Just. Do. You. | My Life As Maya

Here’s the real deal, guys. I can go on and on about food and nutrition and exercise and break down how to lead a healthy life, but the real fact of the matter is that ultimately only YOU can decide what works for you. Only you can define what a “healthy lifestyle” means, and only you know what feels best for your body, mind, soul. At the end of the day each of us has to ask: “what makes me happy?”. The answer to this question is more important than you might think. Time and again studies prove that if we do not enjoy what we are doing, whether that be a job, a relationship, or an exercise and diet program, at some point we will start to fail and eventually quit. So if the current way that you are living is not enjoyable, it ultimately will not be sustainable! If one of those three key components (mind, body, soul) is suffering, change it up. Try something new. Find what works for you and then build your lifestyle around that, and watch it work wonders.

There are a million people out there with a million different takes on what is the “right” way to live, diehards who believe that their way is the best way and all other ways are simply crap. I am not one of those people. I know what works for me, but I also understand that what works for me may not work for everyone else. Nor do I think that “my way” is the best way, I simply know that the information that I share with all of you is ONE way to be healthy and happy. Also notice that I am not using “lifestyle” and “diet/workout program” interchangeably. That is because they are not the same. A lifestyle denotes that the way you eat and workout is a part of who you ARE, a part of your life, not something short term. And while there is nothing wrong with short term diets or workouts or anything else for that matter, short term will not translate into a lifestyle change. Lifestyle changes take work, they take time, and you have to love what they are comprised of.

So how do you find what lifestyle(s) work for you? Simply put, trial and error. I have tried being vegan, vegetarian, eating a raw diet, etc. and what I finally found was that my body feels best when I eat a diet that is high in plant-based foods but that also has animal-sourced proteins; I have found that consuming gluten, dairy, and sugar do not serve me well. As much as I love the idea of being vegetarian, my body didn’t feel as good and in turn I didn’t WANT to stick with the change. As much as I LOVE Sprinkle’s cupcakes my body feels like absolute crap when I eat them so I avoid them because I know better. So play around, try different things to find what works best for YOUR body, because what works for me may not work for you. Try being gluten-free, or try cutting out all sugars and see how your body reacts, see how you feel mentally. Do the same with creating an active lifestyle, experiment and see what fits you, your needs, your goals, and your life. Try kickboxing, rowing, running, lifting, and yoga. Go to a krav maga or spin class, try working out solo. Try going five times a week versus seven versus two. Find the number of days that keep you feeling good without being burned out or overwhelmed. Remember that the key to a joyous life and a healthy lifestyle is finding what makes YOU happy! So if you wake up each day dreading going to the gym or gagging on a bowl of chia-seed-infused overnight oatmeal, then try running outside a few days a week instead of visiting the gym, try some egg whites and salsa instead of that over-hyped oat business. While doing what you love can still feel like work, it shouldn’t feel like torture, you should never dread the things that you love. So try and try until you find what you love and then DO THAT, do that and watch how glorious your life can truly be.

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