Hi everyone! Welcome to the Linea Lifestyle Blog. In this section, we will be posting weekly articles on different topics pertaining to health and wellness. In this first post, I want to take a bit of time to tell you about my journey and what inspired me to start Linea.

 

Three years ago, I realized I was far from what I imagined as the best version of myself. I was always waking up tired, feeling constantly bloated and anxious, gaining weight, and losing confidence. As I was working long hours at an inflexible job, my excuse was that I didn’t have time for myself – but the reality was that I was making up excuses. My time was given to what I prioritized, and back then, I was the last one on my own priority list… some days I didn’t even make the list. As my ‘symptoms’ of unwellness worsened, I began to worry and wonder what I could do to make myself better. I went to multiple doctors to see if they could find anything wrong with me – they told me I was perfectly healthy and that the fourth cup of aggressively sweetened coffee during my day was nothing to worry about either. I doubted them – is this what it feels like to be a happy and healthy adult? I wondered… I knew that being an adult came with responsibilities, but I didn’t know that it also came with side effects. So, I started by informing myself, reading about my concerns and finding out what I could do to address them, what I could do to get myself ‘well’ – and this, my friends, was maybe the hardest step. Why? Because there is not one thing that works for everyone, there is no magic workout, there are no wonder teas or supplements – and most importantly, there are no shortcuts. However, we are surrounded by a whole world that is trying to convince us that there are – that 7-day juice cleanse? Those ‘slimming’ teas? All the pills and diets? I’ve tried them all and maybe a few more, believe me. The results: a quick drop in pounds and then 3-5 days later, right back to where I started.

 

If you are reading this, the ending of my story has already been spoiled because you know that one way or another, I got it right. So, you are probably waiting for me to give you the magic solution. And I will: bite-sized commitment. Be committed to yourself, to your goals, but most importantly, start by making small commitments you can keep. For instance, this is how I started: first, I committed to myself – I re-organized my priority list to include myself at the top. This meant that, whatever it took to get me better, I would do – no excuses. Then, I committed myself to small but sustainable healthy habits, this is what I refer to as bite-sized or micro-commitments.  Depending on each person’s goals, these micro-commitments might be different – my first three were:

 

  1. Prepare my food for the work week from Sunday evening
  2. Spend 20 minutes outside every day, regardless of the weather or if this had to be during my work break
  3. Work out for at least 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times per week.

 

Slowly but surely, I started seeing results – I had to be patient at the beginning, but after a month or so, I noticed a significant shift in my body and my mind. This is the shift that inspired me to maintain these micro-commitments and, eventually, add a few more. Since then, my life has been (and is, to this day) a series of bite-sized commitments – which have, over time, amounted into significant life-changing goals. Today, my immunity is stronger, I have the energy to do everything I need, my mind is clear, my physical aspect is much improved, and I live a much happier life. Once you commit, I promise that small changes over time will add up to big results.

 

After a) my eye-opening experience re: the world of conventional dieting and magic potions, b) the way in which I see my body change and adapt and improve each day and c) experiencing the strength of the mind-body connection, I decided that I wanted to deepen my knowledge on how our bodies and minds function and on how to further help them function optimally. Studying at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and starting to health-coach my friends and family, I realized that I was only scratching the surface of what I wanted to do.

 

Accumulating so much information on everything about the human mind, body, and how they complement each other, I felt a deep need to not only inspire and help the closed community around me, but to extend my reach beyond that. Through Linea, I intend to create a community of people who want to better their lives through holistic nutrition and healthy habits, to share tips and bite-sized commitments that are scientifically proven to increase our quality of life, and to relay everything that I myself have learned, in the hopes of igniting change to come from within at least some of you. Most importantly, I plan to continue learning together, because improvement never stops, and our needs in today’s world are constantly evolving. If you take care of your body and mind, they will take care of you – and if given the chance, the human body has this truly wonderful ability to self-heal. Everyone deserves to experience the feeling of being taken care of by your own mind and body. Hang with me for a while, and you’ll see – there’s nothing like it.

 

Xx

Ana