For March, our LAYOP Fitness tip deals with one of the most important subjects of each person's day: FOOD! Yes, we are going to talk about food and how it can be enjoyable and healthy. Most people view food as their daily source of protein and energy. Others view food as their "happy place," a flavorful destination that can only be achieved in the kitchen. However, eating everything in sight might not be conducive to living a healthy and productive lifestyle.
Living life at your own pace comes with the responsibility of taking care of your body. The phrase "You are what you eat" is the perfect example of accepting the daily challenge. Now, we're not licensed dietitians but we are advocates of living a healthy lifestyle that promotes happiness and fulfillment. In order to receive the best of both worlds, we feel that moderation is your new best friend.
Having a balanced diet is the first step: it is imperative to make sure you actually eat and eat the right things often. Many people skip the most important meal of the day, which is breakfast (and drinking coffee in the morning doesn't count either). Switch it up, folks! Try eating a piece of fruit, a bagel or yogurt.
Cutting down on the number of "cheat meals" will also improve your eating habits. A cheat meal is considered to be a meal that may not be the healthiest for you but is one of your favorites (i.e. pizza, pasta, burger, ice cream, etc.) If you're used to eating five cheat meals per week, try cutting that number in half and only eat two cheat meals. We all have our cravings and fall victim to the hungry monster that lives inside each of us.
When you make the commitment to live a healthy lifestyle, 80% of the work happens in the kitchen. The remaining 20% is daily exercise. In my younger days, I thought it was the opposite: 80% exercise, 20% diet. However, as you get older, you become wiser and realize that you can't eat fast food everyday and keep your abs (or actually get them).
Eating should be fun. Eating should bring you pleasure. However, eating should not be your everything. Food is only a small fraction of life. Your health is your everything. Without it, life can become difficult.
Please enjoy the video below, practice a balanced diet daily and always remember to LAYOP! :-)