What Health means to you?

Hi, I am Mridula.

I write blogs about health and nutrition

It's mainly personal. What works for me

I always make sure I don't give stupid cheap advice to people

 

I want to clarify what health is according to me.

 

Health is taking care of my body, being free from diseases, and living life to the fullest. Being happy and energetic to do whatever I want in life

 

But recently, it got me thinking about what health is because whenever I say I want to be healthy, The question I always get is, "diet ah?"

Am I wrong here?😕

Am I misinterpreting the whole definition of health?

Does health mean:

-losing weight

or

-getting fit-

or

-is it eating superfoods?

 

I started overthinking about this. Am I wrong? Am I sending the wrong message out there?

 

So I asked X(I don't want to name the person). What health means to them and X's relationship with food and fitness?

 

My relationship with food and fitness

 

"I wasn't feeling confident about my body. I felt I could get confident if I looked size zero.

I tried a lot of different methods/diets to lose weight

-water therapy

-eating small meals -5 times a day, no rice after 5 pm, and not eating anything after 8 pm.

-eating only home cooked meals-no junk foods allowed

I got results trying all the methods. That is, I lost weight by trying all the methods."

 

When asked if X is still following the diet and which one is X following?

 

" I don't follow any diet right now. I eat all kinds of foods (including eating out). But due to the changes in my life(that is, X is working the night shift), I find it hard to stick to any routine. I feel more hungry and less satisfied with food. I feel dreaded even if I sleep for 7-8 hours."

 

I can understand why X is feeling this way. I have explained in a blog how sleep impacts your food and energy levels

Coming back to diet, X followed:

I want to put it out there. I am not looking forward to losing/gaining weight or muscle (even though I did previously.)

I have some questions I have.

 I will ask on behalf of YOU who came here to read this blog looking for tips.

 

Water therapy

 

I needed to research water therapy first

From what I studied, I found:

 

- water therapy helps skin glow and aids gut health. 

- water flushes out the toxins in the body(through sweat and urination), and drinking the right amount of water at the right time is crucial.

-It includes drinking 4-6 cups of water on an empty stomach and no food for 45 mins after water. During that time, walk for a while.

- no snacks/drinks between meals(breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Keep a 2hours gap between meals.

-no caffeine, no alcohol, not drinking water while standing.

 

I am all excited about staying hydrated.💧

 

But I have a few questions. If I use water therapy to lose weight,

 

- How much water should I consume?

-What kind of foods should I eat?

_ what kind of workout do I need to do? 

-what if the food was spicy and I needed to drink water? 

-is drinking water enough to lose weight?

 

I have drank 2 liters of water previously. But for me, it only led to peeing a lot. That too was large and clear(TMI)

 

That brings me to this

Isn't drinking water based on each person?

Some might sweat a lot

Some might sit a lot at home

Plus, that also depends on what kind of food you are eating(some foods already have water content in them) 

 

I don't need a lot of water because I don't sweat much. For me drinking that much water is not required. Most of the water comes out through urine as waste. So if I am drinking a lot than I need, I am causing unwanted stress on my body(i meant the kidneys)

As much as water is beneficial for us. It depends on person-person

 

Eating 3 home-cooked meals a day-no junk food:🍅🍉

 

"home cooked meals" are a little vague here

My home-cooked meals are dosa, rice, idly, etc. (plus, I am vegetarian)

Your home-cooked meals might be something else(even non-veg)🍤

 

-So what kind of foods should I eat?

- I could be cooking pasta and pizza at home. Does that count?

- If I use soya sauce/ketchup/ jam(which contains a lot of sugar) in my "home-cooked meals," does that count?

 

And what is not eating junk food?

 

My version of junk food can be different than yours. I could say packaged soup are junk food or "sugar-free" biscuits are junk food because they contain everything other than natural ingredients

 

 

Let's say I stop eating junk food.

One day my friend invited me to watch the cinema🎬. They all ordered popcorn and coke. What should I do?

Should I not have a social life because around 80% of social situations (with family or friends) revolve around food? 

I can't enjoy my social life if I have rules around food.

What if I give in and eat junk food? Does that mean I lost my progress?

 

Eating small meals 5 times a day, no rice after 5 pm, and not eating anything after 8 pm.

 

Eating small meals a day is fine. You get constantly fueled throughout the day.💪

But what if you are a working professional or a student?

-How do you get the time to cook that many meals?

- What if you are in school or middle of a meeting? How do you eat then?

- is there snacks in between the meals?

 

What is the logic of not eating rice after 5 pm?

 

-is it no carbs after 5 pm?

-or is it only with rice?🍚

- what kind of exercises should I do?

- what kind of foods should I eat?

- what if I am a student/professional working late to finish a project and felt hungry after 8 pm?

- what exactly are "small" meals here? 

 

When I googled healthy meals, all I got were low-calorie recipes.

You will lose weight. But that doesn't mean it is healthy. 

Because you need fuel based on your body, activity level, at what stage you are in the menstrual cycle, how much sleep you got, etc.

 

If you are eating low-calorie food and exercising more, you won't have enough energy to train effectively.

 

Why this blog?

 

This advice is so vague. Even if you want to try these diets to lose weight, there is a lot of scope for misinterpretation.

 

I know this because I got misled due to these vague diet tips.😤

 

 I followed a random influencer's tips(which worked for them).

 

But for me, it didn't work. I didn't realize our bodies are not the same

 

Our bodies demand different quantities of food.

 

I am not advising you not to have goals for your body(to gain muscle/lose fat).

 You can.

 

But if diet advice makes you feel worse and tired rather than happy and energetic, it is not for you.

If you can stick with it for the rest of your life, do it.

Lastly, enjoy the journey to get where you want and feel better about yourself to make it sustainable.

"The less enjoyable a workout or diet, the more discipline it requires to maintain. The more discipline it requires to maintain, the higher the probability you give up."

 

I am open to changing my beliefs about health and fitness. 

If I gave wrong advice at any point in my blog, drop it down in the comments↓