Content warning: I speak about food and eating habits in this article. If that is a difficult topic for you, I encourage you to skip this piece. Do what’s best for you and prioritise yourself.
Growing up as a dancer, I was concerned about my health from a young age. Consuming only healthy food as often as possible, exercising vigorously and often, standing in front of the mirror to find any little flaw. All of this led me to struggle with my own relationship with my health after I set my pointe shoes down for good.
Now that I am an adult, responsible not only for bills and classes but also managing my own diet and exercise routine, I knew I needed to make a change. I wanted to have a healthy and strong relationship with my body. No agonising fights, exerting myself to exhaustion or restricting my food consumption.
I love dessert and I will have it every night if I please.
This has been more of a journey, a work in progress if you please. We’re all growing up in a world that puts so much emphasis on health media, which thrives off of the insecurities of young people, perpetuating an impossible standard. Screw that.
At a certain point, we all need to decide for ourselves what’s best for our individual health. I have compiled a few tips that will hopefully point you in the right direction.
- Stretching in the morning helps me wake up and clear my head. Sometimes I follow a yoga video on YouTube. Other times, I just wing it. Both are good options for whatever I need that day.
- Cutting down my screen time. Okay, I know you might be thinking “Angèle, enough already” but I think this is so important. Get off of TikTok! It actually is rotting your brain!
- Taking hot girl walks. My bestie and I have been finding the time to go for a long walk around my neighbourhood for around 30 minutes a day and it has vastly improved my mood. Also, it’s an excuse to wear my new leg warmers, the best winter fashion trend to come out of 2021. No arguments.
- Eating when I’m hungry. Instead of worrying about when and what time I’m eating, I just eat when I’m hungry. I don’t know if this is a revelation to anyone else, but it did ease some of my stress around eating.
- Establishing a nighttime routine. I found that a simple routine that helps me unwind and get ready for sleep is key to waking up feeling rested.
What I want you to take away from this article is that health looks different for everyone and it’s up to you to decide what’s best for your life. You don’t have to create a rigid daily routine in order to live a balanced life. For most people, that is just not realistic. Some of the best advice I have ever been given is to listen to my body. I encourage and support you in doing the same.