How To Be The Healthiest You – For Real This Time
"I'll start on Monday". Start what exactly — another "detox", an exercise regime you hate, and in the process, ditch all joy? I’d say this one’s for you… but really, it’s for all of us.
There’s a certain voice that sneaks in at the end of every holiday, every long weekend, and let’s be honest, for some of us — every Sunday evening too. It’s the voice that whispers, “I’ll start on Monday.”
Start what exactly? A “detox”? A “14-day reset”? A vow to eat only “clean foods” and hit 6am gym classes you secretly hate?
But here’s the real question: when you “start” that, what are you putting a “stop” to? The life you’ve been living to the fullest? The food that fuelled the memories? Like that summer of one-too-many spicy margaritas (is there such a thing?), gelatos and kisses on cobbled backstreets, or late nights that stretched into lazy mornings?
Or maybe you’d be saying no to just a normal weekend of being young in a City you love — pizza with friends, a bottle of wine that somehow emptied itself, a roast with all the trimmings.
But I get it… when all that fun is over, Sunday night soon strolls around and you’re left feeling puffy, a bit bloated, and worst of all, guilty. Enter: that Monday-morning mentality.
But let’s be clear. You don’t need a reset. You don’t need to pay an influencer with zero nutrition qualifications to tell you what to eat while you “undo the damage.” Because there is no damage.
That bloated, sluggish feeling? Temporary.
The memories you made? They’ll stay with you forever.
Health isn’t about smashing a giant red reset button every time life gets fun. It’s about creating a way of eating, moving, and living that supports the life you actually want —one that includes the nights out, the trips away, the long dinners with people you love. That’s living. And that’s nothing to feel guilty about.
And for the record, you can’t really live that life if you’re stuck eating chicken, rice, and broccoli out of Tupperware on holiday because “IFYM.”
So instead of swinging between indulgence and restriction, the healthiest thing you can do is plug back into yourself. Block out the noise and tune back into your own body. Because despite what Instagram says, Nutrition Science hasn’t changed all that much: your body needs carbs, protein, fat, fibre — and a side of joy. And it will communicate with you what it needs, you just need to be ready to listen.
Because being the healthiest version of you starts with this: stop punishing your body, and start nourishing it. That’s how you build a life you don’t feel the need to “reset” from.
To keep reading, head over to Dr. Emily Prpa’s Substack and dive into the full post.
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N.B. This content is for educational purposes only and isn’t a substitute for medical advice.
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