The Balanced Approach to Healthy Eating

The 80/20 Lifestyle

The 80/20 lifestyle allows for food freedom & promotes healthy eating habits. It’s also an excellent way to lose weight if you limit unhealthy fats & watch your calories.

In the cacophony of health advice & diet trends, this balanced approach is a refreshing change. It also avoids the mental gymnastics that may come from attempting to completely omit foods (like fries). It’s not for everyone though!

It’s not a diet

The 80/20 lifestyle is a sustainable, healthy eating plan that allows for some indulgences. It may help you lose weight by cutting out junk food & incorporating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains & BB smoothies into your diet. However, it isn’t a miracle diet for everyone. It’s important to talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about your specific diet needs & goals. This is because your age, sex, weight, activity level, hormones & genetics play a role in what’s healthy for you. You also need to take into account that some health conditions can get worse if you overindulge too often.

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Ideal income for a sustainable lifestyle

What Lifestyle Can I Afford?

1. What is my income?

Ideally your lifestyle should not be reliant on income. The goal is to have enough money coming in that you can live the life you want while saving for short, medium and long-term goals. A general guideline is that 20% of your income should go toward future goals and 80% towards living expenses. This is often difficult for people to accomplish as societal pressures and clever marketing encourage us to strive for expensive lifestyles that are hard to afford. A simple lifestyle is actually easier to afford if you manage it properly. For example, a used car instead of an expensive new one and living in a smaller home.

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Simple Lifestyle Changes for a Healthier You

3 Lifestyle Changes to Become Healthier

A healthy diet should contain a balance of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. It is important to choose low-calorie foods and to eat smaller portions.

Changes in lifestyle can make a big difference in how you feel. If you need help making changes, talk to a health professional.

1. Sleep More

Sleep is a vital part of life and ranks right up there with eating healthy and exercising as one of the best things you can do for your body. A night of poor sleep can make you feel tired and irritable, decrease your concentration, and even cause pain to seem more intense. And over the long term, lack of sleep can lead to heart disease, weight gain, high blood pressure, depression and more.

When you are well-rested, your body releases hormones that help regulate blood sugar levels, boosts immunity and helps maintain a healthy weight. In fact, according to a study published in March 2021 in the journal Obesity, people who get less sleep are more likely to be obese and have a higher BMI than those who get adequate amounts of rest.

To ensure you are getting enough sleep, aim for 7-8 hours of rest each night. Establish a consistent bedtime and wake-up time and try to stick to this schedule every day, including weekends. To promote good sleeping habits, keep your bedroom dark, quiet and comfortable and avoid electronic devices like TVs, computers and cell phones in the hours leading up to bedtime. Also, be sure to limit caffeine, alcohol and large meals in the hours prior to sleep.

2. Eat More Fruits & Vegetables

The nutrition world is full of conflicting information, but one thing most experts can agree on is that everyone should eat more fruits and vegetables. You’ve likely heard the adage, “Fill your plate with half fruits and veggies.” The good news is that this simple change has been shown to increase life expectancy.

Eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains gives you a wide range of nutrients, including vitamin A, C, and E; potassium, folic acid, and magnesium; fiber; phytochemicals; and other beneficial compounds that may help reduce disease risk. Filling your plate with these foods will also provide a variety of flavor and texture to keep your appetite satisfied.

You can eat fruits and veggies in any form – fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or 100% juice – so it’s easy to find something to enjoy. When deciding which foods to eat, think about why you want to feel healthier and incorporate changes that make sense for you.

Incorporate healthy habits daily by prioritizing the little things that energize and inspire you. Focus on building healthy relationships, cultivating what we at Thorne call “primary food,” and creating lifelong routines that promote health. Keep up the momentum by reminding yourself of your health goals if you slip up, and problem-solve to get back on track.

3. Exercise More

Few things impact our health and happiness as much as regular physical activity. It boosts our high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, lowers our blood pressure, and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. It also reduces stress, boosts our immune system, increases energy and staves off depression. And it helps us maintain a healthy weight, which cuts our risk for diseases like heart and blood vessel disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

The key is to make it a priority and to create lifelong habits that promote and sustain it. That means recognizing that healthy living looks different for everyone because we all have unique needs, environments and life circumstances. This is what we call bio-individuality.

Making these changes may seem challenging, but they aren’t impossible. The first step is believing you can do it. Next, come up with a plan that includes goals and small steps you can take. Finally, remind yourself why you want to make these changes — whether it’s having the energy to play with your nieces and nephews or being able to carry your own groceries. And when you have a setback, problem-solve to get back on track. For example, if you can’t fit in a 30-minute walk every day, make a point to do 10-minute bursts of activity throughout the day or do walking workouts inside a mall when the weather doesn’t allow you to go outside.

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