Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t easy: you have to be eager, determined, and disciplined to see the changes you want in your body. So ask yourself this, how far are you willing to work to see the changes you have been looking for?
Kate Hudson, an Oscar-nominated actress, released her new book, “Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body,” on Feb. 16. A few days after the release, Hudson traveled to Naperville to promote and celebrate her new success. Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville presented the event at Wentz Concert Hall, at North Central College. During the event, Hudson participated in a Q&A and later signed copies of her book. The audience was able to go home with an autograph and a photo with Hudson.
Hudson’s goals are to inspire and motivate women into a life filled with good health and to live a mindful lifestyle. “I wrote this book because everyone has been asking me about how I live a healthy life,” Hudson said. “It is a nice opportunity for me to inspire others through being healthy.”
In the section of her book, “The Four Rules of Eating Well,” Hudson laid out these simple rules:
1.) Choose well
In order to “choose well,” Hudson suggests four guidelines:
Eat a variety of foods: It’s always good to include a combination of vegetables and fruits in your meals.
Eat seasonally and locally: Hudson suggests, “eat with the seasons and choose fruits and vegetables that don’t travel great distances,” because nutritious foods have fewer pesticides and preservatives.
Pile on the vegetables: Majority of your plate should primarily consists of vegetables. The greener your plate looks, the leaner you become.
Drink your water: It is challenging to keep track of how many glasses of water we drink per day. Sometimes, we go through a day without drinking water. However, our bodies need at least 8 glasses of water a day, according to Hudson. Soda, energy drinks, or any sugary beverages aren’t considered as “water,” even though some beverages do contain water. The plenty of water you consume, the healthier you become.
2.) Control your portions
To control your portions, it isn’t necessary to use a calculator or a measuring cup for every meal you eat. You just have to pay close attention to the amount of food you digest. As a rule of thumb, Hudson provides a guide that will allow you to determine if you are way past your hunger point.
Protein: size of the palm of your hand
Starchy carbs: size of your fist
Whole grains: size of two fists
Fruits and vegetables: size of two palms
Fats: size of two thumbs
3.) Eat frequently
‘Eat frequently’ does not mean you have to eat every minute of the day. If that’s the case, you wouldn’t like the results. If you’re eating only three meals a day, great. However, Hudson writes, “…more current nutritional guidelines recommend that we eat five times a day…” Here is Hudson’s eating routine.
Eat breakfast within thirty minutes of waking.
Eat every four hours, and include three meals and at least two snacks
Choose a time – at least two hours before bed– to stop eating for the day
4.) Eat the right combination of food
Adding protein, carbs, fiber and fat in your meals is a great combination that will bring you greater changes to your body. This is a perfect time to become best friends with spinach, broccoli, green beans, and many more.
“My body and mind are always changing, which means that taking care of myself requires that I tune in regularly, ready to make small adjustments to fit the changes,” Hudson writes.
When you start to learn how to combine these four rules you will be able to start the change you want to see in your body. But remember, this concept takes time. Hudson explained that in order for you to see changes, you have to trust your body. Trust the process and the results will follow.
Through determination and discipline, the 36-year old actress and author manages to stay in shape and stay mentally and physically healthy. To see changes to your body, you have to make these changes happen. You might realize that learning how to take care of yourself is a challenge, but it will always be an ongoing learning process.
The key to living a healthy lifestyle is through positivity, described in Hudson’s book. “When you understand yourself and connect to how you can become body smart, you realize pretty quickly that the perfect, the ideal is not the goal,” she writes. “Instead, the goal is feeling good in your body. That’s what leads to confidence, to feeling and looking fit, and being pretty happy.”
