How to live a healthy lifestyle – a practical quide

10 questions no one has ever asked

Developing a healthy lifestyle is a long journey. After several decades, I would now like to summarize for myself what a healthy lifestyle means to me. Who knows? Maybe someone will ask me about it one day. Excellent questions are rare these days. If people were genuinely interested in each other, they would ask great questions. In this post, I interview myself. Join me and learn more about developing a healthy lifestyle!

1. What does a healthy lifestyle mean to me?

Everything that makes me feel happy, healthy, and fit. A set of habits that make me healthy.

2. Why is a healthy lifestyle important to me?

Many people start looking for ways to live a healthy lifestyle because they are overweight or have some kind of illness. I also started out on this path as a chubby teenager. I lost the extra pounds with the Eat and Lose Weight method. Later, I realized that a healthy lifestyle is about more than just what’s on my plate. It’s not enough to eat well; you also have to do things right in other areas of your life. Weight gain occurs when a person loses their balance. Balance can be upset in other areas as well.

In my opinion, a healthy lifestyle is a state of balance. When I was searching for what would make me happy, healthy, and fit, I believe I was actually searching for what would give me inner balance and inner peace. To achieve this, I need to strive for balance in many areas of my life. Not only in my diet, but also in my career, my relationships with others, and my relationship with myself. I need to develop healthy habits in these areas as well.

3. What do you need for a healthy lifestyle?

Healthy eating

A healthy lifestyle consists of several pillars. One of these areas is nutrition. My diet is based on high-quality, nutritious foods. I create my recipes without white sugar and white flour. I basically eat a low-fat diet. I try to be moderate, while giving my body everything it needs. I pay attention to what it wants and how much. This is conscious nutrition. By doing this, I am telling my body that it is important to me and that I am making sure it gets the best.

Regular exercise

The other pillar is regular exercise. In addition to healthy food, exercise is another way I can do something good for my body. Regular exercise makes me feel much fitter. I am lucky to have found my favorite sport, which is squash. I have already written about this here. I play squash several times a week, and I also exercise at home.

Relaxation

The third pillar is relaxation. I nourish my body not only with quality food, but also with quality relaxation. I think I have improved a lot in this area this year. I used to work too much and didn’t even know what real relaxation meant. It was unfamiliar to me not to take my laptop with me on vacation and to throw away my to-do list.

There are so many things that drain us these days. I think we need to be conscious about relaxation too. We need to pay attention when our body tells us to stop for a moment, calm down, take a hot bath, or have some me-time. Me-time is not selfishness, but premium self-care.

For me, the “tools” of self-care are:

• Being in nature – among trees, by the water is best for me
• Writing a journal – it helps me organize my swirling thoughts
• Cooking something I love for myself – serving it beautifully and eating it as if I were celebrating myself
• Reading an inspiring book
• Meditating
• Doing activities that allow my thoughts to fly freely. Drawing is one such activity. I downloaded pictures from Pinterest and drew them. I also occasionally take out a puzzle and put it back together.

Social relationships

The fourth pillar is social relationships. I often enjoy being alone with myself. (The activities listed above, for example, are best done alone.) But the balance would be upset if I were only with myself. Humans are social beings. We need a sense of community, feedback, understanding, and contact. This year, I feel that I have done a lot to nurture my friendships and have made new friends, for which I am extremely grateful.

Excellent sleep

The fifth pillar is excellent sleep. I didn’t take this seriously when I was young, but as the years go by, I increasingly feel how badly it affects my performance when I don’t wake up feeling rested and calm. To ensure perfect sleep, I make sure to follow my circadian rhythm. I always try to go to bed at the same time and sleep for 8 hours. I calm my thoughts by reading something relaxing or writing in my journal. These also help me sleep well.

Life purpose, vocation

The sixth pillar is finding your purpose in life, your calling. I am grateful that I have a job that I love. It wasn’t always like this. It took a long time to leave jobs that dragged me down and drained my energy. Today, I have a job that I love and that fulfills me.

Self-confidence

The seventh pillar is self-confidence. Well, there is still room for improvement here. Now I have at least reached the point where, when I receive praise, I don’t respond with that feeling of inferiority, thinking, “But I only… well, it’s nothing,” but simply say thank you. I believe that reader feedback also greatly boosts my self-confidence. I regularly receive positive feedback on my Lifestyle Change Package, and I often receive “little love package messages” by email that give me self-confidence. 

In my opinion, a healthy lifestyle can be achieved if I can keep these pillars in balance.

You can read about these pillars in detail here: >>> The 7 important pillars of a healthy lifestyle according to Rita Földi

4. I have been calling myself a conscious food blogger since July 2023. What does that mean?

I am passionate about food, eating, and healthy living. I am committed to ensuring that food is not only delicious but also promotes good health. I share with my readers not only my passion for flavors and textures, but also a nutritional awareness that cares for both the body and the soul. This means that if you eat well, you will be well.

5. How do I do it?

My dishes are made from easily available, natural, healthy ingredients. I grew up with Hungarian recipes, but I love Mediterranean cuisine, so I combine the two. I eat a healthy, diet-conscious diet. I love to eat and I am proud of my figure.

Cooking is a wonderful activity for me, where I can express my love for the Earth. I cook with the treasures of the Earth. I transform them into other energy and nourish myself with it.

Everything is energy. Food too. It really matters what kind of energy we consume every day. I have decided to consciously consume good energy. In the form of food too. That is why I became a conscious food blogger.

What will sweeteners be made of from 2023?

When I started my diet, it was important for me to use a sweetener that was as calorie-free as possible. Or at least one that didn’t cause a sudden spike in my blood sugar. This can also lead to weight gain. I used birch sugar (xylitol) and erythritol for sweetening. I am lucky that I don’t have any medical conditions that require me to completely eliminate sugar from my diet. I haven’t done that so far. If I craved something sweet, I often allowed myself to have it. In moderation, it was fine.

If I want to lose more weight, I will continue to sweeten with birch sugar and erythritol. I have reached my desired weight, so now I am focusing on healthy eating. I am not convinced that these sweeteners are healthy. I am increasingly choosing raw honey for sweetening. This granola recipe, for example, was made with honey.

6. What does a health-conscious person eat?

People who eat consciously prefer healthy ingredients such as fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, lean protein sources, and good fats. They avoid empty calories, overly processed foods, and foods high in sugar. Instead, they focus on the nutritional content of foods and their positive effects.

7. How do I plan my diet?

As a conscious food blogger, I don’t just choose foods at random. I plan my diet carefully and take into account

• the changing seasons,
• the contents of my refrigerator and pantry,
• and what I happen to be craving at the moment.

A varied diet is key for me, and I often experiment with new recipes and food combinations to create exciting and nutritious meals.

8. I promote the love of cooking. Why is this important to me?

“Those who prepare food give love,” says the series Two Hungry Italians. How true this is! For me, cooking is also a way of expressing my love. A bowl of food contains a large dose of care, attention, and the message: “I made this for you because you are important to me.”

This was the message my grandmother and mother conveyed with their cooking, and it still is today.

For me, cooking is caring. I give love through delicious food. A plate of food is much more than a recipe! Cooking is a skill that allows us to release energy. I want to carry on the traditions of cooking in a modern world where people are more likely to reach for ready-made food or takeout than a wooden spoon.

I believe that cooking is a form of therapy that we need now more than ever. Just as we need families to sit down together at the table for meals, rather than eating in front of the TV or in their own rooms. Eating should be an experience, a shared experience, a way to spend quality time together.

9. In 2023, Hungarian recipes gained more prominence. Why is this important to me?

I respect Hungarian recipes. I would like them to survive and receive the popularity they deserve. I cannot imagine anything worse than future generations being more familiar with fast food menus than Hungarian home-style recipes. Family recipes must be passed on, as must the love of cooking.

10. How can I help those who want to lose weight?

I create recipes that help people eat healthily and lose weight. In my opinion, obesity should not be treated with diets, but prevented through proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. By learning to cook well and eat well. If obesity has already occurred, I think the best method is calorie counting.

People are obese because they constantly overeat. They don’t know how many calories they need and constantly exceed that amount.

Therefore, my first recommendation for those who want to lose weight is to find out how many calories they need per day, create a diet plan based on that, and follow it. Stick to it for at least six months, and then your body will learn for itself how much is enough.

Once you have lost the weight, you can stop dieting. Then we can talk about the maintenance phase. By then, you will know what is good for you and how much is enough. You have to teach your body this. This learning period, these six months, are very difficult, but this is the only way to stop obesity. Otherwise, the scales will show more and more every year.

The Lifestyle Change Package helps you during this six-month phase. It calculates your calorie requirements and helps you plan your diet with recipe cards and templates. My constantly updated recipes on my blog provide support during the maintenance phase.

I hope that my blog will inspire you to cook, to be creative, and to show your love through food. To yourself, your family, or your friends. If you decide to live a healthy lifestyle, it will not only help you lose weight, but it will also bring about changes in other areas of your life. Dare to take this step! It’s never too late to develop healthy habits.