Eating healthy can be a challenge for those of us with a busy lifestyle. On some days it can be difficult enough to find the time to brush your hair let alone plan a healthy meal for yourself! Summer is fast approaching though and what better time of year to focus on creating healthy habits and looking after ourselves. If you need a little bit of inspiration to get you started you can’t go past the lovely author, nutritionist and passionate advocate of a wholesome and healthy lifestyle – Lola Berry!
Lola Berry shared her tips on health and happiness at a Health & Wellbeing Workshop hosted by the Canberra Centre on Saturday 21 November 2015. I was lucky enough to attend the workshop that was the last of a series of fantastic workshops held by the Canberra Centre this season.
Most of us are scared off by the term ‘diet’ and often associate this word with unrealistic eating regimes involving giving up something that we enjoy. What distinguishes Lola’s approach from others is that she advocates a ‘lifestyle’ rather than a diet. As Lola states in her book The Happy Cookbook “… good health isn’t about being on a crazy detox, it’s about honouring yourself and being the best that you can be”. Lola’s approach to healthy eating isn’t at all about giving up the food we love but is a much more realistic and fun approach that encourages us to enjoy creating and eating nourishing wholefoods.
During the workshop Lola discussed the link between health and happiness. Our happiness in all areas of our life from our careers, finances, family/friends, to our relationships can impact upon our health. Our health can then in turn impact upon these other areas of our lives. What is most important to remember though is that even if we do not always have control over many of the aspects in our lives, our health is one area that we can control.
Her approach is about empowerment and recognising that even when we are feeling at our absolute worst our health can and should always be our top priority – if you are feeling healthy you will be better equipped to deal with anything that may come at you in life!
Lola also had the opportunity to share some useful tips on fitting in healthy eating with a busy lifestyle. Planning your meals ahead of time was a big one and if you are anything like me, this means well ahead of time and not as you are walking out the door to work. This is something that I am aiming to work on as I have found I regularly trip up with eating healthy by running out of time and either grabbing something processed from the cupboard or forgetting to take lunch at all. Lola also recommended some savvy tricks like carrying a green juice in your bag to keep you hydrated and nourished and snacking on nuts and seeds as a healthy alternative.
Lola’s approach to healthy eating was very refreshing and fun but most importantly, honest. She herself admitted that she has fallen off the bandwagon many times but that it is not the end of the world and all it takes is a simple choice to put our health first.
I am a big fan of Lola’s approach and truly left the workshop feeling motivated and inspired to start creating healthier habits for the summer and be the best me! There are so many exciting recipes I can’t wait to try in The Happy Cookbook and her new book called Lola Berry’s Little Book of Smoothies & Juices (who doesn’t love a good smoothie!!).
A few last important take home points from the workshop:
- Find a healthy approach to eating that works for you
- Limit your coffee intake
- Eat a mixture of red and white meats
- Believe in yourself!
Snap with the lovely Lola Berry
