The truth about healthy living

Healthy living. Two words that sound so simple, yet somehow manage to send shivers down my spine.

In theory, it’s easy: eat more vegetables, exercise regularly, drink water and get eight hours of sleep.

But in practice? Let’s just say healthy living is like trying to climb Mount Everest while carrying a bag of kale in one hand and a yoga mat in the other. And trust me, the kale is not going to help.

Green juice. The drink that promises to make you feel like a health guru but usually tastes like you licked the inside of a lawnmower.

But let’s be honest: one sip of kale-cucumber-spinach juice and you’ll quickly realise that nature wasn’t meant to be served in a glass.

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Somewhere along the way, kale became the poster child for healthy eating and now we’re all pretending it’s delicious.

But deep down, we know the truth: kale is the edible equivalent of homework. It’s the thing you know you should have, but you’ll spend 30 minutes chewing and still wonder why it tastes like punishment.

Healthy living also requires exercise, which means going to the gym – a magical place where you pay money to feel out of shape in front of people who seem to live there.

Meanwhile, you’re over in the corner doing biceps curls with two-kilogram weights, trying to figure out if you’re allowed to sit down during a plank.

Then there’s the instruction to drink lots of water. It’s simple advice – until you realise that drinking eight glasses of water a day turns you into a full-time bathroom visitor.

According to health experts, you should get seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Easy, right?

Not if your brain has anything to say about it.

Two hours later, you’re still wide awake, Googling, “How to fall asleep faster” while your phone screen bathes you in the blue light of insomnia.

The only thing that makes healthy living bearable: the cheat day. It’s that one glorious day of the week when all your quinoa and burpees pay off and you can eat whatever you want.

And let’s be real – if you’ve been surviving on kale and green juice, cheat day isn’t just a break, it’s a celebration.

The truth about healthy living is that it’s a constant balancing act between doing what’s good for you and not losing your mind.

Sure, eat your vegetables, go for a run and drink your water. But also, sometimes you need that doughnut and that day where “exercise” means walking to the fridge.

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