A Little Talk about Health and Fitness in General

Hey! So, as you know, my name is Rayane, and I’m currently a final year student in that beautiful city which is London. I started my “health and fitness” over a year ago. Now, it’s not to mean that I was particularly unhealthy before, I always tried to be active and eat diverse food within reason. I used to be quite a chubby kid, due to an allergy treatment, and have, thank God, managed to reach a healthy and normal weight as I grew older. When I was a teenager, I used to live back home in Morocco; therefore, even though counting calories and dieting were two things I wasn’t concerned about at all, I kept a normal weight. This was probably due to my wonderful momma’s cooking. She’s a true wonderwoman. She teaches at university, but always makes sure me and my brother have equilibrated meals. A moroccan-mediterranean diet with a lot of veggies, fruits, bread, poultry and lean meat within reason constituted the basis of our meals.

I moved to London aged 17, and immediately started running more regularly. I used to run from time to time back home, but never took it as a regular sport. However, this new independency also mean I was able to get easy access to any kind of food I wanted: microwavable cooked meals, Digestive biscuits (you’d have to be a Briton or live here to understand), and what else, at a relatively cheap price. Add to that the stress of uni and lack of time to cook proper meals (making a small voice inside your head scream: I need my mommaaa !!!), and you get 5 more kg on a silver plate. Nothing dramatic. But it helped me understand why people have such a hard time losing weight or getting fit – food is everywhere. Even if you’re not hungry, there’s always an EAT, Prêt à Manger, or Starbucks to convince you of the opposite.

Now, even though I’ve never disliked my body – I learned to love it, and I believe everyone can – I wasn’t extremely satisfied with it. I decided this needed to change over a year ago, and anyone telling you getting healthy is all easy and stuff is probably a liar – it’s a never ending road, and you’ll get obstacles along the way. I once read in a magazine the 10 or 20 things you’ll regret at 30. One of them was “not starting a regular physical activity” in your 20’s. I immediately took the habit of exercising. In the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, whatever. Running, kickboxing, lifting. All of that. I love diversity. I love to be able to open my YouTube app, select a random workout if I feel like it, and do it. Oh and by the way, FitnessBlender free videos definitely helped. They rock.

I also started trying to eat “cleaner” meaning from scratch. Veggies, carbs, and protein on each one of my plates. So many colors! The thing is, even before noticing a real physical change, your mental definitely change. Eating fresh food makes you feel fresher. And healthier. And more optimistic. However, I’m not gonna lie, there have been times at the beginning where I would prefer to wait getting back home to prepare myself a big, equilibrated, healthy meal, rather than buying something rather “unhealthy” at my local Tesco or Sainsbury’s. Stomach grumbling? Who cares!! Another mistake I also made – and many people are making it probably – is thinking you’re eating a lot when you’re not. Veggies are voluminous but poor in calories – you need calories to function properly! I have somehow, along the way, understood that it’s not the way to look at things.

Another good thing I learned is that everyone is different. What works for others might not work for me. If you’re body handles a meat-free, gluten-free, or paleo diet, fine, go for it! If it’s not, don’t despise yourself and do what is best for you. Try things out and settle for the thing that makes you satisfied. Can’t handle working out 6 times a week ? Listen to your body. It doesn’t mean that you’re weaker. It means our bodies have different ways to be healthy. It might mean your body only needs 3 workouts to function properly. It can be confusing to  read information over the internet – just because someome has a degree in nutrition, doesn’t mean your bodies and experience are similar.

We’re not trying to fit into a bikini for summer 2016, get bigger in winter 2017, and do another diet afterwards. Health is about balance, and it’s an ongoing thing. Remember that and you’ll be fine 🙂