This week, Red Leaf Ambassador and founder of Wellness by Sav, Savannah Dysard, shares her unique approach to create a balanced and healthy lifestyle. As a nutrition coach, Savannah understands how difficult implementing these important changes can be. Check out how she recommends creating a sustainable and balanced lifestyle:
The question “how can I create a balanced and healthy lifestyle that’s sustainable and consistent” is one I get from clients a lot. It’s a question that has many of us chasing down new wellness trends and diet fads while trying to figure out what the right answer is. But what do I always tell my clients when they ask me that question? I tell them “You are right where you’re supposed to be.”
“Remember to approach this process with love and acceptance, and without negativity and judgement. You have the power to live your life any way that you’d like” – Wellness by Sav
The key to creating a balanced and healthy lifestyle that’s sustainable is meeting yourself where you are at. Our brains are not programmed to go cold turkey from one diet to the next, from one workout routine to the next. We’ve all been there: we’re ready to start a new wellness routine and the first few weeks are fantastic, but then you “fall off the bandwagon”, as many like to say.
Start Small
To make sustainable and long term changes to your health, I’m a firm believer that you have to meet yourself where you are at by starting small and integrating little changes to your day to day. For example, if your goal is getting your metabolism back on track, you might simply begin by drinking one cup of lemon water each morning. After integrating that practice into your routine for a few weeks, you can add another small change like fitting in a 15 minute walk every morning after you drink your lemon water.
Listen to Your Body
The next step to creating a sustainable healthy lifestyle is noticing how your body feels. We are all different humans, made up of different genes and genomes so, what works really well for one person might be horrible for another person. Being able to notice how your body feels, how your body responds to dietary changes, and how your body reacts to certain workouts is key to creating something sustainable.
Find What Works Best for You
You’ll want to try many new fitness routines and a range of cuisines and recipes to figure out what fits your body and your lifestyle best. For example, if your goal is to gain muscle, you might try a power yoga, a weight lifting, and a HIIT class, or a variation of different studios, online platforms, and instructors. Notice how your body feels after doing the same class a few times. Maybe you’ve already gained some muscle after a power yoga class but weight lifting left you feeling achy, now you know what your go-to workout is!
Be Consistent
Lastly, I always tell my clients that consistency is key! In order for the body to truly begin responding to lifestyle changes, it’s important that we begin to create habits. While this might feel uncomfortable at first, you’ll slowly start to notice healthy habits becoming second nature if you do them every day at the same time of day. Think about it, you might be telling your body to change course from a habit that you’ve had since childhood.
Given the chance, your body will likely revert back to the habits it knows best. So, as best that you can, try to create a simple schedule for yourself to hold yourself accountable and create sustainable change in routine and diet. Journaling is a great way to reflect on this journey and allow yourself time and space to process the new habits and notice how they feel for you.
Remember to approach this process with love and acceptance, and without negativity and judgement. You have the power to live your life any way that you’d like 🙂
Special thank you to Savannah, @wellnessbysav for sharing her expertise with us! Be sure to share how you will create a more balanced life with @Red_Leaf_Official.
