It is true that in the past several years, society has created an extensive list of “national-something” days. Although it is difficult to keep up with all of them, this one is definitely worth your attention. On Thursday, January 25th, 2018, the world will be celebrating “National Women’s Healthy Weight Day”. This is so body positive that we just couldn’t not write about it!
You may be wondering what National Women’s Healthy Weight Day entails, so don’t fret because we will be your guide for everything this holiday promotes. The first point to note is that this day is all about celebrating and accepting every person’s natural body appearance and weight. This day promotes living a healthy, diet-free lifestyle while focusing on improving our health in better ways.
Therefore, instead of focusing on intense dieting, this day is about sharing the knowledge of improving our overall health through healthy eating and physical activity. There are a number of ways you can celebrate Women’s Healthy Weight Day, so we have provided you with a list of ways to improve your health in a body-positive way!
- Stop counting your calories
Although it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to watch all that you consume in a day, some people get a little carried away. They won’t allow themselves to eat over a certain amount of calories in a day in order to shed some of that extra weight they don’t want. This isn’t good for your health, nor is it a good way to diet. What a lot of people don’t consider is that once you stop allowing yourself to eat a certain amount, then stop controlling your calorie intake, and go back to eating that way you used to, you risk the chance of gaining weight more intensely because of the back-and-forth calorie intake that confuses your body.
- More fruits and veggies
There seems to be a sort of stigma around fruits and veggies that they aren’t as enjoyable as chips or other unhealthy foods. This is wrong! There are so many great recipes with fruits and veggies that taste delicious. Recipes range from meals to snacks, so you are bound to find something with fruits and veggies to supplement whatever hunger you feel. Also, instead of having more meat and carbs on your plate, make sure that fruits and veggies take up most of your plate at meal time rather than other less healthy items.
- Be active at least 30 minutes every day
There are tons of ways to be active that don’t include just going to the gym. Going for a walk, jumping on a trampoline, even playing Just Dance are all various ways that you can be active. Some people believe physical activity means having to do a complete workout on a treadmill or other machine, but as we have pointed out, there are other activities that count towards cardio that you wouldn’t even think of. As long as you get your heart pumping from movement, you are being active!
- Don’t Discriminate or Compare
Your weight is your weight, not someone else’s. Keeping a healthy mindset is just as important as keeping a healthy weight. Everyone has a different size and shape and set of genetics, so there is literally no reason to compare yourself to anyone else, or discriminate someone who’s larger, or smaller than you. As long as you’re keeping YOUR BODY healthy, you can just as easily spend your time and energy supporting and complementing those around you, rather than tearing them down!
- Keep a Cool Head
Reading a name like Women’s Healthy Weight Day has the potential to upset so many for the wrong reasons, so be sure to keep your chin up and keep your hopes high. This holiday, if you will, isn’t meant to imply there are more women than men who are at an unhealthy weight, nor is it meant to imply that men don’t deserve a day. This day is simply meant to be a safe one for women to feel open about their goals, achievements, and lifestyles.
As we close out the first month of 2018, we’ve come across so many crazy stories about people eating laundry detergent, pairs of pants, and all sorts of things. But we’ve also come across many speaking up about sexual harassment and being strong. This day is not meant for stereotypes or judgements, it’s simply meant for a day of empowerment.
In collaboration with Cassandra Marie Vella.
Feature image via Pexels
thanks for sharing