So Long, ‘Skinny’: Making Healthy Choices for Your WHOLE Self

For some time now, there’s been this accepted theory that being skinny automatically implies being healthy (they’ve obviously never seen the workout moms kicking my ass in spin class every week). While I’m not rejecting the notion that being healthy can result in being skinnier, I am stating once and for all that skinny ≠ healthy.

The decision to become healthy means choosing what’s best for us and our bodies in every capacity. When we go to the gym or cook a healthy meal, we’re awarding ourselves the time and choice to do what makes us feel good. And as for those rare yet amazing spa treatments, facials, and long nights of sleep? You got it — they’re all contributors to a healthier lifestyle. As these better decisions become habitual, we start to build a life that propels us to become the best versions of ourselves (both inside and out).

So rather than fall victim to vain pursuits of looking skinny, take the reins — embark on the adventure to a healthier and happier you.

Here are a few minor tweaks that can make a big difference:

1. Swap out the bad for the good.

Choose the healthier option whenever possible. It’ll help you form new habits, and soon you won’t even miss the juice and sugary drinks you traded for water and unsweetened iced teas (my personal favorite!).

Stop eating crap (avoid that snack cabinet), and make easy swaps like replacing salt with natural sea or kosher salt and eat wheat bread instead of white. When 80% of your choices are healthy ones, you get more enjoyment from the other 20% — the occasional splurges that you can feel guilt-free about.

Don’t think just about your waistline; poor eating habits also affect your blood sugar, heart, kidneys, and many other vital organs that matter way more to your overall state of being than how looking in a bikini may feel.

Fact: Everything you eat has an impact on your body, including your hair, nails, and especially your skin. So when your diet sucks, so will everything else. Here’s a simple trick I use to make room for my favorite treats and meals: slowing down and chewing more!

This means eating more slowly. S…L…O…W…L…Y. If you read this too fast, return to start, don’t look back and re-read. You see, when you slow down, your mind has enough time to process what’s happening. The same goes for workouts and eating.

If you’ve ever tried or completed (kudos to you!) a juice cleanse or fasted for a day, you’ve probably noticed how much snacking you avoided simply because you were conscious of what you were ingesting. The next day, you probably also noticed how amazingly delicious even the office coffee tasted, because anything tastes better than that green juice. Sometimes, all we need is a gentle reminder to appreciate food and slow down.

And, hey, if you’re going to go for that chocolate chip cookie you’ve been eyeing all week, why not savor it? The best part of conscious, mindful eating is that it’s not about giving everything up; it’s simply about raising your awareness of what you’re eating — and enjoying every bite of it!

Stretching is my favorite part of yoga classes. When those hectic days stand between me and my stretching, my body and joints notice, believe me! Lately I’ve started incorporating stretching into my morning routine, and I’m obsessed. Some people choose to stretch at night, and that’s perfectly okay as well. The idea is to move and get your circulation going. Stretching is a great way to wake up your body after it’s been idle for countless hours. Without proper circulation, our bodies tend to feel tight, and we can sometimes even experience pain.

The best part about starting the day with a light 5 or 10 minute stretch is that it’s a great way of honoring yourself first, all the while motivating you to keep moving (maybe even to that gym class).

1. Ask yourself: How will this make me feel in a few hours?

Pay attention, this is super important. If something doesn’t make you feel better — if eating that celery stick isn’t going to overcompensate the happiness that red velvet cupcake will bring you — don’t do it! But if you know that the same cupcake will make you feel icky and remorseful hours later, don’t do it!

At the end of the day, we are all accountable for ourselves. No one besides you is going to reap the benefits of your healthier life choices, just like no one else will suffer the consequences of you being lazy and sluggish.

When your focus shifts from how you look to how you feel, everyday choices that once hinged on insecurities about self-worth become decisions focused on becoming your healthiest self.

Choosing healthy over skinny doesn’t discount the justified desire to look great physically (guilty as charged!). What it does do is highlight that the more beneficial (and somewhat ironic) approach to accomplishing this is to focus on the most important ‘why’ of all — YOU!

So my fellow adventurers, here’s my challenge for you. Throw away the magazine cut outs — redefine what healthy means to you. Make a commitment to improve your life by being a better, healthier you!