So far this year the only issues I've had with my health have been allergy-related, and I'm afraid where I live it's next to impossible to avoid some kind of allergies. Apparently cedar, hickory, and willow do bad things to me.
But aside from allergies, I've avoided sickness altogether and I'm pretty sure it's a lifestyle thing, considering how often I used to get sick in my early twenties. For me, my health is broken down into categories of fitness, food, supplements, and mental and emotional well-being.
Fitness
I run three times a week, sometimes outside and sometimes on the elliptical machine (depending on my allergies) for 45 minutes, followed up by several repetitions with small weights for toning.
I do yoga at least twice a week, one "kick-my-ass" class (usually Ashtanga Yoga at the Y) and one Hatha Yoga for stretching. I'm also about to start taking this class at Black Swan Yoga called Sweaty Yoga, where they do yoga in a really hot room so you basically detox the entire time. Black Swan is donation-based, so you just pay what you can. I'm going on my next day off, I can't wait!
I also ride my bike, duh, about forty miles a week I'd guess. I do two social rides a week, one on Wednesday night called the ladies ride, put together by the awesome people at Fast Folks Cyclery, and another one Thursday nights called the Skellies Ride. The Skellies crew is full of amazing people who are quickly becoming some of my favorite people to chill with.
And now that it's getting warmer here in Austin, I am incorporating swimming at Barton Creek into my schedule. There's a free swim from 8-9 every night, so I'm definitely hitting that up.
I'm hoping to get more into hiking and climbing one I obtain all the appropriate gear necessary.
Something I started getting into, thanks to Josh Verduzco, a very talented Austin photographer and close friend of mine, is tightrope walking. He has a zipline tied up between two trees at his house, and it's a lot harder than I thought it would be to stay up on that sucker. It really engages your core and tests your balance. Twenty minutes on that thing and I was sweating like a pig. It's fun!
Food
If you haven't already, I highly recommend watching Food Inc. Because of that movie I stopped buying overly processed food (ahem, Lean Cuisine), and for a long time I only bought my meat from Native Roots Market (back when I lived in Oklahoma) because I wanted to know exactly where my meat was coming from. Unfortunately my morals and my wallet do not always agree with each other and I get my meat from HEB now, but that movie pretty much captures my whole food philosophy.
My diet is pretty much this: a banana, yogurt, and juice for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and a meat, grain, and a green for dinner. For snacks I munch on pickles, almonds, carrots, or fruit. I let myself eat as much fruits, vegetables and juice as I want. I figured out the perfect salad design: any dried fruit + any nut + any crumbled cheese + whatever dressing = the perfect salad. For example today I had dried cherries, pistachios, crumbled blue cheese and strawberry vinaigrette on a bed of baby springs...to die for. I'm pretty sure you can use any combination and it will still taste amazing.
I eat meat for the protein, and up until recently I only ate turkey and chicken. But since moving to Austin I've ventured out and started eating PORKCHOPS. Wow. Maybe someday I'll even try steak. I actually had a barbacoa taco a few months ago but it made me sick. Then I found out it was from the cheek of a cow, and I wanted to die. Little by little.
Also, I drink a lot of water, try to limit myself to one cup of coffee a day (not easily achieved sometimes, I must say, I freaking love coffee), and when allergies are bad, tea with locally-made honey. It helps, I swear! Something about the locality of the bees combating the local allergies. Plus tea is awesome, but I drink a lot more of it in the winter than the summer.
Supplements
I take a multi-vitamin for women and a calcium supplement because it's supposed to help ease cramps in your muscles, and my feet are always cramping up. The potassium from my daily banana is supposed to help with cramps as well, as well as lots of water.
Mental
This is so small and so minor, but instead of watching TV until I pass out at night, I started putting ambient music on and reading until I fall asleep. I'm currently reading Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières. It's a Turkish novel and it's very good so far, I'm about halfway done. I'm going to read What Is he What by Dave Eggers next.
Emotional
I had a conversation with my sister's husband on Easter Sunday I found interesting. He said he only has two people he could call his close friends, that he could count on and tell anything to. Maybe it's because he's older, and has a full life of kids and family and work to tend to, and because I'm younger and single have more time on my hands, but I really think I have at least 8 best friends that I can tell anything to and rely on for anything. I find that by doing all the aforementioned things and spending my spare time with my friends and family, that emotional fulfillment follows, without having to spend too much time trying to be happy, because I just am. I am constantly focused on how fortunate I am to have the amazing friends and family and life that I do.
I may not have much money, but I am very rich, and live a rich life.
