Healthy eating all year round: moving away from dependence on the “summer project”

Photo by Anna Pelzer na Unsplash

There is a famous saying, although somewhat beaten, that the Brazilian year only begins after Carnival. Likewise, the famous song “Águas de Março”, by Elis Regina, reminds us that summer is also approaching its end.

Adding these two factors together, we remember that at this time of year it is very easy to leave discipline aside when it comes to self-care, and this in several aspects: mental, bodily and more. The “summer project” begins to lose strength along with the season itself, and the end of Carnival also usually represents a re-entry into routine, which is not always the healthiest.

Without these “seasonal motivators”, it is important to find ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially with regard to diet and exercise, throughout the year – after all, the body does not need care for just two or three months, but rather all the time.

How to maintain a healthy life all year round?

First of all, you need to be aware that creating diets or exercise routines on your own, that is, without the help of a competent professional, can sometimes be as harmful as simply not maintaining any discipline in the way you eat. and train.

It is not up to us to judge the morality of those who try to use weight loss techniques such as calorie counting, intermittent fasting or similar alternatives – and we will not do that, as it is not the objective of the article.

What we want to explore are general healthy alternatives for anyone, not just people who aim to lose weight, develop muscles or things like that.

Even before consulting a nutritionist or personal trainer, most people already know how to improve their overall quality of life when it comes to diet and training.

When preparing food, for example, there is a consensus that the less industrialized and more natural the ingredients, the better for the final result in terms of nutrition.

Likewise, knowing how to balance the use of foods based on the nutritional characteristics of each one is an important step to obtain the best results. It's no surprise that the information on food labels is increasingly detailed, with people paying attention.

One of the processes involved in understanding the nutrients and elements of a food is that of titration which allows measuring the acidity of a citrus product, for example, and helps people not to overdo it with more acidic food, or to know how to balance it with a food with a more basic characteristic.

Therefore, do not ignore the labels and such valuable information when shopping, after all, we are what we eat.

Creating plausible and realistic goals

Regardless of the season, it's important to create goals for a healthier life – and we're not necessarily talking about “I want to be comfortable with my body to go to the beach”. Of course, this is a valid reason, but aesthetics need not be the only motivation.

Make better choices When it comes to food, it goes through aspects that we often leave in the background. or we even ignore it – for example, having more energy for everyday activities, from work to time with family and friends.

Whatever the goal, it must be realistic in relation to the routine and limitations that we all have. Someone who sets out to be able to do a full 42km marathon can certainly get there with the right focus, training and discipline, but it will be difficult for them to achieve that goal if they don't really commit and, perhaps more importantly, give it time. time to improve body and mind throughout the process.

Balance: healthy living x food terrorism

Another essential and often neglected aspect in adopting new practices is not punishing yourself for mistakes and not getting carried away by the much-feared “food terrorism” – that is, falling for the story that there are “forbidden” or “evil” foods.

This directly relates to the goals aspect explained above. Setting a goal is important, but knowing that the path to it will be arduous is also important, and it's better to stumble once and get back on track than to give up after the first failure.

Yes, it is possible to improve the quality of life with adequate nutrition and exercise (always counting on the scientific knowledge at hand to make the best decisions) and still enjoy eating what you like, even if it is not the healthiest of foods, or allowing yourself to go outside the rules at certain special moments – weekends, trips, events with friends and the like.

Again: it's better to stay on the path, even if slowly and with natural slips, than to throw everything into the air. The goal is there, and there is no timer for the finish line – everyone goes at their own pace, and the most important thing of all is to feel good about yourself, always.