I will be perfect starting tomorrow...?

It is time to choose your battles: It is all about balance.

We cannot all be perfect. Perfection in others is more than mildly irritating and always an illusion. It is much more rewarding to strive for something achievable, perhaps ‘as good as is possible given the current circumstances?’ is more realistic.

So with this in mind it is worth choosing the areas you are going to try to be good at and allowing yourself space to have some things you will not budge on and are not willing to change just yet.

For example: Organic food is too expensive for you right now (where do I even get that stuff on the way home from work anyway!?) and having something sweet late at night is a must. Ok, so if organic is a ‘no go’ then just try to add as many fresh vegetables to your diet as you can and make sure you wash them all thoroughly. If something organic is on offer or in the reduced section then get in there quick and just make the best choice you can given the ‘current circumstances’. Something sweet? Try and make a natural choice such as yoghurt and honey with chopped fruit. Surprisingly satisfying (Ok, you can have a second bowl this once, but make it a small one.)

You get the idea, just give it your best shot. So often we make sweeping resolutions about reaching perfection, starting tomorrow. These are destined to fail and make our goals even harder to reach. Remember we are on a ladder to better health and we can only take that ladder one rung at a time. A good way to start is deciding what you can do and what you are willing to do and take it from there.

I like to keep my cosmetics natural and organic wherever possible. I drool over essential oils and paraben free ranges. I go into Lush and feel orgasmic about the possibilities as I pop smelly organic goods in my basket. But I ADORE nail varnish, so many colourful opportunities to be had that it is simply irresistible. It is probably one of the most toxic things you can put on your body. I know! It is a terrible deal I am making here.

So, why spend so much money on organic goods when I ladle a new colour on every week? Because it makes me happy, because my life is balanced, because 90% of the time I am making the best choice for my body and mainly because I am still just a girl who needs to match her accessories and life is too short. If I can do most things good and choose a few things bad that make me happy then I think that’s ok. I like to give my nails a regular rest with sunshine and coconut oil and a week of fresh air (before I smother them in the next luxurious shade.) I think my honesty here is important, there is no use pretending to be perfect, too bleedin’ boring.

Lifestyle is about achieving balance with our choices and making sure they even out, especially when it comes to diet. Gillian McKieth suggests 80% good to 20% naughty balance which I think is achievable for most of us and if some weeks you slip over, just make sure you make up for it the next week. We should however try to avoid regular binges, attempting to maintain some equilibrium along the way. The bad stuff is irritatingly addictive so we need to limit it if we want to achieve a good balance without cravings pulling us down the ladder.

So my message here is to be reassured that getting started on getting healthy does not have to be a massive lifestyle change where you give up everything you love. It does not have to be one massive boring leap into deprivation. Naturally you will get addicted to feeling good and looking better as you move up the ladder, but you don’t have to force it and it is ok to slip down a rung every now and then. Each of you will know your own balance and when you feel your best. If being healthy, slim and glowing feels unachievable and too far away to even think about embarking on? Remember, that being one rung higher will feel better and rather than look at your goal, just look at tomorrow for now.

Feel free to send me any questions about your goal and how to start.

Sending Smiles.

Josie