8 Tips for a Consistently Healthy Diet

For the past three years or so, I’ve been relatively healthy in diet and exercise. I’ve learned a lot. And each time I experience something new and learn, I become better. Better in general. I begin to understand more and more about my own body and nutrition and what feels good and what doesn’t feel so good.

At the beginning of 2014, I made a commitment to myself, my well-being. I was going to consistently eat right and exercise for the entire year. Measurements and weight aside, I wanted to be strong and energized and healthy. Until this commitment, I would have months of regression before going back to diet and exercise. While it’s only been two months, I want to share with you what are, and what will continue to be, my secrets to success.

8 Tips for a Consistently Healthy Diet

  1. Exercise often.
    Personally, the more I exercise, the less food I feel the need to consume. If I weigh myself down with food too much, I can’t exercise. So when I exercise, I eat lightly and feel great and know that my calories are going towards rebuilding muscles, and replenishing energy, not towards undesirable areas! They have to be good calories, though!Also, I find that the more I exercise, the more I am consistently motivated to get out to the gym and be active. So if it’s hard now, or even a month or three from now, if you stick with it, it will become easier and more enjoyable. I’m experiencing this process of enjoyment myself, slowly but surely. On the days I feel more lethargic, I motivate myself with my favorite running music. Try not to give in to those days.
  2. Drink LOTS of Water.
    Like regular exercise, this also helps with keeping you from eating too much. Drink a lot of water throughout the day and before every meal, and you will have less need (and less room) to fill yourself up with empty calories. It should be a no-brainer. Water is cleansing and drinking your daily dose can do great things for your body. I have to train my mind to drink more water. It’s harder than it sounds.Oh, and drink tea, also! Tea is good. I’ve officially eliminated the need to add sugar to my tea. Chia seeds are surprisingly good in tea, too! It is slightly more filling than water, if you need something with a little flavor, texture, and protein.
  3. Mix up your routines.
    Don’t eat the same thing every day; and don’t do the same workout routine every day, either, for that matter. Your body needs variety. Without variety, you could regress, become bored, and have cravings. Your body needs a plethora of different vitamins, minerals, protein, and carbs.By changing up your food intake (at least every week. I food-budget a couple types of meals per week), you’re less likely to become bored with the food, you discover more delicious ways to eat healthy, and you will begin to enjoy the food you’re eating more and more for it’s healthful values.
  4. Don’t weigh yourself obsessively.
    Let the results come naturally, along with the feeling of being invigorated with energy and quality foods. People don’t understand that the scale is only one small factor of what it means to be healthy. If you obsess over the numbers too much, it could become a big problem. Weight fluctuates and takes time. Instead, I like to focus on mirror-based results. As long as I’m feeling good, and eating right, the results will come naturally.Use weight as a reference point. Weigh yourself no more than once per week. Results are good, but what we really want to achieve here is long term health and fitness. Therefore:
  5. Think long term.
    Don’t give up. Keep yourself motivated.On the bad days, remind yourself that, even if results are slow to come (or even if you lost progress!), know that they will come, and know that a full year, two years, five years, will yield only good things for your body.
  6. Don’t overdo it.
    Some people restrict too much from their diet, too quick, in order to achieve faster results. What’s more important than fast results is how strong you feel, how much energy you have, and how healthy you feel.Don’t be too hard on yourself and listen to your body, in both diet and exercise.
  7. Know and understand your body.
    Learning about your body comes with time. You and only you know what it needs or what it doesn’t need. If a certain food is hard for you to eat in moderation, try to stay away. Unless you know you’ll have cravings and binge eat. In which case, I recommend saving the sugar cravings for your cheat days.Which brings me to my next point:
  8. Cheat days!
    Accept your cheat days. Let them be, whether it’s scheduled or they happen on their own. Even if you happen to overeat a few days in a row, let the snack attack happen, and continue on your way.My body knows what it needs and always tells me that I need to pull back, and then I’m back on track for another week until the next snack attack happens. Yes, I’m calling them snack attacks. They are quite savage and unforgiving. But I feel that these cheat days are very important for your sanity!

Who else will be joining me on my year long (and beyond) adventure to a hearty, healthy, fit lifestyle? What tips would you like to share? Successes/failures? Comment below. Also, check out my new interview with holistic health coach Jaison Greene!

Be Fierce!!

Briauna Mariah (:

10 Reasons to Hire a Holistic Health Coach

In a world of diets and dietitians full of different opinions and solutions–that may or may not be giving conflicting messages–Jaison Greene, CHC, AADP, certified holistic coach, and member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, takes what I believe to be a unique approach to nutrition.

I came up with the idea to find and interview a dietician through the desire to spread knowledge of health to my peers as I travel my own path to healthful knowledge. I found a true gem in Jaison and would recommend him to anyone, after only just one meeting. One piece of news is that he actually prefers virtual consultation due to ease, as well as the comfort his clients find there. So, you don’t need to be in New York if you’re seeking someone of Jaison’s level of expertise!

Jaison and I chatted for a good hour and I learned about many topics from orthorexia to detox cleanses to how blood type can present health challenges. I had no idea blood type played a role in diet! I didn’t even know my blood type.

I learned about these things and the one thing that stood out the most was how put together Jaison seemed. Jaison started his journey to healthy living in his early thirties, driven by his mother and sister, who had both been diagnosed with breast cancer. After realizing the power of healthy eating and biannual detox cleanses, he read up, studied, and earned his credentials. Now he is a certified holistic health coach.

The other notable thing that stood out to me was the way Jaison approaches his profession. He focuses on healthy LIVING. Not diets. Not fads. He focuses on YOU and your uniqueness, all the way down to your particular work environment.

My journey to healthful living has been rough, as my career relies on a slim body, and I’ve seen the damage it does firsthand. Continually striving for a skinnier and skinnier body is not a way of living for anyone. But developing a healthy lifestyle can be very rewarding and can give you just what you need, for anyone, no matter what your lifestyle demands.


What is a holistic health coach?

As a holistic health coach, Jaison Greene doesn’t not focus merely on diet. He analyzes many lifestyle factors into your overall health. So the term “dietician” is not really fair, because he is more that just a dietician. He focuses on two food sources: Primary foods and Secondary foods. Secondary is what you eat. Primary is what nourishes you. This includes in terms of relationships, spirituality, and physical activity.

So, if you’re looking to drop a quick few pounds (which I’ve been there, I do not suggest this route at all!), you’re in the wrong place. If you are looking for balance and healthiness, but you need a little nudging and encouragement along the way, you’re in the right place!


10 Reasons to Hire a Holistic Health Coach

  1. They are more encompassing than regular dietitians. 
    As mentioned before, a holistic health coach is more than a dietitian. One realization I would love everyone to consider is your health is not just diet and food, it is your lifestyle and all the factors that surround you. Everything you do and feel, every one of your interactions, make a play on your health.
  2. The approach is unique and modern.
    This is a much more innovative way to tackle your health and lifestyle, by looking at primary and secondary “foods.” In hiring a holistic health coach, you are conveying your commitment to yourself and your desire to attain the next level of health.
  3. They help you attain your goals.
    Through helping you discover the root of your issues, a coach will help you accomplish your goals and more.
  4. You will have more insight on how your relationships play into your health.
    Are you in a bad relationship with those around you? Is your work depleting your energy? These are some things you may not be thinking about fixing. You may not realize how interconnected everything is.
  5. Even “healthy” people may still be unhappy and may not fully understand how their actions affect their bodies.
    Are you orthorexic (too strict with what foods you eat and critical of everyone else’s food, too)? Too lenient? Are you making healthy changes for what is right for you? Do you even know what foods are right for you? Maybe, maybe not. But one or more of these unanswered questions might be keeping you stuck and unhappy where you are now.
  6. You will have support to keep you on track.
    Don’t get me wrong, you have to do the work. You will discover things about yourself. However, you’ll have support, positive reinforcement, and guidance along the way.
  7. No one knows everything.
    Even just one consultation will be a beneficial learning experience. I learned much more than I thought I would. And some of the knowledge was completely unexpected.
  8. Your questions and concerns will be answered.
    It’s a different approach to health, but concerns such as weight loss, what to be eating, etc, will be addressed.
  9. The help you are getting is personalized.
    Each session is completely different than the next. While dietitians can advocate for one diet or another, this will be customized to fit your needs and match to the lifestyle you already have in place.
  10. Avoid cancerous habits.
    As you address the root of your problems, overall health, and different habits, there are ways to incorporate ways of prevent cancerous cells from growing. Merely diet and exercise may not be enough.

Jaison Green may be contacted for a free consultation at jaison@cleanfunliving.com
I recently met with him a second time, and got some answers to some good health-related questions. If you’re not convinced now, you might be after a little Q&A!

Be Fierce!!
Briauna Mariah (:

Finding Inspiration

This Bold Life and I have this on again, off again relationship. I had set a goal of 2 blog posts per week for you guys months back. Consistent information, updates, and experiences shared with you. However, the really good stuff only comes sporadically. That’s what it’s like to be a writer. I must write when the words start flowing.

Like writing, sometimes inspiration is hard to find.

But when you find it, it’s quite magical.

Inspiration isn’t, ‘oh, what a pretty dress,’ or ‘this is beautiful, I love this.’ Inspiration is moving. Literally. Really good inspiration gets your gears working, clicking into place, and suddenly, you’re up and replying, feeding off that inspiration.

Inspiration comes from another human’s boldness, courage, determination, hard work, and beautiful results and realizations. Inspiration is when you are a photographer who instills confidence in your subjects every day and, upon braving out the commitment to being the one in front of the camera, realize something deep, realizing, “That’s me, that’s beautiful, I’m beautiful!” (Read about Dana Kae’s profound, beautiful experience here). Inspiration is health and joy, like a woman staying fit for 22 years, not in it for the results, but for the wonderful feeling of being healthy. (This is Laura’s lifestyle, who shares her journey here).

These days, my main form of inspiration is through social media. There are so many stories to be shared and heard. If you know where to look, the options are endless. In my search for inspiration, here are just a few of my finds. Continue reading “Finding Inspiration”