Healthy living and mental health work hand-in-hand

POLOKWANE – Fitness trainer and motivator Mthombeni Carin said healthy living means maintaining a healthy lifestyle and introducing new habits that will benefit you in the long run.

Carin said a healthy lifestyle starts with a conscious decision which leads to small changes and developing habits such as eating healthier and being active.

“There are many ways to describe fitness as it has a different meaning for every individual. It might mean being active on a daily basis for one person or being able to walk, swim or do chores without feeling fatigued for another,” she said.

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Carin said eating healthy is paramount to the success of your fitness and this includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between.

“By snacks, I mean healthy snacking. Water in-between meals is also very important.”

She said one of the benefits that come with healthy living is positive thinking and satisfaction with seeing results because exercise releases ‘happy hormones’ such as dopamine and serotonin.

“When you have a specific physical routine, you create order in your life and your way of thinking changes which leads to mental and physical benefits. It also creates discipline which is then transferred to other aspects of your life,” she said.

Carin said there will be challenges and setbacks when starting a fitness journey but that doesn’t mean giving up.

She offers fitness training and customized meal planning and can be contacted on 081 072 0620.