Today I'm Growing
Hey I’m Anna and I’m here to help you grow into the best version of yourself. Physically, mentally and in all areas of life. Growth is powerful because it makes us feel stronger, more confident, healthier, and happier. I want to find out all the tips, tricks, habits, and routines - everything we need to know to GROW. I want to do this together with you in this podcast.
New episodes the first Tuesday of each month.
Today I'm Growing
5 Healthy Girl Habits for Physical & Mental Health
What if everything you knew about health and fitness was wrong? Join me as I share my journey from extreme habits to a balanced, happy life. I used to think that over-exercising and eating very little was the key to being healthy, but it left me tired and unhappy. In this episode, I'll talk about how I found a better way with five simple habits that improved my health. We'll cover fun ways to stay active, the importance of drinking enough water, eating a balanced diet, getting good sleep, and being grateful. This is THE GROW LIFESTYLE. Thanks for being part of this journey with me!
Hey team, welcome back to my podcast Today. I'm growing. I'm so excited to have you here Today. We are talking about the grow lifestyle and the five habits for your physical and for your mental health. I'm really freaking excited to talk about this topic because it's something that's been on my mind for a really, really long time. It's really about a lifestyle that I'm living right now, that I'm living since a couple of years, and I really believe so much in it. I really believe so much in it that I want to share it with you and that I'm like, if you try this lifestyle as well, if you try to stick to the five grow lifestyle habits, I really think they can have such a positive impact on your every single day of life, on your body, and not just your physical body, but also on your mental body, or not just on your physical health, but also on your mental health. It's five rules that we are talking about, but a little bit later in this podcast episode, because I want to start with something else.
Speaker 0:I want to talk about what I used to think what a healthy, fit life looks like, or a healthy, fit body looks like. So I really thought, when it comes to health and fitness. I really thought it's about moving your body as much as you can and eating as little as possible. So that's the two things that I thought a healthy life looks like Little Anna. So let's go back. Let's go back, I don't know 10 years ago. I'm turning 29, really, really soon, so let's say like 18 or 19. That's when I was in the middle of my fitness journey. That's when I struggled the most with my body. That's when I was like I need to lose weight in order to be healthy and in order to be happy.
Speaker 0:Back then, I also think that society really told us that a healthy body is a skinny body. Like you have to be skinny and you have to lose weight in order to be healthy, in order to fit into this healthy, fit body ideal. Like I think maybe you can relate, maybe you can relate if you're in the same kind of age like all the newspapers and on TV, all these model shows, like it was really about being skinny and it was like the solution, it was the answer to everything. If you were really unhappy and if you felt really uncomfortable with yourself and in your body, then they really told us okay, you just have to lose weight, then it's all going to be fine. So in order to feel that, to feel that health and feel that happiness, I thought I have to lose weight, and the way I tried it was I was over-exercising, which means I was exercising almost every single day. I tried to go running every day and burn calories and I tried all the I don't know like crazy workouts every single day. I really pushed myself and, on the other hand, I was not eating enough. I was not fueling my body even though I was exercising so much. So that was my definition of healthy, and if you would ask me, like 10 years ago, if I would think I'm healthy, I would have said yes, even though I didn't feel really healthy because I had no energy.
Speaker 0:I also haven't had my period. I talk so much about this, like I talk so much about how I not had a period, because today, I think it is one of the most important things that we have to talk about as a woman in the fitness industry. I things that we have to talk about as women in the fitness industry. I really think we have to talk about it because I know it's not just me struggling with this and I know it's not just me struggling with your hormones, and it makes me so sad, because that is one of the things that actually shows you if you're healthy or not. If you want to be healthy, you have to have your period, and if you're listening right now and you don't have your period you struggle with it then I really want you to think about that and I want you to feel like a woman again and like a healthy woman again, and if you want to feel like that, you need a healthy period.
Speaker 0:Anyways, that's how I defined a healthy fitness lifestyle. It was all about moving, it was all about exercising, and, while I still think these two things are really, really important and they are also part of the grow lifestyle, it's part of the rules that I'm going to talk about later. I think it's really important, but first of all, it's not the only things that you have to look at if you want to become healthier and happier. And also something that I keep talking about in the last couple of months, also on all my social media channels it's all just healthy if it's in balance, and for so long I didn't really know what balance means. I didn't know. I've never had balance for such a long time I was going from one extreme to another extreme and I really thought I have to give like my 100%, or more than 100%. I have to give 150% to be better, to be the best that I can be.
Speaker 0:I've never had balance and it comes with a lot of downsides. When you jump from one extreme to another extreme, then on one hand, you lose your period, but you also lose a lot of other things. You lose friends, you lose relationships, you might lose your sex drive, you might lose other things. Like it comes with a lot of negative downsides and I want to bring awareness to this because, yeah, being extreme maybe on social media, someone who is really extreme is really interesting and it's cool to look at. But I just want you to understand that extreme is really interesting and it's cool to look at, but I just want you to understand that this is not healthy and this is not something you should try to become or you should try to aim for.
Speaker 0:So, all in balance and balance to every single one of us. I think it looks a little bit different, like one person might need a little bit more balance and the other person might need a little bit more balance and the other person might need a little bit less balance. So balance for every single one of us looks a tiny little bit different. But it's also something I want you to understand and learn here on this podcast that you are very unique and you are very special. No one is like you and you are the only one who can really set the lifestyle for yourself. You can get inspired, like you get, hopefully, here in this podcast episode. You can also get inspired on social media, like everywhere. Get inspired, get tips and try to implement those tips for your life. But at the end of the day, you are so special and so unique and you are the only person who can really tell if things are working for you or if things aren't working for you.
Speaker 0:So trying to be exactly like someone else doesn't work, and I was just thinking of a what I eat in a day video that I was recording the other day. Like I love the what I eat in a day videos, I love to share it, I love to watch it, but I'm not trying to eat exactly the same way like someone else does. Like I'm not watching a video and I'm like, okay, this is what this person is eating every day. I want to look like this person, so I also have to eat the exact same. I don't want you to think like that, because that's not how it works. Like, if you consume content on the internet, please don't compare yourself to anyone else. It doesn't make sense, because here is your reminder again, and I will say it over and over again you are you and you are very special and you're very unique. No one is you and that is your superpower. So don't try to be like someone else, don't try to eat like someone else, because this person I guarantee you is very different and has a very, very different life. So let's all get more inspired and let's all use social media for inspiration and for tips and for ideas and to get help, but at the end of the day, we have to decide. We have to be our own directors of life and our own bosses and our own I don't know like our own creators for our own unique lives.
Speaker 0:I also received a DM that really really made me think okay, I have to talk more about lifestyle. I have to talk more about the grow lifestyle, specifically. So I got a DM which it was like a girl and she was so frustrated. She was so sad about herself, about her body. She felt so uncomfortable and she said I really want to lose weight and I think I try everything. I try my best, I try so hard to lose weight, but it just doesn't work. I eat only protein and vegetables right now. I don't eat anything else. I'm working out every day, I'm trying so hard, I move my body, but I'm just not losing weight.
Speaker 0:And then I was sitting down and I was like, okay, what should I answer to this person, because I can relate so much? Younger me, who also really wanted to lose weight, did everything and she tried so hard, she tried every single diet. She was like eating low carb, exactly like this girl that texted me. She's also not eating carbs at the moment. She's just eating protein and veggies. So there's clearly a lot of things missing. A lot of vitamins and a lot of nutrients are missing.
Speaker 0:Carbs are so important I cannot stress about it enough. Especially if you're really active, then I think you should eat carbs. They are really important and they can give you energy and they can make you feel healthier and happier and better. Anyways, I can relate so much with this and I also. I was over-exercising all the time I was putting so much stress on my body and stress on my mind, but I was thinking what can I answer to this person? And, first of all, I really want this person to know that you can work really hard and I think working hard is really important and it shows discipline, it shows that you're giving it your all, which is important, but you also have to allow yourself to rest. The harder you work, the harder you have to rest. I had a coach, like years ago, who said that, like, if you want to train harder, you also have to rest harder, and I never really got it until I, until I got injured, and I until I understood everything. But it's really important that you allow yourself to rest, and not just when it comes to your fitness journey.
Speaker 0:I also think, for example, when you're working a lot, when you're self-employed, like me, for example, and there is just no, there's just no end you could work forever. Like I could work 24 7. I would still have new ideas. I would still forever. Like I could work 24 seven. I would still have new ideas. I would still find something that I could work on. Like I'm also so passionate about it. I could work nonstop.
Speaker 0:But the honest truth is that it also doesn't work like that, Like you also have to allow yourself to rest, and if you work five days a week, you have to allow yourself the two other days of the week to rest, and it will make you feel more productive, it will charge your batteries, it will refill your cup or fill up your cup again, and that is so important. I never understood this. But then there is one point in your life where it's getting too much and where it's like boom, like it's like I don't know how to explain it. It's like it's like exploding and it's getting too much. And it's like boom, like it's like I don't know how to explain it. It's like an, it's like exploding and it's getting too much, and that's why so many people feel stressed out or burned out because they never allow themselves to rest.
Speaker 0:No matter for what, you have to prioritize rest. You have to prioritize yourself, and you really have to charge your batteries and you have to fill up your cup, because if your cup isn't full, then you cannot give to others, and that's so important. So please always make sure to prioritize yourself first, because if you are empty, like, you cannot give anything to anyone. So always make sure to work hard but also rest hard. It's really, really important. And then this person that I got the DM from or the message from, so I try to answer her in a way of like okay, you have to take things a little bit more chilled and you have to take rest days as well and you have to allow yourself to rest as well. But looking at the things that you just texted me, you said you're moving a lot and you're eating not that much, but you're still not losing weight.
Speaker 0:And then I asked her about the rest of the things, like the rest of her life, like her whole lifestyle, and that's why this podcast episode is also so important. Like, no matter what kind of goals you have, no matter what kind of fitness goals you have, if you want to lose weight or you want to become stronger, like no matter what you want, it is more than just moving your body and more than just eating. A certain way, it is about your whole lifestyle and it's about lifestyle rules. I say rules right now, even though I don't mean like strict rules, but I don't know any other word to say right now or any other words to say right now. So it's more than just moving your body and it's more than just eating a certain way, and that's why I want to talk about the Grow Lifestyle with you, team. The Grow Lifestyle is more like a lifestyle concept, which includes five rules, five things that you should focus on, and I want you to try it. I said it at the beginning of this episode I want you to try those things, try it and see what happens. Let's start with it, let's get straight into it. I said it at the beginning of this episode I want you to try those things, try it and see what happens. Let's start with it, let's get straight into it. I have to drink one sip of water, because my mouth is getting like really dry and I just need a sip of water. So give me one second and then we jump into the first rule of the girl lifestyle. By the way, I quickly have to share with you.
Speaker 0:I am recording this podcast episode the second time right now, because the first time I was recording it didn't work. I was in such a flow, I was talking for one hour in the bit and then I checked my laptop and I've seen that it didn't work. I was freaking out. I was really freaking out. I was screaming at my laptop, I was screaming at my microphone, I was screaming at the camera. I'm kind of sorry to all of the things here right now. So sorry, sorry, sorry.
Speaker 0:But then I made a little break. I made a five minute break. I started to tidy up my apartment a tiny bit and I brought out the trash. And while I opened up the trash bin and put the trash in, I was like okay, I have two options now. Option one is to be angry and to be mad and to stop and quit and be like okay, the podcast is not for me, it's just not working today. Or I take option B, which is like I bring out the trash right now, I take a deep breath and then I sit down again here in my bed, get comfortable, fill my water bottle up, drink a sip, and then I do it again. And I was like, okay, let's's choose option two, let's give it a try, let's stay calm and let's stay like let's be grateful actually that I have the opportunity and the chance to even record a podcast episode and then just do it. So I'm really happy I did it again because it also feels really really good right now.
Speaker 0:I hope you enjoyed the podcast episode so far and I hope you're ready. I hope you're ready for the grow lifestyle rules and rule number one. The first rule team is to move your body, and we talked about it. I said that I still think you shouldn't overdo it and you shouldn't go crazy about moving your body every day, but you should do a tiny little bit of movement every day, and that could be so many different things. When I talk about moving your body, it's not that I want you to run 10 kilometers every single day or do a crazy high intense workout. It's about finding a balanced and realistic workout plan that works for you.
Speaker 0:I'm currently doing a workout plan which is called the 3-2-1 workout method. To me it feels really really good. To me it's really balanced. I have enough rest days, I have enough variety, so I'm not getting bored. It is actually so. 3-2-1 stands for three home workouts, two runs and one stretch every single week, and then there's one day left for a complete rest day. So that is how every single week for me looks right now. But moving your body can mean so many different things. If you like workout classes, go to a workout class. If you love yoga, if you love Pilates, do it Whatever you enjoy. I think that's also really important.
Speaker 0:When it comes to moving your body, you have to do things that you really enjoy. Like I went to a few boxing classes or ride classes. Like the bikes that you're riding, the spinning things that you do to really cool music, I just don't love it. I just don't enjoy it that much that I would go back and do it over and over again, so it doesn't work for me. But I also have that one friend who loves to be on these bikes and she she's obsessed with it. She would go to two classes a week and just really loves it. But but that also shows how different we all are. And that is the beauty of life, that we all are so different, because it makes us all like, so interesting. But, yeah, find something that works for you. That is really important because then you stick to it, then you are consistent and then, yeah, you can actually see results and become healthier and become fitter and stronger if you actually do something that you really enjoy.
Speaker 0:It can also be, when I say moving your body, it can also be just a walk. I'm such a big fan of walking. Maybe I have that from my mom, because my mom is like the walking queen. She honestly she's crazy. She does these 24-hour walks where she walks for 24 hours without resting. So she's also that kind of extreme. I realize right now when I talk about it. Maybe I have the tendency to be extreme from her, even though I always thought she's the chilled one, but actually she isn't. She definitely isn't now when I think about it. Interesting. But yeah, she, like she, shows me the, the beauty of walking. And going for a walk also when I do it is something so wonderful and something so it calms my mind, it makes me feel creative again, especially when I do it without my phone, just listening to nature and listening to the birds singing around me. It does something and it's it's really cool, it's really powerful and I want you to go on more walks right now because it's beautiful. And here in and it's it's really cool, it's really powerful and I want you to go on more walks right now because it's beautiful. And here in Germany it's summer. Going outside in summer, I mean it's the best, right, it's not too hot, yeah, but it's, it's just the best.
Speaker 0:The second rule team for the grow lifestyle or off the grow lifestyle is to stay hydrated, to drink two to three liters of water per day. And today, by saying that, I really I'm not struggling with it. I really don't think it's a big challenge to drink two to three liters of water per day, but I see a lot of people struggling with it. I see a lot of people not drinking enough water and I'm like how can you even survive? Like I have no idea. Drinking enough water to me has so many. How can you even survive? Like I have no idea. Drinking enough water to me has so many benefits that I don't even know where to start. And before talking about these benefits and before I just share the importance of drinking enough water, I take my water bottle, which is next to me, I open the lid and then I drink a sip and it immediately makes me feel better. It immediately makes me want to talk again. And it immediately makes me feel better. It immediately makes me want to, yeah, talk again.
Speaker 0:But one of the tips that I already can give you if you struggle with drinking enough water, if that's something that's really hard for you, then make sure, honestly make sure to get a refillable, reusable water bottle. It's the best investment you can make right now and I don't want to promote my own water bottle right now because it's kind of cringe, I don't know. But at the same time I want because I think the the product is absolutely amazing and it's really nailing it and I get a lot of positive feedback on it, so I highly recommend it. Get a reusable water bottle and in the best, best, best case, it's worth a straw like you just have to sip on the lid and straw and it's like it's so easy to drink. Your two liters of water like one bottle that I have here right now is around one liter. It's a little bit less than a liter, but yeah, it's like two to three of these bottles and it's so easy to drink enough throughout the day.
Speaker 0:I have it always with me. I have it with me when I walk around, when I sit in the S-Bahn, when I work, when I work out like it's always with me no matter where I go and that makes life already easier, makes me think of like every single habit that you actually want to implement into your life. Make sure you make it easy. Make it as easy as possible for you. If you want to drink more. Get a reusable water bottle where you just sip on the straw or when you wanna. What could be another example right now to I don't know, just thinking of my work right now at my walking path. If you want to get more steps in but you don't really find the time to do walks because you work a lot, you work so much that you don't have time to go for walks just get a walking pad and make it easy for you to get the steps in. That's how I work. Most of the time, I'm just on my walking pad and on my desk and then I work and walk at the same time. So make your life a tiny little bit easier.
Speaker 0:Well, let's keep going with staying hydrated and why I think it's so important. I mean, we've all been there. When we are dehydrated, when we haven't had enough water, it's a terrible feeling. I think the last time when I was dehydrated had been on the plane. I think it's been years ago, but I remember the situation because it was like really bad. I don't know what kind of trip it was. I think we had been in Amsterdam. Anyways, it was a really cheap airline. It was such a cheap ticket, and then we already like the boarding already had been, so we were on the plane but we couldn't take off, so they couldn't sell us water and I forgot my water bottle, or I haven't had a water bottle and then we were sitting there it was my friend and me. We both we haven't had water, but we were so thirsty and we were so dehydrated. It was also summer, it was so hot and then we both were like really not hangry, but like what is the word for? Like if you really dehydrated, like if you're dehydrated and angry and like pissed off, and we pissed each other off. Like it was really really funny and crazy, but it was a weird feeling when you have such a dry mouth and when you're getting a little bit dizzy and confused. I'm sure we all had been there. I'm sure you really know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 0:So being dehydrated is just not a vibe and I highly recommend you drink enough water. Also, like the girl in my DMs. Yes, she might be moving a lot and she might be in a caloric deficit, but if she's not drinking enough water, like that could also be one of the lifestyle things that she is missing out on. Like she really also have to drink enough water in order to see progress and in order to feel healthier and happier. So make sure to drink enough water. Also one thing if you're not drinking enough water, sometimes you feel throughout the day you feel like snacking all the time. You feel hungry all the time. There is a connection on that. So sometimes if you feel like you're hungry, you're actually thirsty. So I highly recommend you drink a little bit more of water and, if it's a challenge for you, make your life a little bit easier by getting a water bottle or by also making it a habit to, after waking up, drink immediately like half a liter to a liter of water. Then it's already done and then you can already tick it off.
Speaker 0:Rule number three is follow the healthy eating 80-20 rule. I don't know if you have an idea of like the 80-20 rule, if you've ever heard about it, but to me, this is really one of the best things that I could do when it comes to healthy eating. To me, this 80-20 rule really works. And there is another rule when it comes to the 80-20 rule, and it's like I don't know what exactly it is, but it's like you have to put in 20% effort to get 80% out of it. There's something kind of like that, which is like a productivity work thing, but that's not what I'm talking about. So when I talk about the 80-20 rule here, I'm talking about a balanced eating approach or a balanced lifestyle approach. I'm talking about 80% whole, nourishing, unprocessed foods and then, on the other hand, I'm talking about 20%. So the rest of the to have like full 100% is about processed foods or soul foods.
Speaker 0:I always say 80-20 to me means 80% whole foods and 20% soul foods, and what I mean by that is, I don't know, sharing a pizza with someone you're dating right now, or getting an ice cream, or going out to a party and enjoying a drink, having a glass of wine, like whatever soul foods means to you. That's what I'm talking about. To me right now, it's really about drinking, and I don't want to sound like an alcohol addict, because I'm truly not. I'm really not, but I enjoy a drink here and there and I enjoy at the moment going out on a weekend and having a drink, like I really enjoy it, and I want you to enjoy it too, especially if you have struggled with something like I struggled with, with an eating disorder and with, like restricting and not eating things because you were afraid of it.
Speaker 0:Have you ever heard of the fear foods? I didn't know it's such a thing, but there are a couple of videos that I've seen on TikTok, instagram, youtube, where people are like I eat my fear foods or I eat others' fear foods. And I found it really interesting because first I was like damn, what's that? Like I don't know, just some teenagers or kids talking about it. But I also had some fear foods and I still struggle sometimes with being afraid of certain foods. That could be pizza, that could be be pasta, that could be just things that diet industry told us for so long are so unhealthy, and that's what's meant with fear foods. But you can also rename it. For me it's not fear foods anymore, it's soul foods, and I know it's good for my soul. It's good for me if I enjoy a nice meal with someone, if I travel to another country and try something new and have a such a nice experience, and I, if I travel to another country and try something new and have a such a nice experience and I explore something new and something exciting. Anyways, like these 20 soul foods are so damn important really, I cannot stress about it enough.
Speaker 0:The 80 whole foods, nourishing foods like we. We know them, we know that they are healthy, we know that it's like the vegetables, it's like the proteins, like tofu, eggs, lean meat, like chicken. And then we know, okay, it's like unprocessed things like veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, olive oils or olive oil, any other oils what else? What else could I think of right now? I'm thinking of dark chocolate right now, like raw, super, ultra bitter dark chocolate, which I still like, I have to be honest. But if you're craving like a nice chocolate, like just a tiny little piece of a nice chocolate, then don't restrict yourself and be like I'm gonna buy a hundred percent dark chocolate and I'm just eating that, because that sounds more like whole foods to me. That sounds healthier, like we don't want to be those type of people here.
Speaker 0:I really want to stress about balance here, on this podcast, on all my social media channels, because that is something I struggled with for too long and I know a lot of people here struggle as well. But life is really healthier and it's happier and it feels so much better if you have a balanced lifestyle. So the 80-20 rule I really want you to try it and I don't want you to stress about these numbers too much, because you don't have to calculate what exactly 80% whole foods and exactly 20% whole foods look like. Like you are smart, you are clever, you are intelligent and you kind of know what 80% looks like and what 20% looks like. And maybe there's a week when you're on holidays and 20% turns into like more, like 30% or 40%. Then that's okay too. And maybe there are other weeks where you're like eating more on like the whole food side, a little bit more than the soul foods like that's okay too. But roughly, you should have an idea of like 80 20 and stop stressing too much about what's the right food and what's the wrong food like, stop categorizing these type of things and start to find more like a balanced approach to food and start to enjoy food and life again like. I really want you to do that and I really hope this 80-20 lifestyle, this 80-20 eating lifestyle or eating method, helps you.
Speaker 0:Team rule number four we're almost there. It's two more rules and rule number four is, oh my god, I think, one of the most important things. It's about sleep. It's about sleeping enough, and sleeping enough is hard to say because, yeah, we all are different. So one person needs eight hours. Another person needs like my friend, she needs like nine to ten hours of sleep, which I think is crazy. I never sleep 10 hours, like never.
Speaker 0:There is maybe like a day when I'm super jet lagged and when I step out of the plane traveling from Australia to to Austria or Germany, I don't know. Then it could be that I sleep for 10 hours, but not on an average, like not in everyday life. But she needs it and that's okay too. I need around seven to eight hours. That's a good number for me. That's when I feel my best and when I feel productive throughout the day, when I feel full of energy, when I feel productive throughout the day, when I feel full of energy. Seven to eight hours yeah, that works really well for me. It's something I think I can work on myself as well.
Speaker 0:Like, I get seven to eight hours a lot of times, but not most of the times, especially when I'm traveling. Like I never get like the seven hours because I don't know. Also, when I'm in a different bed, I'm always like. Or when I don't have my evening night routine, then I'm always like yeah, I don't know. Then it's not the exact same. If you know what I mean, then it's hard for me to get the seven or eight hours of sleep because I can't fall asleep. Oh, actually something that helps me with that because, yeah, when I think back like years ago, it had been way worse. But I have one pillow. It's like a small pillow that I always take with me no matter where I go and that immediately puts me in this like home vibe, like home feeling. I feel safe, I feel like it's my own bed, just with this pillow. So I always take my pillow with me. Maybe that helps you as well.
Speaker 0:Pillow sleeping mask and my like my earplugs. I always have them to make sure I'm sleeping. I get like a good amount of sleep. But, yeah, seven to hour, seven to eight hours for me works really well. I'm thinking of the days or the nights at home when I don't get the sleep in, when I'm like, yeah, but it's so hard to get the amount of sleep in. I'm lying to myself, because that's the nights where I'm like turning tv on or turning like opening up my laptop and watching Netflix, and I could cut down a little bit on the Netflix watching, to be honest, and get more sleep in. Maybe you can relate. But also, on the other hand, yeah, sometimes it's just really needed to watch trash TV for I don't know like an hour before going to bed. Sometimes it's really important for me to just turn my head off and just to I don't know watch something stupid, and that's okay too.
Speaker 0:And one thing I want to say with that is that I'm also not perfect. So, talking about all these rules, I want you to know that I'm not perfect. I'm so not perfect. I try to stick to all those rules, but I'm also not stressing too much about it. If one of the rules I just can't stick to For example, sleep, like if I'm not sleeping seven hours, and yeah, it feels terrible then I'm like okay, that's just how it is right now and I know I can work on that. I know I can go to bed earlier today if yesterday had been such a terrible night, but I try to not stress about it too much. Such a terrible night, but I try to not stress about it too much.
Speaker 0:Also, really, for you, if you want to implement those habits, if you want to change your life, if you want to work on something like, don't be too hard on yourself, I think that's really important. It's better to think long-term and to be consistent and to do something over and over again and be happy with it and don't try to be completely like perfect every day because that's not going to work. It's better than going like all in 100% for like two weeks and then you're burned out and then you're like, oh okay, I don't, I don't want anymore, I'm I'm done with it, I'm so stressed. It's always better to go the slower and more gentle way if you want to do it for the rest of your life and I really hope you want to change for the rest of your life to the better and to the healthier and to the happier and more healed version of yourself. So please, please, don't be too hard on yourself. Try it.
Speaker 0:Try to sleep seven to eight hours. We all know that if you don't sleep enough like we know how it feels, we know it's not a good feeling, and we know that if you don't sleep enough like we know how it feels, we know it's not a good feeling and we know that sleeping has so many positive benefits or such a positive impact. I'm also thinking what, what I'm like when I'm not sleeping enough right now, like to me, the craziest thing is how I'm hungry the whole day, like I could eat non-stop. I could snack the whole day. I could eat lunch and then still be hungry. I would eat dinner and still be hungry. Like I could eat non-stop. I could snack the whole day. I could eat lunch and then still be hungry. I would eat dinner and still be hungry. Like I couldn't clearly tell that my hormones, like my hunger hormones, are completely out of control. Also, thinking what else? Like I'm grumpy, I'm like, yeah, just not myself if I'm not sleeping enough. Wow, team, we made it to the last rule, the last rule of the grow lifestyle, and it's I call it write down Writing.
Speaker 0:I think writing is something that's so underrated and it's something that I'm doing since months, years, and whenever I talk about it or when I share it with someone and the person then is trying it themselves, they're always like, like wow, that really, really works. And what I mean by write down things is actually a few different kinds of things. So what I write down every day is, first of all, my thoughts, my feelings. So I'm journaling. I'm a big fan and big believer in journaling because it really does something with my mental health. It really helps me to think clear, to get new ideas, to be more creative. Like writing things down really helps me, especially in the low moments and I have a lot of low moments too. I'm also just a human being, as you are, and it's also okay to have low moments. But I think it's not okay to be in a low moment and trying to like avoid it or trying to stress about it. Or, if you're stressing about it, if you are talking yourself down because you are in this low moment. I think the first thing that you have to do if you have a really hard time is accepting it and then trying to find ways of like okay, how can I deal with this now? How can I get out of this now? And to me, writing helps a lot. Writing down my thoughts, writing down my feelings, writing down solutions or being creative. I'm like trying to I don't know writing down like step-by-step how do I get out of this? Really really helps. So, yes, I'm journaling.
Speaker 0:I'm also reading this book right now. I forgot the title, unfortunately, but it's about morning pages. So the the woman that wrote this book. She suggests morning pages. I also want you to try it and I want to share it with you. Morning pages means you have like two or three pages empty pages in front of you in the morning and it's part of your morning routine to sit down and write whatever comes out. Like there are no rules, there are no guidelines, you just have to write. You just have to write down whatever comes up, and maybe it's I don't know maybe yesterday something really bad happened and you want to write it down. You want to write about it. Then, on these morning pages, you have the chance, you have the possibility to do that. So journaling is one thing. Then also write down your to-dos, your tasks, plan your days.
Speaker 0:That, to me also, is something really important that I really have to do. My business wouldn't work, my life wouldn't work without to-do lists like really not. And the way I write down my to-do lists is I have my personal to-dos and I have my business to-dos every day and every morning I sit down on my table and I eat breakfast and then most of the time I do it at the same time. I write down my to-dos of the day and I eat my breakfast and I enjoy my coffee. Anyways, the personal to-dos. Like I don't know if I want to book a nail appointment, or if I want to meet a friend or call a friend or what else. What is on my to-do list, my personal to-do list today? It's like clean up the apartment, call my mom. Booking a nail appointment actually is today on my to-do list. Yeah, just like things that you do for yourself which are as important as the business to-dos and the business to-do list yeah, it's, it's.
Speaker 0:I have always one top priority thing that I really have to do and that I really business to-do list. Yeah, it's, it's. I have always one top priority thing that I really have to do and that I really want to tick off and get done, and then some like other to-dos throughout the day that I try to prioritize. But writing down to-dos is a really important thing for me. Last but not least, write down one thing that you're grateful for. This is something I am now doing since a couple of weeks and can I just say that I'm so much more relaxed. I feel so much more relaxed since I do that. Just notice, right now I feel more relaxed, I feel more positive.
Speaker 0:I like when something goes wrong, like right now in the podcast, actually like yes, it didn't work and yes, it didn't record and it was really annoying. Annoying and I was really frustrated about it. But then I was like, no, I'm grateful. I'm grateful that I'm healthy, I'm grateful that I'm even here right now with all the equipment that I have. I'm grateful to have even this opportunity and chance to record a podcast episode. That made me immediately feel better and that made me think more positive.
Speaker 0:And today and it really really so write down every day one thing that you're grateful for. I also recommend it. When you feel bad about your body that's something like especially us women, like we struggle with. I really recommend, especially on those bad body image days, when you really struggle with your body, write down the things that you're grateful for. Like yesterday, I had a bad body image day, so what I did was I wrote down I have, I'm really grateful for my two healthy legs.
Speaker 0:Like I have two healthy legs and I have two healthy arms that I can do so many things with. I can walk around, I can run with my legs, I can travel, I can film all the workout videos that I'm filming with my two healthy legs. I can use my two healthy arms for creating things, for going on a solo date and painting. Like, what did I do last week? I was going to a pottery class, but not pottery class like ceramic painting. I have two healthy hands so I can go to a solo date and paint a ceramic painting. Like, how cool is that? So why am I focusing on my bloated stomach this morning? Why am I so mad about it, even though I know tomorrow it's going to be over?
Speaker 0:Like I'm stressing about problems sometimes that aren't really problems, and being grateful for one thing on those moments or on those days is so amazing and it immediately makes you feel more grateful but also happier and more positive. And if you're positive, then your whole day like changes and your whole mood and your whole vibe changes and by changing your vibe, also the vibe that you give to others changes and it's a circle and I want to be in the positive and chilled and relaxed and happy vibe and circle with you. So let's try every morning and every day to be grateful for one thing and write it down, because if you don't write it down, it's just not happening. Like then it's not set. You have to write it down.
Speaker 0:Team, that was today's podcast episode and I really hope that you enjoyed it. I hope you liked it. I hope I was able to, even though I recorded it for the second time, but maybe that was better because, I don't know, I've added a few things that I wanted to say before, but now I was able to add them, so maybe it was all good the way it was and the way it ended. I just hope you enjoyed it. I hope you got a lot of things out of it. I hope you want to change your life to the better and to the healthier and to the happier, and also to a little bit more balanced and chilled approach.
Speaker 0:And, yeah, by listening to this podcast episode, I hope I can really help you learn and grow. Thank you so much for listening. I really hope you know that you're very special and by being here, it means that you're part of this community and you want to improve yourself and you want to learn, and you want to improve yourself and you want to learn and you want to grow, and I think that is something really amazing. So I really appreciate that. I appreciate you being here, so thank you so so much. Thank you for listening, team. I cannot wait to talk to you soon If you have any kind of feedback. If you want to let me know something, then text me on Instagram on growingananas, send me a DM. I cannot wait to read from you and, once again, thank you. I send you a virtual hug right now. I hope you can feel it. Close your eyes and imagine how I give you a big, warm hug right now. Thank you, this hug is for you. No-transcript.