What is Healthy Living?

What do you immediately think of when you consider Healthy Living?

Is it absence of disease, boundless energy or a healthy diet?

Today Detta Darnell explains what healthy living means to her and how we can all embrace a holistic lifestyle.

I think healthy living is happy living. Not the shallow, feel better quick type of happy living that comes from buying lots of stuff to give you immediate gratification.  No, for me, it’s the 3 o’ clock in the morning smile, as you turn over and snuggle down, safe in the knowledge that your life is ok.  If your life’s components are adding up to ok, you’ll be able to weather the odd storm that inevitably passes over from time to time. Some of my life components.
Happy food.

I have come to realise that simple is best. Fresh, home grown whenever possible, flavoursome great tasting food works every time.  It delights, marvels and satisfies the most jaded pallets. Growing a few little bits gives us a real sense of achievement & delight, even if it’s only a tiny window box, you’ll still be able to use the harvest. Make happy food.  Be creative….

Creativity helps us keep the art of childlike wonder alive.  Creative juice peps up our daily routines; it adds a whole new zest to our lives. Clever questioning helps our good old brain to come up with a myriad of new possibilities, replacing & replenishing our old tired mindsets which keep us stuck.  Ask the questions, and then get out of your own way as your brain prepares to shower you with juicy answers….

Answers like mantras, or anchors, which could be useful in supporting & solidifying our healthy living intentions.  Anchors keep us grounded against the wobbles & any joy stealers who come to visit.  Mantra’s like “I am good enough” “I matter” “My body is loving me for this” are a few examples & the best one “You could be right” said often enough to those who must be right, the know it all’s, will put them smartly in their place with their mouths left open…leaving you to happily get one with living your healthy happy life!

Anchors like “I don’t eat processed food”  “Nothing with sugar” “No white stuff inc bread.” These help to cut out any overwhelm surrounding food choices.  Keeping it simple & dropping a few anchors leaves us space to do our own investigations, make up our own minds & firm up our intentions.

Space Clearing.  Declutter what you can. Spend a little time on precious relationships including most importantly, relationships with ourselves.  Human Beings are tribal. We need to feel a sense of belonging, of being loved, a sense of knowing that we make difference.  Even if we prefer to be hermits, we must commune with something or someone, so gently tending to our relationships will ensure we feel loved.

Laugh ~ check out the research.  Laughter is more than good for you and your body.

Take time out.  Time out for our wild & wonder.full  selves.  To read, daydream, cook, meditate, exercise, chat, reflect, walk ~ whatever rocks our boat. Time out is not only important it’s vital.

Having a favourite quote or two to support our intentions and add weight to the reasons why we do what we do.

This is one of mine….”Be yourself.  There is something you can do better than any other – listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that”   Author Unknown.    How will you be yourself?  What is it you can do better than any other?

When will you listen to the inward voice?  In what ways will you show you are obeying it?  The answers may well add up to a healthy happy life!

Detta Darnell is a soulful writer and entrepreneur, splendidly imperfect artist, creativity coach and healer who is passionate about helping others to find out what they love, what they are good at and what they dream of doing.  She runs retreats in Kefalonia, Spain and the UK to help you manifest your creative dreams.

“Healthy Living with Vitamix” is sponsored by Vitamix. The Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre® can do the work of 10 kitchen appliances and lets you perform more than 50 kitchen tasks. Join their community on facebook and keep up with the latest news on twitter.