healthy doesn’t have to be hard

…what is there left to do but breathe the grandest sigh of relief and allow yourself the essential luxury of peace within? So then, everything is all right – even if at some moments it seems not to be, still, your heart beats in honour of life…

-Alana Fairchild

Sometimes my weeks feel moderately spacious, and sometimes they are so packed I have moments where I question what day it is. Are you familiar with those brief seconds of panic when you’re unsure if you are where you’re supposed to be, at the time you’re supposed to be there? Not ideal.

Life is not meant to be slammed 24/7, but in today’s world it is sometimes unavoidable. That said, being healthy does not have to be hard, or take up too much of our precious time. We can go green without going nuts, and we can take care of ourselves without all the pressure of being perfectly at peace or outrageously fit, or whatever your perception is of “healthy.”

I’ve mentioned before how a sustainable mind, body and planet go hand-in-hand; each aspect supports one another in its growth and overall presence in our daily lives. We cannot have one without the other, and we can choose to cultivate easeful lifestyle practices without making them feel like a chore.

Like the quote above: we can allow ourselves the essential luxury of peace within instead of being consumed by the ironic, unnecessary stress that can accompany whatever it means to us to be healthy.

Because schedules do have the unfortunate capability to overflow, I’ve compiled a few of my go-to tips to share with you that make it relatively easy to stay healthy all week long, even if happy hour is involved.

Read my go-to tips below on how to maintain a healthy body through meal prepping, a healthy mind via simple self-care, and a healthy planet with easy eco-conscious practices:

healthy body: meal-prep

Pick a day or night when you have 1 or 2 spare hours to do the following:
Cook grains. I love quinoa, brown rice, millet and buckwheat noodles.
Wash/chop/store seasonal greens and veggies, raw or roasted/steamed.
Chop smoothie ingredients, and store in jars in the freezer for the morning.
Prep overnight oats dry ingredients in jars, and add liquid of choice before storing in the fridge.
Make a batch of healthy muffins or bread to store for the week, or slice and freeze for later.
Create a simple dressing of EVOO, tahini, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, S+P, and spices to have on hand.
Make a pot of soup and refrigerate or freeze leftovers.
Store nuts and seeds to eat on their own, or as your personalized trail mix; stash dried fruit and dates to satisfy your sweet tooth; have nut butters and tahini on hand for everything.

healthy mind: self-care

Wake up and put a hand on your heart to check in; offer some gratitude for waking up in the first place [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][even if you’d rather go back to bed].
Meditate: if you can’t pick the same time or same duration every day, do it whenever and for however long you can.
Dry brush your skin before showering to remove excess external gunk.
Use soothing oils after showers for incorporated with little self-massages to thank your body for all it does for you.
Do something fun: take a dance class, break the rules, have another cocktail or order dessert, play hooky, stay up past your bedtime giggling with friends. Don’t do everything by the book.

healthy planet: eco-consciousness

Bring your own bags. Everywhere.
Bring your own water bottle. Everywhere.
Buy organic and/or local produce and products wherever and whenever possible, and compost food scraps or donate old clothes whatever is left over [and recycle anything you can in between].
Make your own concoctions whenever possible [toothpaste, deodorant, surface cleaners, etc].
Make a sustainable swap whenever possible, like purchasing eco-friendly dishwashing soap or skincare the next time you run out.

Being healthy does NOT have to be a time-sucking burden. What are your go-to practices for sustaining your health on a daily basis?

Read the newsletter for healthy meal ideas, healthy body practices, retreat details, good tunes and all the good vibes.

Photo: wearing Hyde organic apparel at Lucent Yoga, Brooklyn.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]