1. Is your life "balanced"? By Hannah Ross
2. To answer honestly, I would say my life is not balanced based on the following criteria: -healthy eating -stress -body image -physical activity
3. Let me just be honest, I am not a healthy eater. I don't eat the 7 fruit/veggie servings a day that the Canadian Food Guide recommends, and I skip meals sometimes, primarily lunch or breakfast.
4. To improve my poor eating habits, I plan to 1.Eat (a lot) more Fruit and Veggies 2.Consume less sugar and junk food 3.Eat less processed food, and more raw foods 4.Eat more iron-rich foods, as I am iron deficient
5. As far as stress goes, I don't handle it well. School is my primary source of stress, trying to balance studying, projects, and homework seems impossible sometimes. I find stress affects all aspects of my life, including my mood, sleeping patterns, and energy levels.
6. Ways I can deal with stress: 1. Learn to manage my time and not over-schedule 2. Breathe, and take whatever situation I'm in in stride 3. Set a "bedtime" and stick with it daily 4. Eat healthier 5. Learn to problem-solve, and eliminate the small stuff distracts me
7. Fortunately, the media does not influence me in any massive way, I deal with the media's "pressure to be perfect" quite well, I'm not particularly affected by it. I am proud of my self-confidence levels, and can gladly say I accept my flaws, and I am (mostly!) happy with the body I have, and my good health to go along with it.
8. To deal with body-image, I try not to obsess over ads of models with perfect skin or toned/fit bodies, half of the models don't look that way in real life; airbrushing and photoshop are becoming such an issue! Secondly, I learn to accept myself for who I am: I am human, and yes I have flaws!
9. Although I do not always get the recommended hour of moderate to vigorous-intensity level of physical activity per day, I do believe exercise is an important part of daily life. I enjoy activities such as yoga, skiing, and walking. I particularly enjoy hot yoga, which is not only great for improving flexibility, but also improving major systems in your body.
10. my plan for my physical activity schedule: • Adapt a workout schedule, and stick with it! • Start running, because cardio is a crucial part of well-being • Stretch every morning to relieve stress and wake myself up • Find a workout buddy to motivate me
11. In conclusion, I realize my life isn't entirely balanced, but I am now aware of what lifestyle changes I can make to create a happier & healthier me!
