Finding My Why: Jangira L

In our fifth instalment of introducing our blog team to you, Jangira writes about the interconnection between healthy choices, the environment and facing the overwhelm - like a boss!

My quest for better health began when I started to recognise the correlation between mental health and one’s lifestyle choices. Although the intent to change was driven by vanity, I was drawn to the health benefits that came with these changes.

I became curious, and interested in how the body works. I started to research different ways to lose body fat and build muscle. I learnt a lot about whole foods and why they were beneficial. I realised that exercise alone would not suffice.

As they say - abs are made in the kitchen - a healthy lifestyle is 80% food intake and 20% exercise. This caught my attention, as I was unaware of how much your overall health and well-being is impacted by your diet. I started reading blogs about the effects that unhealthy food can have on the brain and its influence on mood disorders, such as depression. I came to realise that it wasn’t just about running on the treadmill and lifting weights.

As they say - abs are made in the kitchen - a healthy lifestyle is 80% food intake and 20% exercise.

I started to learn about the detrimental effects of processed foods and foods that are high in sugar and/or sodium. Then my research started drifting towards animal farming and genetically modified foods (GMOs).

I read about statistics that I never thought were possible, and how a plant-based diet is one of the best ways to conserve the planet while keeping yourself healthy. Animal agriculture appeared to be one of the main culprits of climate change, and I started to feel guilty and started to question my own morals and ethics. What should be the right thing to do now?

....and how a plant-based diet is one of the best ways to conserve the planet while keeping yourself healthy.

So what does one do when confronted with these facts? How do we determine what is the right or wrong thing to do? Would a complete change to my way of living be the appropriate action to take?

I gradually started to modify my daily habits. I substituted whey protein for plant-based protein and I stopped eating meat during the week. I am currently working my way towards eliminating dairy from my diet. It’s a work in progress and sometimes challenging. But it feels like the right thing to do. Morality and ethics are concepts that have had a constant presence throughout my life. They were the underlying principles in my studies for my law degree. They were the core values in my studies for my journalism degree. Although I believe that morals and ethics can be taught, I also believe they are innate to our very subconscious. I believe that everyone is born with a moral compass that just needs a little fine tuning once in a while.

What would you do when confronted with the facts? Would they inspire you to change your behaviour? Or, you might doubt if these actions can alleviate the dire consequences we need to try and stop, maybe even reverse global warming.

Changing our style of living is hard. Human nature has an affinity for the familiar and a natural resistance towards change. That is our safe zone and our comfort zone.

But for how long? As soon as the Earth’s temperature increases by 1.5’C, climate change will reach an irreversible tipping point, and it will be too late to ask yourself what was the right thing to do.

Making changes to our daily routine in small increments could help ease us into longer lasting, new habits. When I first started to adopt small changes to my style of living, I was feeling quite unmotivated and overwhelmed at the same time. I knew there was so much change needed. But all great monuments were built brick by brick. There are no shortcuts. But it gets easier after the first step.

As soon as the Earth’s temperature increases by 1.5’C, climate change will reach an irreversible tipping point.....

So to wrap up my blog post, I feel it rather appropriate to leave you with a quote to help you feel inspired:

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

George Bernard Shaw

From the thoughtful desk of,

Jangira

(pronounced Janj’ra)