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Let’s pretend we’re taking a test. Yes, a test like the ones we used to take back in high school. One of the questions on the test requires you to describe how healthy you consider your daily routine. What would be your answer? Would you describe what you eat, what you do to exercise, how you sleep, how often you laugh, how affectionate you are, or how you work with your mind and thoughts? Do you consider all six of these practices (eating, exercising, resting, conscious happiness, affection, and mindfulness) part of your health?
Many people want to be healthy. On social media, I’m always reading and seeing all kinds of advice that will supposedly make people their healthiest selves. Millions of websites are completely dedicated to “training” people on how to become healthier. It’s a trendy subject, for sure, and I absolutely love seeing society’s inclination toward living more fulfilled lives through healthy habits. I’m always open to listen to everything that might have a positive impact in my health; I really love the subject, as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now.
You have the strong feeling a “but” is about to make an appearance now, right? 😂 Well, you’re correct! Here we go. BUT … do we really have to follow all the thousands of daily healthy routines people advise on social media?
Let me answer that question with another question: Does your day have 24 hours or 100? If you started doing every daily thing people out there advise to become your healthiest self, you’d literally need at least 100 hours in a day to complete all those routines. For instance, I see some fitness experts sharing their healthy daily routines, and they go something like this: “I wake up at 6 a.m. and do 20 minutes of meditation (love it); then I do 10 minutes of breathing exercises, followed by a five-minute cold bath. Then, I prepare myself to go to the gym to complete my one-and-a-half hour morning workout.” Some people add gratitude journaling to this routine; some other people add a yoga flow, and so on. Then they explain how they cook their healthy meals during the day and how they sleep eight hours every night, and they show you their absolutely beautiful bodies as a result of their amazing, dedicated daily routine. Um … do they even have jobs? Or kids?
I am all about living a healthier life, and I respect and applaud all the people who keep encouraging us to make better choices. I also follow my own daily routines (which I love), and I feel extremely grateful to have the time to include them in my day. But I need to be clear that my time looks completely different from the time of a mom or dad who works from 8 a.m. to 5p.m. Many of them also wake up at five in the morning, but they have to get themselves and their little ones ready for work and school. They have to prepare breakfast and lunch boxes; they have to drive the kids to school and themselves to work, where they spend most of their day. They get home by 5:30 p.m. (depending on traffic and all those commuting factors), and then it’s all about homework, dinner, quality time with the family, taking care of the house, etc. Is it fair to tell them they should practice all those healthy daily habits, as if their days have more hours than the rest of the world?
I feel like when we try to advise people about daily healthy habits, we should first understand that the majority of people are already struggling with their available time. Of course, I always ask people how much time they spend on social media daily; if they say an hour or more, I tell them that’s a full hour they could invest in their health. Still I know many people simply don’t have enough time. So, does that mean they shouldn’t follow healthy daily routines? Absolutely not! Millions of alternative ways are out there to add some good, healthy practices to the day without changing your reality. My sister, for example, is the amazing mom of my sweet boy Jack, who has autism. She may wake up to a challenge every morning, depending on Jack’s mood. Of course, she can’t exercise at home because it’s simply not possible, but she goes to work and takes half of her lunch hour to walk. She made this her routine, and it works for her.
The days I’m not able to meditate first thing in the morning for whatever reason, I make sure I complete my meditation even if the only time available for me is while driving. Granted, it looks a little different, but it serves me greatly. I feel like the most important thing around healthy daily habits is to cover the six practices I mentioned at the beginning the way your reality lets you do it. If all you can do to exercise is take a 10-minute walk, then go for it and feel proud about it. If you need to buy prepared food because you don’t have time to cook, make sure you choose healthier options. If you don’t practice meditation at all, take just one minute of your day to simply stare at the wall and see if you can determine what your thoughts look like at that moment. Hug your loved ones at least once a day if you have the chance.
Practicing healthy daily habits is your choice, my friends. Find what serves you best depending on your reality, and don’t feel bad when you see all those IG influencers sharing their daily routines. Their time is completely different than yours. So, make sure you live your life based on your reality and not anyone else’s life.
Love,
Irene
Just a suggestion. I would be able to do all of those things every day as well if I didn’t have to commit at least eight of my hours to earning my daily bread.
