Living perfectly all of the time can be arduous and counterproductive at times. It’s impossible to live by the book 24/7/365. There are definitely times when it’s needed to live by the guidelines of the healthy lifestyle rule book, but there are also times to let loose and have some fun!
When it comes to living well, I find it beneficial to create a ratio between consciously making the right health choices versus consciously making the wrong choices or “living a little” as they say. My personal ratio is 80/20 which means that 80% of the time I attempt to eat right, drink right, sleep right, think right, move right and the other 20% of the time I do whatever I want and do it with a smile on my face. Living in accordance with my ratio allows me to “absorb” my 20% because my 80% is ample enough for me to do so.
My 80% consists of workouts 5 to 7 days a week, organic foods, plenty of clean water, and being asleep by 10:30 pm. The 20% isn’t so pretty and usually consists of restaurant foods, sugary desserts, and maybe some fried foods as well. Alcohol and late nights have been know to be thrown into the mix at times although that’s rare now. Luckily, when my 20% has been used I am ready for my 80% again because my body lets me know that it’s not going to take much more abuse. There are actually times when my 80% feels like my 20%. That’s the beauty of living well!
From my experience, I would suggest a ratio equal to or above 60/40 if you want to be a health conscious individual. Whether you ratio is 75/25, 90/10, 60/40, or 100/0, make your ratio match what you want out of your health and your body composition. The choice is yours. The great thing about being human is that we are empowered to make choices that affect the direction of our lives and the way we feel. So what’s your ratio?
Well said!