So here are 10 tips to stay fit during the holidays, to stay fit, not gain weight and keep the holiday mood! You can also try these before you go out for dinner or if you are invited, any occasion where it is difficult to keep up with healthy eating.

10 Healthy Holiday Tips to Stay on the Track

1. Start your day with warm water

Especially if you had alcohol the night before, your body will need some alkalizing. Add just a few drops of lime juice or ideally Aloe Vera to warm water.
Also avoid drinking coffee on an empty stomach, instead have some herbal tea first and enjoy coffee after breakfast.

2. Skip or Start the day with a healthy breakfast

The new trend in nutrition is to skip breakfast and have 2 meals, lunch and dinner, and have intermittent fasting. The healthiest way of eating, holiday or not is to skip dinner or have a very early and light one. This way your body will have time to digest the food and even burn fat during your sleep. So if you do not have a dinner party, and can have a light meal, the next day, start with a healthy breakfast, with oat or quinoa porridge (you can add some vegan organic protein powder to boost) enhanced with seeds and nuts.

You can also have a whole wheat toast with avocado, grilled halloumi or other fresh cheese, with seeds and herbs. Eggs are usually heavy for mornings but if you are having a late breakfast, cook your egg in ghee or olive oil and add some digestive spices like cumin, black pepper. Do not mix egg with milk or cheese as it slows down digestion. Try to stay away from carbs like cakes, croissants, white breads with jam and nutella…. However, don’t forget to indulge yourself from time to time!

3. Carry some healthy snacks

Although snacking is not good for digestion, nuts may save your life when you are in need of a quick fix in between meals- as exceptions. Make sure you have some mixed nuts in your bag such as, almonds, walnuts and even some dried fruit! A seasonal fruit can also save the day and keep you away from that first unhealthy snack you see when the craving starts!

4. Remember to CHEW YOUR WATER AND DRINK YOUR FOOD

Hydration helps in many ways and even helps keep your appetite under control. Drink in between meals (not during) and carry your bottle everywhere. Drink it warm (not cold, not iced, a bit warmer than room temperature), and drink very slowly, sip by sip. One of our teachers in Ayurvedic Chef training taught us this strategy, which means drink your water so slowly, as if you chew. And eat your food so slowly that you can almost liquify it and drink!

5. Keep Lunch bigger than Dinner

This is not easy but try to have your main meal of the day at lunchtime. Eat well and indulge then make dinner as light as possible. Stay away from carbohydrates like rice, pasta, pizza, bread, etc at dinner. Focus on vegetables, lean and healthy proteins. Use your “carb time” at breakfast and lunch! This way you will also do your digestive system a favour and sleep better which in turn helps the hormones to work properly at night for detoxification and fat burning!

Choose 1 or 2 nights per week, especially after big outings or meals by either skipping dinner or make it really small and just have a bowl of soup, or a plain salad or grilled fish with steamed veggies.

6. Limit your desserts and drinks

The big trap! Decide a weekly limit for yourself and stick to it! Maybe 2 desserts per week, or 1 glass of wine per day and make sure you stick to it. Don’t ruin your pre holidays efforts by regaining the weight that you lost, it really is not worth it.

7. Exercise and move more than usual

Holidays are much better when you keep moving! We all need some down time but try to keep those lazy moments for the evenings! Go for a walk before or after breakfast, or even after dinner, try new sports like pilates, yoga, zumba, canoeing, etc if you can.

Sweating out the toxins from daily life will make you feel much more rested then lying around all day doing nothing. Be active all day and you will profit from a long, deep well rested sleep at night.

8. Stay away from the bread basket

Enjoy the delicious food you choose, just be careful not to overload your body on empty calories! Put the bread basket away, ask the waiter not to bring it to your table at all! Enjoy what is on your plate and put the bread

9. Eat up to 80% of your stomach’s capacity

Overeating and filling up your stomach over capacity can really put pressure on your digestive system. Listen to yourself, use your gut feelings (literally!) and stop before you are “fully full”! You can always top up with some healthy snacks later, so don’t worry!

And share your big meals or desserts with others, do you really have to eat all that pizza or tiramisu…really?

10. Slow down and enjoy the moment and things around the food!

At the end of the day, this is your holiday and you must enjoy every moment. It is scientifically proven that if you slow down, breathe enough, and be mindful of what you are eating, you actually burn more calories than if you are stressed, rushed and not paying attention to what you eat!

Stay Healthy & Fit During Holiday

Remember that holidays, parties and special gatherings are actually not only about the food but more about the people and our connections. Enjoy the conversations, the laughter-tears-dances-hugs… as much as you do with the food and even more!

Wishing you great holidays where you can relax,  have a break, recharge your batteries, energize yourself and stay fit and on top form!

Check Out Our Upcoming Events

When you come back, here are my post holiday programs that will give you a boost in your motivation for  healthy living, starting with a great Winter Cleanse and Reset 10 day online program. Our Immunity Boost Workshop will give you tools and tips for healthier winter, for yourself and family. And finally our Winter Retreat on 1-3 March will help you to slow down and reset for a weekend on the magical Swiss Alps with yoga, meditation and Ayurveda.

On the one hand, there are those who (almost) never do sports, on the other hand, there are those who do it with great passion and on the other hand, there are those who do it in the form of duty, cursing and swearing in their blood-sweat. Are you one of them? What is your relationship with sport? Mine is mixed! 

Move Move Move

I have a love for gymnastics and ballet from childhood, which has now evolved into yoga. I have a love-hate relationship with running, I haven’t figured it out yet. Workout-working with weights has been on-off in my life since adolescence. But I have been doing it regularly and consciously for 2-3 years. I started back with a whimper and now I can’t do without it! I don’t count walking because it’s always there. Not just as a sport, but a daily dose of therapy! But now that has turned into another passion in recent years: hiking/trekking!

In the “Mindful Eating and Yoga” Training, @michelmay explains this very well. Those who have a healthy and naturally fit body do sports not for duty, but as a natural activity that comes from within and often with a “love” (passion). They don’t set out to burn calories, but in the end they naturally burn calories too. This is how they spend their energy and keep a balanced life.

How to Start Doing Exercises?

I would say, find a “sportive activity” that you love. Develop and improve your body and capacity for the sake of it. So that you can enjoy the sport more. Develop your muscles, increase your aerobic capacity, learn to improve your heart rate. This can be just walking, running, rowing, mountain climbing, swimming, dancing, boxing, sailing, yoga… whatever you like. Have a goal in that sport, e.g. to do long highland walks, learn a new dance, compete in amateur competitions in a rowing team, etc.

Motivation

Naturally, when you combine a few basic sports, muscles, bones, heart, pulse, you turn into a different person. You become more vigorous, energetic, healthy and joyful. The last example from our family: My mother is 80 years old, fortunately she is generally in good condition, but she started to have difficulty walking. She started to build muscle with the Slow Zone technique workouts and now it is easier for her to walk to the market, walk around on trips, climb stairs. A little perseverance, a little challenge, taking that first step, going and finding a teacher-coach-exercise and making an investment will be the most important step you will make for your quality of life.

What do you think? Do you have such examples? Please share with us and motivate each other.

I even went to see a doctor to check with my herniated disks on my lower back before the trip. I thought he would say no, you can not but as a Swiss Olympic athletes’ doctor he said lets see:) They did an MRI for the back and hips and bang: Everything seems fine, he said go for it. And this trip was proof to it! I did it without a major problem. Mind you, I still have the pains, especially every morning or after a long walk or a strong exercise. I do my routine of roller massage, yoga and meditation and I move on with my day without the pain.

Living in A ZenFitGourmet Style

So, I am so happy that I trusted yoga, meditation (lots of intention settings for making my body strong again), muscle building workouts with my coach Julie, Ayurvedic nutrition and lifestyle. I created a daily routine which involves these for the past years and am proud of my commitment and dedication to it.  This is how I created the @zenfitgourmet program and now I am even more confident that it works! Especially for a woman like me, over 40 years old (I am almost 50!), who goes through hormonal changes and wants to live a healthy, strong, light and happy life!

After 40…

As of the 40s, with the decreasing female hormones, we go through a stage of sleep disorders, mood changes, weight gain, low libido, digestive issues, hot flushes, and many more. Meanwhile some of us deal with the teeangers one side and aging parents on the other. Some have to deal with divorce, single parenting, living alone or living in split family situations and/or away from their families in other countries. 

When you add this picture to the challenge of balancing work and private life, stress from the news, pandemics, social media, etc it becomes difficult to create and sustain this daily routine on your own. That’s why I love your @zenfitgourmet program groups, where the like minded women support each other, hold hands for 12 weeks and establish this routine in their own ways. This is a very unique program that combines yoga, meditation, healthy eating and fitness, and self care.

ZenFitGourmet Holistic Coaching Program

We dive deeper into Ayurveda, mindful eating, hormones, meditation, weekly menu planning and many more aspects of holistic wellness. Take a look at the testimonials from here, how the previous participants feel about this program. The New group starts on 5th of November, and I am even more motivated to support you in your journey. Reach me if you have any questions.

Learn more: ZenFitGourmet Holistic Coaching

Healthy Living Tips for Summer

Contrary to common habits, it advises not to have ice cold drinks, or cold food like yogurt, ice creams, etc. every food has a metabolic effect of heating or cooling. Yogurt forexample is sour and heating! Coconut is cooling. Ayurveda tells us to arrange not only food and drinks but all our lifestyle to adapt to heat. Check out the list and tell me which is most suprising and challenging for you? Mine is ice cream! Can’t skip ice cream on a hot summer day but I am eating much less than before!

Turkish Cuisine

 It is full of delicious tomatoes, onion, garlic and peppers (fresh and as spice). A lot of dishes are mixed or served with yogurt or cheese. And like many cultures, Turks love BBQ. The problem is it is a hot summer season and when we eat all these “pungent” sour, salty and acidic tastes during summer, it just creates more acidity and if you are sensitive to acid-reflux, it becomes a challenge. Plus, when  we mix dairy with other food like vegetables, meats, etc our digestive power weakens which causes indigestion, gas and bloating. 

How to Protect Your Digestion in Summer?

In my daily life outside of holidays, I am 80% vegan, eating plant based most days of the week and have a little bit of fish or homemade yogurt and cheese, paying attention to these combination rules (check out my blog and instagram for more details). However during holidays I am more flexible and don’t miss out the opportunity to taste these special dishes that I have been eating when I was younger!

I protect my digestion with a few tricks like:

• Starting my day with a cooling tea, mixing coriander-fennel-cardamom seeds with licorice and hibiscus. I add a few little pieces of fresh ginger to strengthen my digestive power
• I sip this tea all day long, between and during meals (and people look at me like crazy:). You don’t have to drink it hot, you can cool it down to room temperature
• Avoid cold drinks, fizzy drinks and ice as much as possible as they again weaken digestive fire
• If I had a pungent-spicy dish or a meal mixed with yogurt/cheese, I ask for a mint tea (or I ask for a mug of boiling water and ask them to add a few fresh mint leaves). This eases the acidity and also enhances digestion
• I try not to snack between meals, to leave enough time for complete digestion
• I limit my raw salad/fruit consumption and avoid as much as possible for dinners and breakfasts
• So I eat fresh fruits during afternoons, and not eat anything else with them as again the combination of fruits with forexample cheese, is very hard to digest
• I try to skip a meal during the week, like breakfast or dinner. This again helps to give enough time for the digestive system to do its job well
• I limit my sour, salty, acidic and pungent taste consumptions which increases the indigestion

If you also have these symptoms of indigestion, try these suggestions and let me know how you feel afterwards. If it continues to be the same, then you might benefit from a detox towards the end of summer. I guide online groups every season for an Ayurvedic Cleanse and end of summer is one of the most important times for this detox. It helps us to stop the accumulation of acidity and start the autumn season with stronger digestive power. 

How to Protect Your Digestion in Summer?

Some of us gain weight during the holidays, due to getting out of routine, eating and drinking more during special occasions like vacations, parties, BBQs, etc. Again, the end of summer Cleanse helps you to get rid of these extra kilos and go back to a weight that you feel more comfortable.

Check out our program and register for a free webinar to learn more: Ayurvedic End of Summer Cleanse

There will be daily walks, historic and natural beauty discoveries in the Antalya region, Türkiye, as well as beach and chill out time, allowing you to refresh before the Autumn starts.

Turkey Yoga Retreat

There will be morning and evening yoga, meditation and breathing practices in the amazing garden of Olympus Lodge. Open to all levels, including beginners. The bay is blessed with unique natural beauty. A tropical garden starts at the foot of Olympos Mountain following a river that flows down to the sea. Its tranquil beauty and heavenly atmosphere quickly attracted artists, professionals and families from all over the world.

You can find all the information and prices here: Yoga Retreat

Yoga Retreat Rooms

All small double rooms are pre-booked already (there might be cancellations, please ask me before booking). We only have triple or quadruple rooms, however, you can choose to stay as double or triple in each room. There are no single rooms and we can bring you together with other yogis who wish to share the rooms.

You can find all the information and prices here: Yoga Retreat

Türkiye’den Katılanlara Özel İndirim

3 Gecelik rezervasyonunuzda 45 Euro, 4 gecelik rezervasyonunuzda ise 60 Euro indirimle bize katılabilirsiniz! Detaylar için lütfen bana mesaj atınız: Whatsapp

As women pass the line of 40s and start to approach their 50s, a profound change starts. As the hormones start to shift, syndromes of pre-menopause or even menopause itself starts to kick in as sleepless nights, hot flashes, mood changes, digestive problems, anxiety attacks, increased greys on hair, faster pace of wrinkles and soggy skin and eventually the start of irregularities in the monthly periods. 

I just hope that both men and women are reading these lines to have a better understanding of what goes on in their partner’s bodies.

Aging

Somehow the universal culture of aging is about denial rather than acceptance! The whole industry of hair colours, supplements, skin care, botox-fillings, fitness, pilates, even yoga encourages you to stay younger. They rely on the fact you will want to stay and look younger and therefore spend money on these.

I don’t how we came to this point, maybe one of you can help me understand the historical sociological explanation behind this. Maybe we were always like this, triggered with the fear of death, denying the fact that we are moving towards it. 

On the other hand, I do feel good about having a strong and fit body, a bright skin, shiny hair and a light spirit to jump up and down when I am happy! I do not like boundaries like age, sex, religion, race, country…Maybe I have a “naturally antidiscriminative mind” and so rebel this discrimination. 

Menopause Symptomes

Coming back to menopause, these days as my body deals with decreasing female hormones, which are made to give us good mood-sleep-sex-digestion-skin-hair, some part of me rebels to this “unfair” situation and search for an answer, a solution.

Do you feel the same? Maybe you are a man and observing this change in your wife, sister or friend. I think the most unfair part is the fact that men go through this process much slower and so don’t feel the same symptoms, agghhh, beauty of being a woman -again!

In order to ease this process, like many other women, I reached out and used different options, like Ayurveda, yoga, meditation, and supplements. I also learned about the natural hormone therapy, finally found and spoke with a very experienced doctor about it (my own gyno in Switzerland had no clue about what to do with peri-menopause symptoms). I was almost convinced that this is a good idea. 

Everybody is different, so please do not take these words as advice. These are my own thoughts and experiences. Speak to your doctor, if he/she is willing to sit down and help you with an objective perspective.

An Alternative Look on Menopause

Here is my conclusion now, today. Menopause is a natural process, it is meant to protect us from giving birth at a later stage in our life and so our body decreases these sex hormones. And so, with this decrease we feel a big change in our bodies and minds and even spirits. We question life, beauty, vibrancy and of course we want to stay like that! 

All of these menopause symptoms I mentioned above have a solution from the natural and alternative methods like better nutrition, meditation, yoga, exercise, self-care. 

Yes, they take time and discipline, much more than swallowing a tablet, having botox injections or putting a progesterone cream.These modern medicine practices are fine, too but we must accept that they are not natural. And unless someone needs it for health reasons, they are not necessary for healthy aging -if this is your purpose! 

And it is my purpose to stay healthy, happy, energetic and share this energy with my loved ones and students/clients. Remembering this purpose and understanding that these symptoms are just a phase and can be managed with natural methods, creates a aha-moment for me!

How to Reduce Menopause Symptomes?

So, I am back to and reassured for what I started doing 3 years ago to reduce menopause symptome;

• Apply Ayurvedic nutrition and lifestyle, which enables me to have better digestion, sleep, mood, energy
• Continue doing yoga, meditation and workouts
• Walk / hike or just be in nature
• Keep on learning, studying more about health, nutrition, yoga, spirituality and life and share with others

If You Need Help, I am Here

I am even more convinced now that my Zenfitgourmet Holistic Coaching Program is for women like me, who want to learn how to manage this change with natural methods and keep these great habits for life. It gets much easier to follow these methods when you learn and apply with a group of like minded women, guided by someone who has been there and done that!

So, take a look at the program and let me know if it speaks to you, if it gives a calling to transform yourself with my and other women’s helping hand. Together we are stronger!

Visit www.zenfitgourmet.com for more information

The meaning of “being healthy” has changed a lot for me. Throughout my life I tried to follow a “healthy diet” and lifestyle, exercise and eat a balanced diet. And in general I was successful because I thought not having an illness or not being overweight is enough to be considered healthy.

And then the late 40s came and I learned what it means to be challenged from all parts of life, starting from my hormones. 

Then I also learned that eating a generic healthy diet that is not according my needs is not enough, taking 10.000steps everyday may not be appropriate and avoiding carbs, eating salads, taking in a lot of proteins (as eggs, white meat or vegan protein powders), drinking green juices (in winter!), eating dried fruits and nuts,  may actually be detrimental for my health.

Some of you have been following my journey for a long time and watching me trying new diets, new methods, and ingredients. I love these experiments as they teach me a lot and sometimes they come with a price -usually as worse digestion and some imbalances. 

In the last 3 years, learning Ayurveda, applying its principles, joining courses, retreats, reading different sources, seeing my Ayurvedic doctor regularly, and starting to work with clients to support their nutritional journey, gave me a different perspective of health.

Holistic Approach to Healthy Living

A perspective where digestion is the center of all, balance and holistic approach are the keys to health in the short and long term.

I realised that I was so focused on losing weight, staying fit, gaining muscles that I ignored many symptoms from my body-mind-spirit and focused only on how much I weigh and how I look. 

Now I focus on digestion, evaluate meals and ingredients according to their unique effect on my body and constitution. And with this approach, not only I have still fit and strong body but also a better digestion and healthier skin-hair, balanced hormones (even going through menopause) and calmer mind. 

So I just wanted to reach out and say, please be aware of generic diets, the ones offering one-fits-for-all, and please do not put your weight or protein intake as priority! These are just small pieces of the puzzle and there is so much more to consider when it comes to being truly healthy. 

In my Ayurveda trainings, my teachers and the 5000 year old Ayurvedic resources are teaching me so much and opening my eyes to see the bigger picture. 

Here are some of the “Health Myths”, where I changed my perspective and feel much better NOT following them with closed eyes and instead keep an open mind and try and see how I can benefit better. 

Let me know if any of these relate to you, too? Is there any one that surprises you? Please share with me. 

Health Myths to Reconsider

• Take 10.000steps everyday – Not everyday and not for everyone! Some Days you need a rest, and some days you need cardio training or yoga or muscle building workouts. If you insist on 10.000 steps no matter what your condition is, you might end up exhausting your system and opening the way to illnesses. 
• Eat Salads for main meals –Not for everyone and every season. Raw food is hard to digest and if you have a low agni (digestive power-energy), eating salads as main meals, and especially at dinner time is too difficult for digestion. 
• Mix Fruit to salads/yogurts – Fruits should be eaten alone as it creates a reaction in digestion and slows down the process when eaten with other food (like vegetables, dairy). Even though it looks pretty and tastes nice, avoid mixing fruits to meals, especially to yogurts!
• Bananas, Almond/Peanut Butters, Flax/Chia Seeds are a great way to start your day!- They are channel clogging and heavy to digest food and flax seeds are very heating.So they should be taken in moderation and not regularly. 
• Rice is too much carbs – Rice is heaven! Especially basmati rice and red rice are full of nutrients, easy to digest, fulfilling and satisfying. It fits into a healthy diet with balanced quantities even if you are trying to lose weight and gain muscle. Choosing the right variety like basmati with lower glycemic index, cooking with good oils like ghee and adding spices like cardamom, clove to help the digestion will help you to get the most out of rice!
• Gluten is bad – Having a gluten intolerance is a long and deep debate! However, as Dr.John Douillard says, we are meant to eat gluten and dairy, our digestive system is made for dieting them! If we have difficulty to digest gluten (except the celiac disease), this is because our digestive system has a problem and maybe we have not chosen the right type of it.  gluten can be digested, especially if you pay attention for it to be unprocessed, freshly made, and organic. So, the problem is complicated as it is about both the gluten and our digestive system, yet if you focus on improving your digestion and find the right source of gluten, you can still enjoy fresh baked bread without problems!
• Dairy is worse! – Same issue with gluten, dairy has such a bad reputation, more so due to cruel industrial farming. Yet, our bodies benefit so much from dairy, getting essential nutrients that can not be replaced by any other food. So same as gluten, when you improve your digestion, and consume organic dairy, made and cooked in the right way (with certain spices to help digest), sourced from cruelty-free farms, you will have the best source of protein and fat for a healthy living. 

In this part of winter it gets cold, dry and rough so we need more warmth and softness through warmer water/tea/soups, spices, oils, and layers of clothes!

However, we need to make sure not to overdo with spices and acidic foods and drinks like pickles, alcohol, onions-garlic, as it would create too much heat trapped in our digestive system which might create too much acidity, heart burn and other digestive and eventually other health problems.

Ayurvedic Daily Routine for Winter

A healthy daily routine for winter is key to wellness as every season. In Ayurveda, this is the season of Vata and moving into Kapha. They both require warmth and a gentle fire in the digestive system. This means lighter meals and healing teas. Fresh ginger is a very good friend these days, to be used as tea with lemon and honey or cooking your soups and stews with it. It is your insurance to apply what is needed at that time of the year.

Here is what Ayurveda suggests for a healthy daily routine:

1. Start your day with warm water and a few drops of lemon or lime juice. Have 2 tbs of aloevera to support alkaline, too. Don’t  start your morning with coffee on empty stomach which creates so much acidity
2. Try regular abhyangha (oiling-self massage) with warm sesame oil before showers and avoid keeping body too dry
3. Go for exercises that gives you rejuvenating energy like yoga, brisk walks, easy jogs rather than exhausting ones.
4. Make cooked warm breakfasts like oatmeals, porridges or simply cooked apples with warming spices (see next) and do not start with cold cereals, dry and hard crackers, frozen smoothies, raw fruits (especially heavy ones like banana)
5. Use warming spices like cinnamon, clove, cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, thyme, turneric, black pepper, fresh ginger. However do not over do the “spicy” as it creates too much fire and acidity.
6. Make your lunch the biggest meal of the day and have light, cooked dinners with vegetable soups and stews. Use ghee or olive oil.
7. Avoid dinners with heavy, oily, fried and with animal protein and using cooling oils like coconut oil. 
8. Take it slow like nature. Slow down, rest more and get cozy with a blanket and sweet tea or golden milk! Sleep about 8 hours. Make sure not to exhaust yourself, running around, not sleeping 8 hours

8 Winter Wellness Tips

Winter Wellness Tips

What do you think about the tips above? Do you also feel like these will make you feel better these days? Enjoy this wonderful season and just make sure to be in synchronicity with Mother Nature

If you need a helping hand to go through these transitions and apply the daily routines, join one of my programs like 10 Day Online Ayurvedic Winter Cleanse, or Winter Yoga and Ayurveda Weekend Retreat, or 12 Weeks Online Holistic Coaching Program Zenfitgourmet.

Ayurveda invites us to understand our very own nature as in doshas (vata, pitta, kapha combinations), accept it with love and compassion – without judgements. Then you live according to YOUR nature and not what somebody else tells you to do- and in harmony with the qualities of the nature you live in. Like eating locally grown, organic and seasonal foods which give you the exact qualities you need.

Balance of Life

Like in summer the need for cooling foods and drinks, avoiding hot, spicy, sour, fermented foods and drinks, overexerction and overexposure to hot sun- especially if you are a pitta person and want to avoid imbalance symptoms like anger, hives, rash, diarrhea. This balance will come from applying the 5 basic elements of the universe, fire, water, space, air and earth and their qualities.

When we feel balanced we reach the best version of ourselves where we are far away from diseases.

Ayurvedic End of Summer Cleanse

I invite you to join me the End of Summer Cleanse webinar to learn more about these concepts, and start applying to clean body, mind and spirit. It is FREE and on 17.09.2022.

We will also go live with the participants of 10 Day Cleanse Program as of 17 September 2022 and you can join us, too!

You may have also been following my new experiment with the ketogenic diet where I limit carb intake to 25g per day and the rest is fat, protein and vegetables only!Once you start to limit your carbs you realise just how much life revolves around them!! And how much our holidays are planned and lived around meals we eat, and during almost every meal, we start to plan the next big breakfast…or another fish-mezze occasion or a local artisanal speciality:))So, we could say it is pretty obvious, that whilst on holiday that we can not stick 100% to a “low-carb” or any type of calorie restricted diet – unless you have a health issue that requires 100% commitment.

However, I think I have found the best solution this year (at least until now, and one that works for me). I have tried and tasted almost all of these special meals-dishes-produces with 100% mindfulness and with minimum quantity. For instance I ate mussels twice during the holidays and limited myself to just 2 pieces each time. I have also only had one ice cream during these weeks, but I made sure it was of the finest and best quality and made sure I enjoyed every moment of every mouthful, savouring each bite without any guilt or dieters remorse!

So, if you pay attention to your portions and are aware of what you are eating , it is possible to enjoy anything!

Raki ( a local drink like ouzo) and Mezze, like wine and tapas are the irresistible local tastes in Turkey. This special one (again) is wrapped shrimps with garlic yogurt and spicy butter sauce.

Yet, I have more important points about staying within your goals during summer or holiday of any kind for that matter.

Wake Up Early and Explore!

My second point is about exercise. In the last couple of years, holidays have become much more active for me and I am so happy with this change in mindset. It helps me to balance my holiday better, to allow myself treats or cheats without ruining my holiday mood with feelings of guilt.And thanks to my morning yoga, walks or long swims, I learn and discover more about the places we visit during the holidays. I also try new types of exercise which is so much fun and part of the experience!

We must have spent 5000 calories on that board!!

My biggest problem used to be waking up early, but now (probably because I am getting old!!) I find the early mornings so magical, and I usually compensate the early morning starts with a mid-day nap!!

So enjoy your holidays, with another perspective and keep up with your wellness goals.
See and experience things other then food, taste the specialities with awareness and mindfulness. Get more active, wake up earlier and enjoy a nice walk or a new type of exercise. It is that simple!

And if you gain a few grams, just get back to your healthier routines as soon as possible. Let me know if you need help in guiding you to healthy habits again.

But then, what happens? Why do you find yourself searching for another diet, one more miracle to take you back? You probably know the answer but dare not to say it out loud! Let me tell it for you and you repeat after me

Change Your Lifestyle and Habits

I know it sounds scary to some of you because you think this kind of life is boring, dull, restrictive and needing too much effort. But hey, please listen to me, IT IS NOT AT ALL!

You know why? Yes again I think you do and let me remind you again

First, a healthier life also involves tasting good food, enjoying dinners with friends or comforting yourself with some food!
You just don’t do that everyday and every meal and you don’t eat more then you need. Your way of getting pleasure from life is not only eating excess food but more on the real things around it- like the talks and laughs during a dinner! And once you over do one meal, all you have to do is to go back to your healthier life and maybe try to even it with some extra exercise and some lighter dinners the next day.

So these “cheatings” are not your norm but exceptions and you never allow yourself to say ” all or never”! You keep on your healthy lifestyle no matter how long or how bad you ate and stop judging yourself about not having a strong will! You are much stronger then you think and use these strengths in other parts of your life. All you have to do is to use this strength and willpower to go back to healthier choices.

Second, yes you do avoid some food that sends your insulin levels to sky not only to look sexy but more for your health that you need for the rest of your life!

These “poisons of our era”, mostly and namely the whites (processed food and processed white sugar, flour, rice) do endanger our internal organs and open the gate for many diseases. So say, if you are about in your 40s now, you probably and hopefully have about 40+ years more to live and how do you want these 40+ years to be? Healthy, fit, away from medicines and diseases or the opposite? Think about it again, 40+ years of lifetime!! So restriction is relative term. You might be restricting whites and in return you are freeing yourself from diseases!

Choose A Healthy Lifestyle

And when you choose a healthy lifestyle, you add much more then you crowd out! Yes you do! This is the point when my clients get really shocked, when they see all the delicious alternatives they can eat when they start a healthier lifestyle! Especially when we speak about fats, almost everybody freaks out (like I did couple of years ago) and can not change the mindset established until recently! You can and you must eat healthy fats to loose fat and stay slim, how about that?!

Keeping stress under control and slowing down is one of the keys to healthier lifestyle and slimmer body! So many things to sort out and balance but once you do it, you don’t go back!

There are many factors that create excess weight like your activity level (which is as important as what you put into your mouth), mood, the way and amount you recharge yourself, what’s going on in your relations and your career, amount of water you drink, your digestion and metabolism, etc etc. But if you want to start from somewhere, try to keep 2 things under control: meal timings and carbohydrates.

If you can manage to shift your lifestyle where you start with strong first meal and gradually decrease it by dinner that would be a great help to your metabolism! So here is the healthier lifestyle in a nutshell (though we can talk for hours about importance of many other factors like your background, metabolic rate, amount of oxygen you take, etc etc) :

In and with an active lifestyle, where you recharge yourself regularly and keep stressunder control, if you can focus on a balance of lots of fiber and vitamins from greens and fruits, some high quality and preferable plant based protein and minimum of complex carbohydrates (non white, non processed), healthy fats and lots of water, and keep your cheats as exceptions, spending your time with the ones and things you love and feel and show your gratitude, you will sustain your weight and health forever! And about the “too much effort” part, this is all a matter of planning! If you can spare some time for meal planning, even just in your mind, shop accordingly and keep a stock of healthy food in your kitchen (and preferably kick out the processed packed ones!), life will be much simple and practical for healthier options.

Go and shop for healthier stuff! Nuts, seeds, veggies, olives, greens…fill your kitchen with good nutrition and not the processed poisons! I know that life happens and busy working or stay at home parents have so many challenges but if you think carefully, you can find ways to incorporate at least some of the suggestions above which will give you a good start!

So if you have some energy to start a “diet” please don’t! Instead consider using that energy to start a healthier lifestyle. This way, you will never gain back and keep on enjoying your life – forever!

So please tell me if I am missing a point here or if you feel the same or different then me! I am really curious if this sounds doable for you or if it is far far away from where you are! Send me message here or to my email, ceylanayik@fitgurme.com, I would love to hear from you!