is from a Holistic perspective, you will see how addressing ALL areas of your health is vital for maximum health benefits. As a Holistic Clinical Nutritionist, it is my aim to help you attain just that… holistic health this year.

Here are 4 simple ways to address your health holistically (not through diet alone):

Diet (Nourishment)

There are more health guru’s trolling the internet right now than I care to think about, with each one promising how their ‘special diet’ or ‘special product’ can transform your life and help you lose weight or lure you in with an endless array of promises.

But the truth is, there is no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits all’ diet where this particular way of eating will benefit everybody. There are many variable factors that each one of us needs to consider (age, sex, activity, life-stage, hormonal needs, existing diseases/deficiencies etc) before adding or removing foods from our meal choices; and some diets that call us to remove a whole food group are often not the most suitable for most people.

The word “diet” itself is one that I don’t like to use, as it reinforces a temporary way of eating to fit a particular type of paradigm. Food should be looked upon as something we incorporate into our LIFESTYLE on a long-term basis, not just for a short period of time until we attain a goal, and then yo-yo back to our former eating habits and lose our health progress.

Eating a natural wholefoods diet is the best approach to take when it comes to attaining health and good nutrition. This is basically eating quality sourced foods from nature, nothing packaged or processed. A personalised nutrition plan can be the most beneficial way to find out exactly what foods would suit your individual health needs. You can speak to a qualified nutritionist like myself to see what wholefoods to include or avoid in your long-term healthy lifestyle approach.

Movement

The beneficial relationship between exercise and health has been well known dating back to the 5th century BC, when Hippocrates said that “Eating alone will not keep a man well; he must also take exercise. For food and exercise… work together to produce health” (1).

This relationship has been further defined by years of scientific research that shows a clear correlation between physical activity and health status. That is, those individuals who maintain an active and fit way of life live longer and healthier lives than those who do not. This association between physical activity and holistic health persists in virtually every subgroup of the population, regardless of age, sex, race or environmental condition (2).

To ensure you get moving this year:

Walk more!- If you have a sedentary job, make sure you get up and walk around every 1 hour, take the stairs instead of the lift or get off 2 bus stops before your stop and walk.

It’s a good idea to invest in a pedometer that counts your steps each day and aim for at least 10,000 steps a day and increase that to challenge yourself through the year.

Resistance Training- A general guide for the population is to exercise for at least 30 minutes each day to elevate your heart rate and promote cardiovascular fitness. Going a step further would be to incorporate resistance training to promote better circulation, increase muscle tone and strength, strengthen bones and joints while also preventing heart disease, reducing high blood glucose, and promote human growth hormone for slowing down the aging process.

Sport that you enjoy!– To make sure you do it often, practice some kind of movement activity that you will enjoy. Either on your own, with a partner or friend or, join a team sport or fitness group to keep you more accountable, and encourage you along the way!

Stress management

Managing our ever-increasing levels of stress, be it physical stress or emotional stress is another vital component of holistic health. When we are stressed our bodies are put into “fight or flight mode” where the nervous system is working in overdrive, we secrete more stress hormone (cortisol) and our digestion, hormones and other body systems are compromised. It is no wonder that consistent stress can lead to many health issues if not managed well. Some great ways to manage stress are:

Exercise, getting fresh air and sunlight, deep-breathing exercises, taking time to look outside the window and look at the horizon, taking 5-10 mins each day to meditate somewhere quiet, stretching, yoga, reading, prayer, diffusing essential oils, and any other activity you enjoy that helps calm down your nervous system.

Fun

And my favourite ingredient to holistic health is making time for fun! Make sure to schedule in some time during the week for activities you enjoy, where you can let your hair down with a loved one or by yourself. This can be one of the most therapeutic ways to health, especially if it has become more foreign to us. Go watch that funny movie or show, hire that babysitter, dress up for your favourite restaurant, have ‘date night’ with your partner, go out dancing, have that water fight in the back yard, or better still, enjoy that well-deserved beach holiday! And do not feel guilty about it, because you absolutely deserve it!

So, here’s to your holistic health resolutions taking place this year. I hope you’re feeling inspired to eat well, get moving, find ways to manage your stress and have some fun getting healthy!

I wish you a very happy, healthy and fulfilling new year! As always, drop me a line if you have any questions.

In health,

Deena x