In today’s world we find ourselves bombarded with information about how we should take care of our body; exercises, diets, types of foods, work out routines, etc. The number of people getting involved in a healthier lifestyle has definitely increased, some may do it just to get the “summer bod,” others may do it because they want a healthier lifestyle and some may just get dragged along into the fitness world; everybody has their reasons and that’s okay. Social media is constantly showing us the latest workouts, meal plans, workout guides, training tips, etc., which can be very overwhelming for any person who is just starting to get on board with a healthy lifestyle.
For this reason, I think it is important to share about the most effective diet, which I have started implementing. As of now, I’ve lost and gained, but overall it has made me question my ways. The diet is not based on torturing myself in counting macros, calories or adding points. Nor is it a question of measuring my waist and arms every week, let alone doing cardio for two hours every day. This diet doesn’t even involved food.
This diet is simply based on self-love.
I listen to my body, nurture it, move at my pace, challenge it and pamper it. I negotiate with my anxiety, I feel my emotions and I allow my body to tell me what I really need, not what it wants.
It’s not a diet of two or six months, it’s a change in my every day lifestyle that involves immersing myself to face my own challenges and to break down the walls that prevents me from making real and fulfilling changes, more than just getting some abs and perkier butt. It’s a lifestyle change that is throwing away my old beliefs; knocking down my walls and making me face my fears.
Sometimes we follow routines and diets without actually knowing the effects it has on our body. As we get to know ourselves, we will know how we can nourish our body; what kind of thoughts we need to implement, what habits we need to eliminate, what kind of food our body tolerates and what kinds of routines enable us to achieve effective results. With each workout or whatever activity we choose to do, should make us feel alive and full of energy. We well know that motivation comes from within, but it’s also important to choose activities and routines that allow us to enjoy what we are doing and challenges us physically, mentally and emotionally.
Trainers and diets have the power to change our bodies; they can help us improve our performance, physical appearance and health. But beyond changes at the physical level, we must be aware that changes need to go hand in hand with internal changes. Every goal that we want to achieve in our life begins with a thought, with time we develop it and we begin to create a plan to achieve it.
As we start to plan it out and visualize we begin to move our body on the inside, and this impels us to bring it to life by looking for the ways to accomplish it. We start looking for dietary information, different types of food, exercise routines, trainers or friends who support us to achieve the desired change. And as we begin to move inside and out, we will start to recognize what we need to increase or decrease during the day. And even though we might have our trainer on our back telling us to “be careful with what we eat,” it turns out that beyond our food intake, it is our emotions that need to start “toning up.”
Our eating habits reflect our emotional state. If we start observing what we eat when we are happy, sad, angry, anxious, etc., we can notice how our food choices vary from one to the other. In order to achieve lasting and fulfilling changes we need to start by accepting ourselves first; there is no diet or pill more effective than accepting who we are right now. Nothing is more effective than SELF-LOVE.
When we know our starting point we are able to carry out a plan that fits us and is based on the love we give ourselves, not on what others expect us to be. When we begin to make decisions based on self-love, we will notice a change in our relationship with others and ourselves. We begin to free ourselves from that which intoxicates our day-to-day life, whether they are thoughts, behaviors or relationships. We begin to feel lighter when we move away from relationships that “absorb” us and do not contribute in our way.
As time goes on, we begin to feel the need to seek alternatives that nourish our soul more, and we put our ego on a “restrictive diet.” Just as we love to look good, it is important to also feel the same way. It is important to match the glow on the outside to the glow on the inside.
We all have different paths that we can take in order to accomplish our goal in mind, it’s just a matter of listening and attending to what the body is asking for. It’s not about losing 5 pounds, building a bigger butt or toning the back; it’s about how we are feeling during the process and what kind of internal changes we are achieving in order to enjoy the end result.
Sometimes we achieve the desired result, but we still feel the same on the inside. So it is important that we can go step by step identifying what we feel, take the time to be alone and begin to recognize what motivates us to improve our health.
The perfect body does not exist, and little by little we understand that it’s not the number on the scale, hours of training or the latest diet trend; But rather it’s about choosing a lifestyle that allows us to enjoy what we eat, improves our health, increases our tranquility and allows us to grow at our pace.
Let’s start to increase the smiles, reduce the insecurities and implement shakes of acceptance and gratitude.
Author: Daniela Ortiz
Email: [email protected]
Author Bio: Life is a combination of love light and darkness and writing helps you connect the puzzle pieces together.
Link to social media or website: Instagram @ortzdani | @eljardinenmi | www.eljardinenmi.wordpress.com
