The Secret to Living a Healthy Life

While I am gallivanting around South Africa, enjoy this guest post from my good friend Michelle!!

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Hi Friends! My name is Michelle and I’m a good friend of Krista’s. I’m here to tell you the magical recipe on how to lose weight, tone up, feel fit, and live an all around healthy life.

Guess what? There is no magic recipe. ::sad trombone::

But that’s good news! We’re all different. We’re designed to be individual, so why would any one eating plan or exercise work for everyone?

I’ve tried it all, ask any of my friends. I went pescatarian (gave up all meat except seafood) for two years, I am now on my third round of Whole30 (aiming to do it quarterly), I’ve done a fruit flush, a 3-day juice cleanse, paleo, etc, etc etc. I could really go on. I’ve tried all sorts of eating plans short of a pill or supplement (they scare me, and I am a true believer that there are no healthy shortcuts) so I’ve come to learn something during all of my “experiments”:

Do what works for you.

During each one of my food adventures, I found that I’d like the programs for the most part, but not in its entirety. I obviously enjoyed being pescatarian because I ate that way for 2 years but I relied too much on grains and legumes to make up for the loss of meat and actually ended up gaining a considerable amount of weight. When I tried paleo after completing Whole30 I found I was getting so caught up in what I could and couldn’t eat. When I did the fruit flush, I realized it was crazy.

In the end, I know that all I need to focus on is eating fresh, whole foods. Sounds simple right? To not stress about rules and think about the greater plan: to live a healthy life. I’ve learned that the best way for me to eat is to just focus on eating whole, fresh foods and to not stress too much about a froyo splurge, a macaron, or a juicy burger with fries.

Eat REAL Food!

Will my way of eating help someone else? Maybe. Maybe not. You just have to try different things to see what makes you feel good and like your most healthy self.

You could say the same thing about exercise. Between CrossFit, Zumba, running, and all sorts of exercise, there’s a plethora of options out there for people to stay fit. Is there one magic workout that will save us all? No. I hear so many contradicting things: cardio everyday but strength train only 3 days a week, more cardio and no weights, work out in small amounts throughout the day. It goes on and on.

I tried running. I actually used to be addicted to it but in the end it was too hard on my knees and it got boring. For me.

I then discovered fitness through dance. First it was zumba and it was a blast. Dancing yourself silly and dripping in sweat. Then, my now love, pole dancing. I could write a whole post about this itself, but I fell in love with this so much that after 4 years later, it’s become a huge part of my life. In fact, I’ve been teaching for over a year now. I also like to lift weights, which is something I never thought I’d say. But I am focused on toning up and getting lean.

So again: do what works for you.

I know a lot of people think the gym is boring. That’s fine. Get out there and try a new class, go for a bike ride, a run, just walking. Get out there and find what workout you enjoy. Because we all know that if you don’t like the gym, for example, you’re never going to go. Forcing yourself isn’t going to make the experience any more pleasurable. Doing something exciting is what will keep you motivated and help you towards your goals of being fit.

Krista tried CrossFit and now she loves it. I remember her telling me she just wanted to do it twice a week and now she’s going all the time. My friend Chelsea tried zumba and she loved it so much she went through the training to become an instructor. If your workout isn’t making you excited, get out there and try a new class. You might discover your newest addiction.

Want to connect with me? I’m all over the web! You can find me blogging at heylovedc.com about everything – life, pole, health, photography, my dog, etc. I’m also on Twitter, Instagram, and I design at heylovedesigns.com