I have always liked everything healthy. I grew up in a healthy environment, a big house with fruit trees and vegetable garden. My mom was vegetarian and cooked everything from scratch, nothing but nutritious delicious foods. As I grew up it was easy to maintain that but when I moved to the US to pursuit my fashion career that changed. I had a busy lifestyle and struggled to cook my own food and eat healthy and I ended up surrendering to the culture of eating a sandwich in front of the computer plus I was always stressed, having to deliver projects and dead lines. I put on weight and started to feel fatigued and irritable. I didn't spent time in nature as much as I used to. My weekends were spent shopping and researching for my clients, surrounded by concrete and loads of consumerism. I did that for years without realising how bad that was, to the point that one day my husband told me I should see an acupuncturist. We both believe in eastern medicine. And that was when I started slowly making changes in my life. First of all, I got back to my meditation practice and changed my diet, eating more vegetables and eliminating some things that were creating inflammation. Not all at the same time but one at a time. First, I cut dairy, I replaced cow's milk for rice milk, then coffee and gluten and finally sugar and that includes alcohol. Of course, it was not easy and it happened gradually with lots of backs and forth, and trials and errors. I loved milk and coffee and sugar and alcohol, although the ladder has never been my friend. But you know what? I have never felt better, I have more energy than when I was a teenager, my skin improved so much, I feel lighter. I didn't miss all these things as much as I thought I would and actually, it is the psychological part that is the trickiest. I always resisted giving up on these things simply because I thought I couldn't live without them, I was wrong. But it only happened after I suffered so much that I had to do something about it, that made it easier. I doesn't need to be like that. We can deliberately decide what's good for us and choose those over the ones that will make us feel bad. When we make changes that will enhance our lifestyle, our body and mind thank us and so does everyone around us. It is so good to discover new things, like my matcha, which I replaced my coffee for, or the number of colourful vegetables that are out there and what about grounding? Did you know that when you are in touch with nature, you encourage your body to eliminate free radicals? Is there a cheaper way to look great? Or that turmeric warms the body from within and has an active compound called curcumin that has many scientifically-proven health benefits, such as the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer's and cancer. It's a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis. When we know these things and make our well being a priority, it becomes a pleasure. And with that, we feel better and look better but as I by product result, not as a goal. So, now we have just entered a new year, it's time to keep the momentum going and make these changes life changes and not just NY resolution ones, shall we? xx
