So I haven’t been blogging lately, and with good reason. We had our second baby girl, Genevieve, on July 2nd so things have been less than calm. I'm loving the choas, though! But since her birth I’ve been thinking about health in many different capacities. While I love focusing on food and nutrition, there are so many other parts of life that affect your overall health. And this blog is called “eat.live life.” I think I’ve focused too much on the eating part…so I’m here to give you my endless wisdom on the living life part! Or at least some knowledge on other aspects of health.
Our health is affected by the food we eat, how much exercise we get, how much sleep we get, our level of stress, our happiness and our lifestyle. Genetics also impact health, but there isn’t much we can do about that so I focus on the things we can control. Each part plays an important role and with our super busy lifestyles our health doesn’t always take much priority. But if one or more of these areas are not adequate, we could potentially lose years off our lives or at least lose healthy and enjoyable years. So look at each area and see where you can make changes.
Nutrition: Do you eat enough fruits and vegetables? Do you include nuts, seeds, beans and legumes in your diet? Do you get enough fiber? Do you eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods? Do you make most of your meals at home or do you eat out often? Do you pay attention to portion sizes? This last one is one that most people lose sight of. Portions are completely out of control in this country and those extra calories add up quickly.
Exercise: Do you workout 3-5 times per week or more if you are overweight or obese? A person who is overweight or obese may need to workout 6 times per week for 60 minutes to lose and keep off their weight. How active are you outside of the gym or your set workout times? Do you sit at a computer most of the day? How much television do you watch?
Sleep: Do you get 8 or more hours of sleep? 6-8? Less? Do you rely on caffeine or sugar to get you through the day? Healthy sleep habits can greatly affect our health, not to mention our mood, concentration, energy level, etc.
Stress: How many hours do you work per week? What is your commute? Are you still working even when you’re “off the clock?” Do you travel for work? Is your home life stressful? Do you have debt? Do you have kids?
Happiness: How much time do you take for yourself? Do you have supportive friends and family in your life? Do you have healthy relationships?
Lifestyle: How much alcohol do you consume per week? Do you use nicotine? Do you take prescription medication? Do you use drugs recreationally? How much time do you spend outside? What do you do in your spare time? Do you have spare time?
I will try (in all my free time!) to devote some time to each of these areas, but it’s important to remember that our health and our ability to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight are determined by so many factors. Fixing just the diet or exercise portion might not give you the results you want. It’s also important to know that being at a healthy weight or being thin doesn’t mean that a person is in good health.
I’ll give you a quick look into my personal life and make “public” where I want and need to make changes.
I feel pretty good about my nutrition, although there are times I find myself without the time to prepare healthy food and since Genevieve was born, we’ve relied more on frozen and prepackaged food. I know we’ll get into a groove and I can get back into cooking healthfully. I am definitely lacking in the exercise department. I was working out up to the day Genevieve was born, but since haven’t been able to do much. I sneak in Pilates and ab workouts during the day, but I know I need some cardio to get back to my pre-baby weight. But I’m not willing to go back to the gym yet and it’s been too hot to walk outside with a baby. But in time, that will change.
My sleep is ok, considering I’m breastfeeding a newborn. I’m trying to go to bed at a reasonable time and every once in a while I get a little nap in. I’m trying to make it a priority and get as much sleep as 2 little girls will let me. I probably average about 6-7 hours, but in increments. Again, that should improve with time. When it comes to my stress level, I think I’m managing better than I had expected. Matt is back to traveling and left Monday for two weeks. That’s a long time with a 3 year old and a newborn, but Joy is adjusting really well and I haven’t let things get too crazy. Nothing I can’t handle, and I usually get some downtime in the evening to recoup. My husband is amazing and so supportive whether he’s here or on the road. I am so lucky to have him in my life. Relationships tend to either cause or relieve stress, and while Matt might do both at times, I am blessed to be married to my best friend. I have a few really great friends here in Virginia, but I miss so many family and friends on the West coast…and spread all over the world. I would love the girls to get to spend more time with their extended family, and to have a little help right now, but we communicate through Skype, emails and phone pretty often which helps.
As far as my lifestyle goes, I feel this part is very healthy and keeps me balanced. I don’t use medication at all (natural births with both girls, too), and other than an occasional glass of wine I don’t drink or use drugs. We spend a lot of time at the park, I get to spend some time pursuing my hobbies (photography, exercise and nutrition are my favorites) and I have the opportunity to be at home with our girls every day. I wouldn’t want to give that up for anything. So while I might not be thrilled about the extra weight I have right now, I’m enjoying things as they are, in all the daily craziness. I know that everything else will work itself out.
