How to squeeze in Fitness and Healthy Lifestyle in Real Life

Over the past years, I have been on and off with my body fitness. I have tried enrolling in a gym, running fun runs and marathons. But as I have said, there were off moments. And those moments were not just fleeting moments. It’s months and even years. I have found many excuses to stop and question myself why I do it and why do I need to do it. And then the “on” moments would come again and I would be active in working out. This is the cycle that I have been experiencing in the past and that I hope now would stay in the past. As I turn old every year I’d like to believe that I have become wiser. When it comes to the food that I eat I don't have much of a problem as I only have short moments of binge eating. I am really not a fan of eating too much. Maybe because it’s in the genes or maybe because my father used to always say “We eat to live, not live to eat”. Or maybe it was just a luck that I am not a fan of eating unhealthy food. Don’t get me wrong I don’t eat clean. I have my fair share of favorites like milk tea, chocolates and chips that I still cannot give up until now.  And we don’t have to give up those. 

Now enough of the introduction. What I want to share are the realizations I have in staying healthy and taking care of my body.

image from healthresults.coach

1. I would have to agree with my father on this one. Indeed, we eat to live and not live to eat. Let us not be enslaved by food. I am not saying that we stop eating those lechon, sisig,and leche flan and what have you. I am all for eating what you want. But (everything in life has a but and we have to accept it) in moderation. 

   

   image from quotefancy.com

2. Given point no. 1, every changes works better if you do it gradually. You don’t have to give up things or food that you enjoy all at once. Take it one step at a time. One thing that helps me in being mindful of what I eat is I schedule them. This week I will eat ice cream and next week milk tea. Whenever I have cravings and about to lose control, I always try to refocus myself and think: why am I in a hurry to eat those things at once or many of those at once?Those food will still be around next week. Then, I’m back on track. 
   
    
3. Many would comment on my no. 2 point, “ It’s easier said than done” or “Oh you’re being too hard on yourself. Loosen up, yolo!”. Exactly, YOLO you only live once. That is exactly why. That is my answer to my “Why do I need to do this?”. I don’t want to live the later part of my life suffering or being limited because of having diabetes or being hypertensive, etc from overeating. Food are made to nourish our body. I take care of my body by feeding it with what it only needs. Anything excessive or inadequate is bad in every situation and not just in food. Love your body the way it should be loved. 
   
4. Now, let’s talk about loving our body. Being fit for me does not mean you have to be slim or thin or have flat abs. Every one of us is different. We all have different body types. For me, being fit is a feeling and something that is not tangible. Of course, you may see signs of being fit through a person’s physique. But for me, not always. As I have said, we all have different body types and for sure we all have our own ideal type. It’s good to have an ideal body type aka body goals. However, for me, for the “ideal” to work you yourself have to define it. Always start with yourself. Your baseline has to be yourself and not anyone else. ‘Cause if it’s J.Lo, you probably don’t stand a chance unless you’re the same body type as hers. But again, for me body type is like your fingerprint, it’s unique. It’s you.
   
5. Focus. I’ll have to end this with focus. After all you can’t do anything or accomplish anything without focus. Focus on yourself. Give yourself time to contemplate. Love your body and treat it as a gift because it is. Do things for yourself and do not compare yourself with other people. Again, we are all unique and therefore we are incomparable. You can only compare your present self to your past self. The question is what is going to be your future self? Focus on that.

Being fit and healthy help you have a clear mind, a happy soul less of insecurities and a body that will make you live your life to the fullest. Love your body and be your own you and be a better version of yourself everyday. There is no right or wrong time to self improvement. Every waking day is a chance. I hope these things will inspire you to create your own better versions of yourselves. 

So how to squeeze in Fitness and Healthy Lifestyle when Real Life is happening? You don’t just squeeze it in. You make it a part of your life. Even making it a lifestyle wont cut it for me. It has to be my life as normal.

There is no secret or shortcut, it’s like brushing your teeth and showering.