Do you cringe when a "healthy lifestyle" is mentioned? What comes to your mind?
Rice cake for breakfast?
Carrot and celery sticks for snacks, as your stomach grumbles uncontrollably?
Boiled chicken breast and bland cabbage soup or broccoli for dinner?
No more pasta, pizza, potatoes, chocolate cake, cheesecake, all the foods you love?
Of course, there is nothing wrong with rice cake, celery, cabbage or any other healthy foods. But many people feel pressured to eat what they do not enjoy for the sake of health. That's no fun!
Now let's talk about exercise.
What are you thinking of?
A 2-hour, intense workout with a tireless gym trainer until you can barely walk?
Fortunately, starting a healthy lifestyle does not require overnight changes or crash diets. In fact, you are more likely to fail if you make drastic changes too quickly.
For instance, rather than instantly dropping from 6 teaspoons of sugar in your tea or coffee to none at all, you might gradually reduce your sugar intake by half a teaspoon at a time over a period of, say, a month or two. Your taste buds will adjust and you can still enjoy a good cuppa joe.
On that note, let me introduce you to Goretti Niklaus, a Pilates instructor with 10 years' experience. With years of hard work and commitment, Goretti makes a healthy lifestyle look effortless and fun.
Learn a bit more about Goretti and Pilates in the following video interview by Happy People News:
Check out a few of her impressive poses in the slideshow below.
Looks easy, right?
Try it out (with an exercise mat) and feel free to share how you fared.
A word of caution: if you want to try the "balancing-wine-glasses-on-your-back" pose, you might want to use plastic cups to begin with, rather than your precious wine glasses.
Next up, let's talk about food.
One important lesson from Goretti is that eating healthy does not mean giving up all the foods you love and having to endure tasteless food. There are many ways to eat healthier, and still enjoy your food. It's more about how you prepare your food and what you put on it or in it. E.g., you could still have your baked potatoes with a healthy topping, rather than slathering them with butter.
Goretti has endless recipes for delicious healthy food, including a tasty chicken mushroom pie, and a scrumptious Greek yogurt cheesecake that her husband literally jumped into the pool fully clothed for. She also enjoys eating out occasionally.
She certainly puts the "balance" in "balanced lifestyle":
Now here's a fun challenge for you and your friends:
Are you ready to try something different?
Visit Goretti's pages:
Get in touch with Goretti for a lively Pilates session. Feel free to invite friends and family for a fun group session.
Thanks for reading and feel free to leave comments below!
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