Motivate yourself with your LIFE, not your weight.
Plus: a dietitian shares the five pillars to living a longer, healthier life.
My mom was diagnosed with MS when I was in college. I remember that gutted feeling when she told me on the phone as I was standing outside in the frigid Chicago winter outside my university’s student center. It was a feeling of helplessness, knowing that there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop this from happening to her, to take away any of the pain she was experiencing.
Thankfully modern medicine has offerred her solutions to take care of her body and slow down the progression of this disease. But my mother—who is always determined to find solutions—didn’t just stop at medicine. Oh no, she decided to do all of this research to learn about other ways to take care of her body and implemented new practices into her life. She learned about the link between MS symptoms and inflammatory foods and completely changed around her lifestyle. She’s adamant about getting every color of the rainbow in her meals throughout the day, seriously reduced any foods that don’t make her feel good when she wakes up in the morning (read: reduced, not cut out, she’s not a monster), and she exercises maybe a bit too much. Partly because that’s what she does with all of her friends, but also because it makes her muscles and nerves feel really good.
Like I said…determined. She’s always looking for new solutions, and when I asked her why, her answer is one I think we can all learn from. “Because I want to run around with my grandkids someday.”
Awkward, I haven’t given her one yet. But…it’s this idea of having some kind of motivator for your health that goes far beyond being skinny and having a smaller pants size. Right now, her motivation has nothing to do with how she looks. It’s about how she feels, and wanting to keep feeling this way for decades to come.
I find myself thinking about her answer often, even years after she said it to me. Her motivation to feel good in her body is coming from this longevity perspective, to live a longer and happier life. She outright refuses to be in a wheelchair when she has grandkids, and will do everything she possibly can to take care of her body, even if some days she feels like it’s failing her. But she never gives up, because her goal of being an active grandmother motivates her. And it’s honestly really, really empowering.
This type of sentiment is far more powerful than just losing a few pounds, don’t you think? When you’re 70 and you have grandchildren, I don’t think you’re going to be caring too much about how you look. But I do think you’ll care quite a bit about trying to keep up with them, being able to play and have fun. Or maybe children aren’t a motivator for you, and that’s completely okay…but what if you were 70 and active enough to do things you’ve always wanted to do, like go on hikes in gorgeous national parks or swim in the Mediterranean sea?
The five pillars of longevity
Last week I had the privilege of chatting with Wan Na Chun for my podcast, a registered dietitian who specifically focuses on health from a longevity perspective. While chatting with her, she brought up this idea called the “five pillars of longevity,” which are essentially these five habits to implement into your life that have a focus on living longer. They are:
Opting for a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds
Minimizing the intake of ultra-processed foods — rich in preservatives, added sugars, and added oils
Practicing mindful eating, focusing on hunger and fullness queues
Staying adequately hydrated
Moving your body, staying active regularly
It isn’t a 21-day fitness program or a strict meal plan. These five pillars are really easy to incorporate in your life. They offer goals without telling you how to do it. (Move the body how you want! Drink the fluids you want! Eat the whole foods you want! Treat yourself every now and then!) And while there is a lot of research out there that has linked ultra-processed foods and inflammation, that second pillar isn’t saying to cut it out completely. Wan Na notes that it’s all about balance, and enjoying these foods every now and then isn’t going to completely set you back toward your goals. Remember, when it comes to taking care of your health for the long term, it’s a marathon. Not a sprint.
(Psst! Upgrade today so you don’t miss the full interview about longevity with Wan Na in the next Bite Sized podcast episode this Wednesday.)
So what is your motivator? Children is a big one for me (especially given that my husband and I have decided to wait a little longer to have a family), but I’m also really motivated by experiences. There is so much I want to see and do, so much I want to explore, so much I want to write about. I want to soak up as much of it as I can, and I want to give my body the best chance to do so.
🧍♀️ Stand up! It’s good for the heart. A recent study analysis published in the European Heart Journal found that standing up and sleeping are healthier for the heart than sitting down. Obviously study participants that were more physically active saw better benefits for their heart, bit for those who had a light amount of activity (i.e. standing up and having some movement), heart health positively benefited. Now researchers do say that sitting may likely be linked to other unhealthy activities, like mindless snacking on food that may not be good for the heart, so there’s a lot more here to dive in to. But needless to say, standing up every once in a while—whether it’s taking a break from sitting at your desk, or going for a walk on a lazy Saturday reading on the couch—will benefit your heart health long term. See, longevity!
🍷 It’s all about moderation. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I’ve had periods of not drinking after doing extensive research about alcohol’s effects on one’s health. However, as someone who is slowly integrating alcohol back into my life, I’m always intrigued about what medical professionals have to say about it. Funny enough, it always comes back to moderation. Gastroenterologists recently spoke with Newsweek about how often they drink, and while they did make it clear that alcohol can be disruptive to the gut and your digestive tract (no duh), some say they focus on “quality over quantity” when it comes to drinking. Drinking liquor or wine that is high quality instead of drinking excessively. Again, moderation. We hate to say it…but it’s the key to taking care of our health and still enjoying all the food (and drinks!) we love.
Bacon Jalapeño Smashed Chicken Burgers from Joy The Baker: This one is a constant go-to for me, and also a really big crowd pleaser when I make it for friends and family. If you’re in a burger mood, I highly suggest it. So simple and so good.
Easy Pumpkin Muffins from Sally’s Baking Addiction: I baked these last week and they came out SO perfect. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect pumpkin muffin recipe for a while, and I’m telling you guys, this one is it.
Instant Pot Ribs by Well Plated: Listen, I live in a tiny New York apartment so I don’t have like, a grill or a smoker. But I’ve got an Instant Pot, and this rib recipe is one that I’m particularly in love with. The liquid smoke gives them that smoky flavor we love from grilled ribs, and the meat falls off the bone from the pressure cook. Just, so good.
Speaking of hunger and fullness queues…loved this little piece of advice from Rachel Paul this week.
Again, the choice is always up to you!