Listen to your body

Throughout this blog post I will probably sound like a hippy dippy yoga teacher, so my apologies in advance. However, sometimes hippy dippy yoga teachers are sometimes right(believe it or not!). Ever heard the phrase “mind, body, soul connection”? It sounds like crap, but the reality is that your thoughts, feelings, attitudes and beliefs(i.e. your mental state) can really impact your physical health, and vice versa! In order to be healthy, you should combine a good mental state, a healthy diet and the right amount of exercise(you should always get enough, but make sure you don’t overwork yourself too!).

Your body is working really hard to make you function as a human to the best of your ability. So sometimes if you’re not looking after it properly, it reacts badly to try and let you know that you should stop doing that.

For example:

-Very oily skin can be a result of puberty or a genetic factor, but could also be a result of too many oily and sugary foods.

-Yawning and “designer” eye bags? Probably need more sleep. For a teenager, you should be getting between 8-11 hours, although most of us don’t.

-This ones a bit obvious- but you don’t just gain weight out of the blue! Make sure you’re eating a balanced diet and the right sized portions, and getting enough exercise.

Everyone is different, and some peoples bodies simply don’t like certain foods. Personally, dairy makes me get quite spotty, and sugar makes me bloat SO MUCH! In the mornings, I felt like a Victoria’s Secret angel, but after a day of eating sugar I could model for pregnancy ads, and in addition to this it can be quite painful. Sound familiar? Try cutting things out of your diet and find out what is the cause. You could be mildly intolerant to lactose, gluten or even caffeine(thank God that’s not me lol). I know it sounds like a lot of effort and pain to give up your favourite foods but I can’t recommend it more. After just 2 days of giving up refined sugars and processed foods, I noticed that I had way more energy, I was happier, I was more satisfied with what I ate, I felt lighter and bouncier and I looked better too! My skin completely cleared up and my body looks more toned despite me being way too lazy to go to the gym. It’s so important to listen to what your body is telling you so that you can make these adjustments and live a fuller life.

Here are some of my favourite healthy meals:

Breakfast

-Chia pudding/flaxseed pudding

Just soak chia and flaxseeds in coconut milk or your favourite non dairy milk overnight and the next day it will be a solid pudding texture. Flavour it with berries, bananas or nut butter- experimenting is the best part!

-Muesli+coconut yoghurt/berries/banana/mango

-Overnight oats

These are actually my new obsession! Simply put oats, chia seeds, half a banana and any other flavours you’d like in a jar/bowl with milk, and the next day you’ll have a DELICIOUS and nutritious breakfast. I like to top mine with blended frozen bananas and blueberries(blueberry nice cream) as I have a very sweet tooth.

Lunch

-Rice+veg

Prepare all your veg over the weekend and then you can just put it in a pot in the morning and go! Try a variety of steamed veg, raw veg, boiled veg, and sauteed with garlic. The more colour, the better.

-Rainbow wraps

These are crazy easy to make but SO GOOD. I love mine with houmous, crumbled falafel, and a veg of each colour of the rainbow.

-Salad

Sounds boring till you’ve read my previous blog post on how to make the perfect salad(wink wink nudge nudge)

-Avocado toast

-Buddha Bowl

I’m actually obsessed with these. I could scroll through buddha bowls on Pinterest for hours-they’re so beautiful! They are made with various greens, raw or roasted veggies, beans and a healthy grain like quinoa or brown rice. Add a topping like nuts, seeds and dressings for added texture and a yummy flavour!

Dinner

-Stir-fry

When I’m at Uni I’m gonna live on this; it’s so easy and the perfect comfort food. It’s especially yummy when made with coconut cream or peanut/almond butter

-Soup

The quintessential winter warmer- my personal favourites are tomato, pumpkin and sweetcorn, and red cabbage.

-Pasta!

Pasta has a repertoire of being unhealthy and the major cause of weight gain, but eat it in moderation and with greens and there is no problem. Spinach, pesto and avocado is my favourite. If you’re avoiding gluten, I recommend rice pasta, buckwheat pasta or red lentil pasta. They actually taste great and have a really nice texture(I prefer it to wheat pasta).

Desserts

-Nice cream

This is my go-to dessert. It’s literally just blended frozen banana/mango and you can add anything you like! Berries make it quite sweet, and if you’re a chocolate gal or guy add a tsp of cacao powder and some honey for the perfect healthy chocolate ice cream.

-Smoothie bowl

-Frozen berries+yoghurt

-Banana chips/dates

-Baked apples and pears (for the colder days)

-Dark chocolate

This actually releases endorphins; helps you concentrate more and be happier!

Thanks for reading, let me know down below if this was helpful or not. What blog posts would you like to see more of?

Have a gorgeous week,

Love

Elena xxx