Healthy living on a budget
I always thought living a healthy life would be expensive because when I wanted to eat healthy food and searched for products that have "clean" ingredients, the price turned out to be so expensive.
They are all indie brands.
And every business has to make a profit in the end.
But are they targeting well off people, IDK?
Why would they think I could afford it?
Man, I would also love to eat some healthy treats.
But what to do when you want to live healthily?
There are some basics which you need to do to live healthy both body and mind
1. Exercise
When someone says, "I work out," my mind thinks they go to the gym. Do you think the same way?
Gyms are expensive. If you are planning to go to the gym, you need to look for proper equipment and a trainer to guide you in the beginning. All these costs you a lot. For many of us, it is not affordable to go to a gym, especially the good ones.
So what to do? Skip working out?
That's where a home workout comes in place. Not only is it great for awkward people who don't want to interact with people, but it is also cost-effective.
You need a little space. That's all.
You can do bodyweight exercises to begin.
This is not a promotion, I really like her
I love Natacha Oceane's home training guide with no equipment. She explains the science behind it too.
There are lots of bodyweight exercises. Yoga and pilates are some of the workouts I can think of right now.
Or the most basic physical activity- WALKING. You can always find ways to walk to increase your physical activity. I have already talked about it in the previous blog. Click here
You can also spice it up by using resistance bands. It will add more resistance to your body which helps target muscles better and is economical.
Or buy some dumbells/ankle weights and use them.
You can watch youtube videos or Instagram, where people post workout ideas. There are many people you can check out and follow at home:
2. Drink water
Drinking water is self-evident for survival.
But why am I saying this in "healthy living on a budget."
That's because you might have experienced cravings in the middle of the day or the evening (around 5 pm ish).
Those cravings either come when you are hungry or when you are dehydrated.
In the first case, eat some snacks like fruits, nuts, etc. And for the second case, drink a glass of water and wait for some time. The cravings will gradually reduce.
And don't drink carbonated drinks or juices instead of water.
Whenever you are craving, you tend to take out food. So always have enough healthy options at home to prevent ordering food from outside.
3. Nutrition:
Tip 1: Always choose veggies and fruits which are in season and locally available.
Why? because
A)they are delicious
B)foods grown locally provide the nutrition we need the most.
For example, coconuts grow naturally here in the southern part of India. It beats up the heat of the tropical state and provides us with the necessary fats and nutrients.
C)Seasonal fruits and veggies have the least chemical preservatives and fertilizer. For example, if you are buying avocados that are not grown here. They add preservatives to make it remain fresh for an extended period.
D) You can buy from a local vendor in a way supporting them.
You must be wondering about chemicals added to even local fruits and vegetables. Do you know you can remove 95% of the chemical pesticide by adding baking soda to water and soaking it for 15 minutes?
Tip 2: Always home cook your meals
That's quite common in Indian households, but after a tiring day at work, it is easy to order food from outside because it requires less effort.
So least effort is the keyword. You have to make your meals with minimum effort. There are a lot of recipes available that are easy to make and what we would do at my home is pre-prep the ingredients for dinner beforehand in the morning. So, it's just putting together things and serving in the night for dinner.
I would be the last to give you tips about cooking because I don't know any ingredients. But at the top of my head, I can think of dosa, sandwich, khichdi/upma, or idly that requires less effort.
Always keep more healthy options in food. You likely do not prefer unhealthy foods when there are more healthy options.
Tip 3: Always buy in bulk at a wholesale market.
You can buy your monthly groceries at a wholesale market. And buy vegetables and fruits for a week and store them. If you preserve them properly, they can last longer, even without a refrigerator.
Don't just stock them and see them rot.
One mistake my family made is they stock a bulk of veggies in the refrigerator and forget about it. Weeks later, they find it at the end of the fridge and not fit for consumption.
Tip 4: Be more vegetarian and consume less meat.
Not only is it good for the environment, but it is healthy for your body too.
Plus, it is less expensive than non-veg foods.
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