AD – This is a paid advertorial but all thoughts are my own
Pandemic or not, January and the start of a new year is always a time where people are going to want to make positive changes in their life. From personal development goals, new habits, a healthier lifestyle and more. Although that’s bound to look a little different this year with the UK starting a new year in yet ANOTHER lockdown, it can still be a hugely motivating time for a lot of people. Me included.
I know you’ve heard over and over again how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Exercise a bit more. Drink more water. Go out in nature. Eat your veggies. All of this is drilled into us since the second we’re born, I really don’t need to remind you. So today I wanted to shift your focus to ways which you can ENJOY a healthier lifestyle this year.
Because I don’t know about you but when I hear “HEALTHY LIFESTYLE”, I’m not jumping for joy, I gotta admit.
There is so much more that goes into enjoying and living a healthy lifestyle than vegetables and HIIT workouts. I’m not by any means saying that those things aren’t important but a healthy lifestyle just isn’t sustainable if you absolutely resent what you’re doing and it’s making you miserable.
So here are 5 ways you can enjoy embarking on a healthier lifestyle this year!
Try something new
This is where today’s incredible sponsor comes in because this brand are definitely something new for me this year. Exotic Fruits source and import some of tastiest and fresh exotic fruit of which are hard to get ahold of in your every day shops here in the UK. Did you know, there are over 3,000 fruits in the world with only 5% being available in the UK?
They sell selection boxes of varying sizes full of exotic fruit which is delivered straight to your door. Either on a one off basis or a subscription. You can find their full range of exotic fruits which are used within their boxes here and I was kindly sent a selection box, packed of exotic fruits to try for myself!
I was pretty impressed with the box when it showed up and there were plenty of different fruits in there to try! From what I could identify myself, in the box was:
- 1x baby pineapple
- 1x mango
- 1x kiwano
- 1x star fruit
- 1x persimmon
- A bag of lychee
- 1x dragon fruit
- 2x passion fruit
- 3x prickly pear
- 1x custard apple
There’s also something else which I couldn’t identify, despite using the Exotic Fruits Full Range page. But that’s okay! I don’t mind a surprise! Of all of the above, I’ve tried 3 of them; mango, lychee and passion fruit. And even then, the passion fruit I’ve tried has only ever been in a Martini, so not sure you can even count that one.
All the fruit arrived in good condition. Nothing was bruised or damaged in transit, which is great considering how delicate fruit can be. There’s a really good amount in here too which should last you a fairly long time (ripeness / weather / storage considered). I know this lot will last us a while!
I’m really excited to dig in and give these different fruits a go and introduce some new flavours into my diet!
Find what works for you (as opposed to following everyone else)
I spoke about this in my blog post around How To Be Mindful With Your Self Care and the same absolutely applies for health and well-being too. Finding what works for you is so important when it comes to living and ENJOYING a healthy lifestyle. For me, I don’t run because I HATE running. I just don’t enjoy it, it hurts my shins and I get annoyed at myself easily when I’m running. So I don’t do it.
Use this time to educate yourself
Although this lockdown is absolutely bloody crap and everyone is feeling the effects of it, it’s also a great time to educate ourselves as we have more time on our hands. If you’re serious about living a healthy lifestyle and you like learning, perhaps now could be a time to enroll in a nutrition course, start life coaching or research different exercises and their benefits.
Balance is KEY so don’t deprive yourself
Balance is such an important part of enjoying a healthy lifestyle. I love food. I love cake. I love afternoon naps and a martini and a takeaway at the weekends. I’m sure as heck not going to deprive myself of the things I love because the only thing that’s going to do is make me miserable and make me crave those things more. Some days are for 6am runs and a smoothie, others are for sleeping in until 10 and pizza for dinner.
Experiment and make it fun
This point kinda combines all of the above but I think one thing to consider here is the word “lifestyle”. Which contains the word “life”. YOUR life. And you don’t want to spend it doing a ton of things you hate for the sake of a smaller number on the scales. Try something new, experiment in the kitchen, play around with different exercises like Yoga or HIIT workouts. Make it fun. And make it YOURS.
Great lifestyle advice… great reading your blog… 😍
Great post! Thanks for sharing.
Finding out what works for you is s big one. What works for the goose doesn’t work for the gander.
Totally agree!
Enjoying a healthier lifestyle is a good thing this year. Thank you 😊
It sure is 🙂
👍
Excellent post. Thanks
Many people do not realize but one of the most common reasons for being unhealthy is insufficient water intake!
I ordered one of these boxes as soon as I saw your post earlier in the week. These are some fab tips, and I’m genuinely so excited to try these exotic fruits x
Oooh let me know what ones you like! The melon and baby pineapple were so good!
Thanks for sharing, this box looks a great idea 🙂
It was fab!
I’ve been eating healthy for the past year and learned how to balance the food that I take. It’s also not bad to have a pastry or two once in a while 😉 Thanks for these lovely reminders, Jenny. I strongly agree with you when you talked about finding what works for you. That really matters because it will help you become more consistent and dedicated.
Take care always!
Cheers,
Hanna / Heydays With Hanna
Couse not! I have enough treats throughout the week 🙂 Depriving yourself is not the one!
Fruit boxes are great. We used to get them in my old workplace and every week there was a surprise fruit. So I can imagine that this exotic one must be great. I have never heard of prickly pear or custard apple before.
Ah that’s cool and a lovely thing to have at work, too!
Love this post! I definitely agree that balance is key, there’s no way I could stay away from chocolate and those types of food all the time. The exotic fruit sound fab too, I’ve had dragon fruit before, the first time I tried it I was in Cambodia and I absolutely loved it. I would love to be able to buy it in my weekly shop! xx
Oh wow, I bet this type of fruit definitely tastes better where it’s grown!
Balance is so key, I always make sure that to buy my fruit and veg from a local farmers market!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
That’s a great idea!
Loved reading this and you’re so right, balance is key! I find myself craving and then ending up binging loads of crap if I deprive myself of it!
Katy | http://www.katystephenson.com
Thank you 🙂 I do too! Deprivation is not the one!
This box looks great. I have never tried dragon fruit before, so I am always intrigued by that one. Thank you for sharing Jenny.
Lauren http://www.bournemouthgirl.com
It was a bit weird I will admit!
The fruit box is such a good idea! I can be so bad with not eating enough fruit but this year one of my goals is to make sure I’m eating some everyday. Will definitely look into getting one of these! xx
Tiffany x http://www.foodandotherloves.co.uk
Oh same, I’m rubbish with fruit and veg too! Even though I really like it x
I’ve become very interested in life coaching since following your journey! It seems so interesting and super beneficial x
I really love your take on this! I totally agree, it’s all about experimenting. It took me so long to enjoy exercise/healthy eating and lots of giving up because I felt like I was forcing myself to do it. Now that I’ve found something I love, it’s effortless! Thanks for sharing x
http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
Thank you! That’s amazing that you’ve found something you love!
Oh I love fruits! They also have dragon fruit there 😀 This looks so good, Jen! Thank you for sharing x
They do! I haven’t tried it yet but I’m excited to!
Lovely post looks like a great box of exotic fruit i bet they taste delicious
I’ve only tried a couple so far and they’ve been lovely. Hoping to try some more today!
We always keep a stash of fruit in 2 fruit bowls throughout the year, and refrigerate some of the fruit as well. Right now, tropical fruits aren’t in season so it’s just boring apples, oranges, bananas, and Asian pears for me. Throughout the year, we get some interesting ones from the Asian market to include dragon fruits, kiwis, lychees, pomelos, and watermelons. The lychees are my favourite!
P.S. fruit has natural beauty and doesn’t need a filter imo 🍒🍊🍐🍎🍑🥥
Yes, I love lychees too, they’re delicious. Most things have natural beauty. If you don’t want a filter, then go to a market!
What I’m trying to say is that your photos don’t need a filter at all, because fruit is beautiful just the way it is 😇
I get the aesthetic appeal of using a filter for photos. I would go to a market but #pandemic.
The fruit box looks amazing, thanks for sharing. It’s such a great way to try new things as well. I have definitely never had some of these fruits 🙂
It’s such a great idea!
Great post! Keeping the ‘fun’ in our healthy habits is so important. Trying something new is such great advice. It keeps us moving forward in the right direction. 🙂
It really is! And it totally does. Nobody wants to constantly be stuck in the same place!
I’m trying to keep the balance as you said. It’s very important. Also, the fruit box is cool idea and trying new things. Thank you for sharing!
Balance is very important I agree!
Getting healthier has always been one of my goal at the beginning of the year, but then always went down the drain as the year went by! This year though I started exercising more frequently and trying to eat better. The idea of exotic fruits sounds absolutely exciting! I haven’t tried most of them in the box so it sounds like a great experience! Also educating yourself and do what works best for you are great tips! Thanks for sharing, Jenny x
I hope you find a routine etc that works for you so you can enjoy a healthier lifestyle more! The fruit box is amazing, I agree!
My husband and I are making our health (physical, emotional, mental) a focus this year and are definitely feeling better overall this month. I like your tips/suggestions and think that finding what works for us as individuals has been key to it working better than before. I like the idea of the exotic fruits too as that my encourage my husband to actually try some fruit (still working on this goal, haha)!
That’s amazing to hear and it’s so lovely that you get to do it together!
Oh wow, I didn’t know something like this existed! I love fruit, so would definitely try that box.
It’s amazing!
I love this – it’s definitely a focus for me this year as well. We’ve just tried Oddbox, so it’s the fruit that isn’t quite perfect enough for supermarkets but is fine for consumption to stop it from going to waste and through that I’ve just tried my first passion fruit too and loved it! This sounds like a really great option too.
I love that idea! There’s too much waste from supermarkets!
I love how you said about trying new things, that’s something we should all do when it comes to enjoy a healthier lifestyle, people seem so reluctant to try and I wish people would learn to try new things rather than set in their ways! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I know! I totally agree and it really annoys me haha!
Wonderful advice Jenny. I’ve taken to do at home work outs – I usually follow work out videos on fitnessblender.com. They have loads of different workouts ranging from 10 mins to 1 hour. Most are around 30 mins and give you a really good work out. You can choose to do strength based or cardio. Pilates or yoga. Loads of options. All you need is a yoga mat and a spare half an hour. Great if you’re stuck at home during a pandemic! Wishing you well 🙏
Sounds like a great option! I use YouTube but there’s so many different platforms to try, isn’t there!
I love this post, Jenny! Especially how you point out that healthy lifestyles have to centre what works for you rather than forcing yourself to do things that don’t work for you but are “healthy”. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Exactly! I ain’t eating a salad for dinner every day!
I love this! It’s so important to try new things and do things for you – it’s your life after all xx
It really is! 🙂
Wow aweome tips, I cannot even imagine exotic fruits at my table as
I love local but that looks fantastic. Definitely agree that balance is the
most important..
It really is. I haven’t tried most of these before!
Wow sounds delicious 😊 I have been a bit more physically active already in 2021 👍
That’s great to hear!
I think you timed this post perfectly for me Jenny! In 2021 gaining a healthier lifestyle and trying new things has been my number one goal. I’ve mainly been focusing on trying more vegetarian meals but this fruit box looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing!
That’s amazing! Vegetarian meals is a great place to start. I need to go back to incorporating more veggie meals into my diet too.
That fruit box is beautiful! I love the idea of having a chance to try new fruits that I never have before, while getting some I already know I like. This is a great idea!
Ang | https://loseweightwithang.com
It sure is! It’s been fab! 🙂
I love the idea of having a fruit box. I’m also looking into having milk delivered by a milkman. I’d like to be more healthy but it’s harder now that I can’t just pop out to get bits!
Rosie
Oh my gosh I miss having milk delivered by a milkman!
This looks so good. One of the local stores a few km from me, have a pretty good selection of fruit. And I totally agree that to be healthy you have to enjoy what you are doing or you wont stick with it. That said, sometimes you just have to kick your ass out of that couch to get that pulse up a bit.
Haha you really do. Some days are easier than others for sure!
This fruit box looks delicious! I may have to get one! Thanks for sharing!
It’s been amazing!