Hello Followers! I’m sorry that I abandoned you once summer ended, but I had a very busy semester at college. I was an Intern for Healthy UNH and as an intern I was in charge of writing a blog every week regarding nutrition, physical activity, mental wellness, or healthcare consumerism. I also attended school events with the other interns to inform students about ways to live a healthier lifestyle using campus resources. This internship was a great experience for me even though I’m not a nutrition or a communications major because it made me realize that there is so much more to living a healthy lifestyle than the way you eat.
Recently I decided to read through all of my posts to find motivation, and to understand the mindset that I had during the summer. What I realized by reading some my previous posts was that I started with very good intentions and I slowly became a little obsessed with clean eating and becoming a vegan. That’s how it goes. We all start with good intentions, but sometimes we go too far and our goal to become healthier ends up creating an unhealthy lifestyle.
I came across an instagram account this morning, and it was an account run by a girl who is about my age. This account was about fitness and healthy eating, and the picture that stood out to me was the one she posted last night. It was a picture of a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. I read the caption and it motivated me because she discussed how she was previously labeling herself as a vegan and she realized that her goal was to live a balanced lifestyle, but restricting yourself completely from major foods is not balance. She said that she will stick to a mainly plant based diet, but not label herself as a vegan anymore. I’ve decided that I refuse to label myself in any way. For me, I think that a vegetarian or vegan label put too much pressure on me, and I began to restrict myself in unhealthy ways.
I’ve realized that mental wellness, physical activity, and nutrition are all key factors in living a healthy lifestyle. I’ve been working out 3-5 days a week, and it has been very important to me to not feel guilty if I can’t make it to the gym, or if I’m just not in the mood to go. I have also been making a conscious effort to change my mindset regarding eating healthy and working out. Instead of doing it to lose weight, I’m doing it to remain healthy and active. The number on the scale shouldn’t matter, the way you feel should.
I hate the whole “New Year, New Me!” movement. It’s a new year, but I’m not changing who I am. New years do give me motivation to reboot and restart, but I’m not going to become obsessed with anything, or label myself anymore.
2016 will be a year of successes, strides, failures, and setbacks. I’m ready for anything this year has in store, and I feel a sense of freedom by taking this new approach to living a healthy lifestyle. Last night I ate a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and guess what? I don’t feel guilty, I really don’t. It doesn’t mean that I am unhealthy or fat, and I can’t think that way anymore.
The obsessing and labeling days are over. I will be posting about my nutritional and workout habits and how that impacts my mental and physical health. The purpose of this blog is to inspire others to live healthier lives without creating unhealthy habits.
I’m excited to take on this journey, and become happier and healthier.
~AML
Healthy Living 