Think Healthy, Choose Healthy

This book is not about achieving perfectionism. We live in a world where everyone and everything needs to be presented perfectly. However, perfect has different meanings to different people. Think Healthy Choose Healthy is about making healthy changes in a way that is doable. Being healthy is about being able to do it all, but rather about how even the smallest of choices can make a big difference to how you feel. Even at times when you feel that you have no choice, you still do in some ways which I will demonstrate. Healthy eating and living was never meant to be overwhelming or even stressful. I will show you how to be “healthy” in a more simplified way. You Struggle Because You are Out of Balance The truth is, you are here because you feel that something needs to change. Whatever it is that you are doing is not working for you anymore and its time to find a new approach. Whether you feel that you are under high amounts of stress, are completely lacking in energy, digestive system is not working, constantly getting ill, losing weight is an uphill battle, food does not sit well with you, or any other number of reasons, something just is not right and you want to feel healthier again. Being healthy is not about weight loss or even looking a certain way. In fact, being healthy is about feeling good within yourself. This may range from sleeping better, to having more fun, having a stronger metabolism, or simply having more energy. You want a new approach that is simple to adapt into your already busy lifestyle. I am here to offer you exactly that. Follow my approach and you will soon realise that healthy living is actually quite simple. More often than not, the struggle with health starts with something very subtle. Perhaps an occasional headache or achy back. For others, this could mean the odd heartburn, indigestion, or sometimes feeling constipated. These rare occurrences slowly begin to overtake your life. All of a sudden you cannot sleep no matter what you do. Or you cannot eat a meal without going to the toilet straight afterwards. For some reason you always feel thirsty. Or how about this one? You cannot wake up in the morning no matter how many hours of sleep you get. All of these are real health challenges. Notice how I did not mention weight? Yes, you should be at a healthy weight but this is up to you and your doctor or health professional to decide what a healthy weight means to you. In fact, the Body Mass Index, more commonly known as BMI is a standard height-weight chart that is the same for men and women whether you are 18 years old or 80 years old. This chart does not account for age, ethnicity, health history, lifestyle, fitness, or diet. BMI also does not account for actually fat mass or muscle mass and therefore can be potentially misleading in terms of defining how healthy you actually are. Weight is not the only factor that defines health. However, how you feel can define your health. For example, if you feel that you are overweight and would like to lose weight, then this is a real health concern that you need to address. I always tell my clients, unless there is a clinical indication to lose weight, weight loss in itself is a personal choice. In fact, there is an entire nutrition sector dedicated to the model of “Health at Every Size.” Also known as HAES, this model is one that accepts body diversity and actively aims to share that people of all sizes and shapes are also healthy. They promote staying active and eating well within your means, but they also teach body acceptance and embracing who you are. Then there is the opposite of weight loss, which is weight gain. Some people want to put on weight, whether its because they feel that they are too skinny, want to gain muscle mass, or have an underlying health condition. This book can definitely help with weight gain too. With all this said, there is a need that you are feeling that is missing in your life. You may know what it is or you may not be able to point to what the lack is. Something needs to change. You just do not feel as healthy as you used to. As we go on this journey of making healthy living simpler and creating new habits, you will also have the chance to learn more about you. After all, this is your life, it is about your health, so you must do what works best for you. I truly believe that your food choices make a difference in how you feel. The classic saying goes, “you are what you eat.” This is 100% true and your dietary choices are a direct reflection of that in some way shape or form. Your health can affect how you feel mentally, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. Food to people is like petrol for a car. You must have it to be able to function. If you put the wrong type of fuel in the car, it can cause a lot of damage and a lot of money to fix it. Likewise, if you put too much of unhealthy foods into your body it will cost you a lot of time and money to correct it. Every person needs protein, carbohydrates, and fats to be able to function. They are fuel for your body. These are known as macronutrients and can be calculated to see exactly how much you need to meet your health goals. However as my clients will tell you, counting your macronutrients is not a sustainable way to make healthy changes. Without counting, you still need all three for your body to have all essential nutrients directly from food.