Getting Out What You Put In
I’m not a nutritionist, and I’m not going to claim to be such a thing. I cannot sit here and write about macronutrients, or amino acid profiles – I don’t have the nerve to do so. I don’t believe that anyone untrained should be giving out advice when it comes to what you eat – every body is different, and needs different amounts of different things. However, I’m someone who’s struggled with my own physical impairments, and have found that the way I fuel my body has had a life-changing effect. I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome at the age of seventeen, after contracting glandular fever and being given antibiotics that I later discovered I was allergic to. Whilst my case of CFS is mild, this syndrome often causes me to feel exhausted, no matter how much sleep I get, or how much of a routine I create for myself. I have struggled with my energy levels for almost ten years, and have only recently discovered the importance of eating well and truly nourishing my body. As I said in the section above, your body is your car. You can’t expect it to function normally with no gas in the tank! By doing a lot of research and through trial and error, I came to discover the types of foods that my body needs in order to be at its best, and I hope that these simple nutrition ‘hacks’ can help you, too:
Don’t avoid fats! Don’t believe the myth that fats make you fat. Of course, there’s a difference between saturated, unsaturated and trans fats, but these things in moderation are perfectly healthy so long as they’re part of a balanced diet. Healthy fats support cell growth, whereas unhealthy fats . . . well, once in a while, that junk food just makes you happy. Nothing wrong with that.
Green food is the best food! If it’s green, eat it (unless it’s mould or something. Don’t eat that). Find a vegetable you really love (or if you’re a bit picky, find one you can tolerate) and smash that in wherever you can! My go-to vegetable is broccoli, which is packed full of nutrients and fibre. Try and make at least one third of the food on your plate the colour green. Add spinach, spirulina or kale to a smoothie! Eat avocados. Green foods will help with digestion and energy levels!
Eat fruit! I used to try and avoid fruit because of the big fat sin: sugar. We’re often told in news reports and on television shows that sugar is addictive, damaging and one of the worst things for us – but like fats, if you eat sugar in moderation and as part of a balanced diet, you’re fine. In fact, switching out sweets for a banana or some strawberries is definitely advisable! Sugary foods are definitely calorie-dense, but fruits, whilst high in fructose, contain so many vitamins, and are totally natural – so if you have a sweet tooth, don’t be afraid of a fruit smoothie now and then! Carbs are not your enemy, they are your energy. Smash in the carbs before a long day of work, and you’ll find yourself having more energy and focus throughout the day.
Speaking of calories – unless you are trying to gain muscle growth, you shouldn’t be counting calories. Not even to lose weight. We often see calories as these tiny little devils that will rise up and make us ‘fat’ (and therefore ‘undesirable’, ‘unattractive’, ‘of less worth’) if we eat over 2,000 of them a day. Listen: so long as you’re eating the right kinds of natural food, only eating junk food in moderation, staying hydrated and doing a fair amount of exercise, your body will have more energy, and will eventually work itself into the prime ‘shape’ for the amount of exercise it needs to do to get through the day. Calories, at their core, are simply units of energy – if you put in a lot of calories, you’re putting a lot of energy into your body. If you allow that energy to build up, sure, it’ll get stored as fat for later usage, but if you burn off energy as you go, you’re going to be fine. Stop counting calories, get your blood pumping and feel the difference very quickly!
Breakfast is important. I know – I’m tired in the mornings, too. Who wants to get up early to eat porridge when you could just have another half an hour in bed? Fact is, breakfast fuels you right through until lunchtime, meaning you’ll feel less sluggish and will be more alert than you would had you not eaten it. It also means you won’t be tempted to snack on unhealthy things before lunchtime. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your body will adjust to eating breakfast if you push yourself into a routine every morning.
The Simplest Trick
Ready for the biggest health hack of all? One that will improve your concentration and energy levels? One that will help viruses leave your body quicker? One that will help to lower inflammation? Here you go: Drink water. Lots of water. That’s it!
Whilst I’m not stating that water is all you need when it comes to improving your health, being hydrated is by far the simplest action you can take to improving your energy levels, cognitive function and general health. For many years I was so dehydrated – my body simply got used to not drinking much, and thus, I never really got thirsty. Up until the age of twentyfour, I can recall only peeing twice a day – once in the morning, and once before bed. My pee was a dark, cloudy yellow (I cannot believe I’m talking about the colour of my pee in this book). I was constantly drained (having CFS didn’t help, of course, but the difference between then and now is like night and day) and I lacked the ability to focus on any one task; I was snappy and rude to people and just generally felt off a lot of the time. Dehydration is a lot more serious and damaging to your health than you may realise – it can make you more susceptible to illness and exacerbate problems you already have.
It wasn’t until October 2015 that I discovered the damage my unintentional dehydration was doing to my body. Because I wasn’t regularly ‘flushing the pipes’, so to speak, I often contracted UTIs (urinary tract infections – they’re surprisingly common, and don’t imply anything about your hygiene or amount of sexual activity), and whilst they’re easy to clear up with antibiotics, if you don’t keep hydrated and clear out your system, they’ll keep recurring – or, as in my case, get worse.
By the time I realised I had yet another UTI, it was too late. Within a few days of the initial symptoms, I had developed a persistent dull ache in my lower back, as well as just feeling generally unwell. I put it down to sleeping in a weird position and being a bit overworked – little did I know, the infection had spread to my kidneys. A few days later, my dad came to visit and only took one look at me before bundling me into his car and driving me to hospital. My skin had turned grey and I was barely able to concentrate on anything he was saying. When the doctors examined me, prodding me with every instrument they had (sounds more fun than it was), and taking enough blood to make me throw up and almost pass out, they discovered I had a severe infection that was making its way around my system. I had been extremely lucky that it had been caught when it had. If I had slept on my infection for one more day, the doctors told me, it most likely would have spread to my blood, and sepsis can become extremely difficult to treat. I was kept in hospital for four days, attached to a drip and bored out of my mind. The doctor who looked after me was shocked when I told her how little I drank – and after just one night on a drip, my skin was no longer grey. I was properly hydrated for the first time in years!
Ever since that stint in hospital, I have made sure I drink water at every opportunity – and now I’m able to detect when I’m even the slightest bit thirsty. I haven’t had any infections since. I’m able to think more clearly, am more alert and less distracted – and if having to pee a few more times during the day is the only downside, I’ll take it. Heed my warning! Your body needs water to function – if you like caffeinated drinks, be sure to drink ordinary water, too. Fizzy drinks and beverages such as coffee can actually make you feel worse after the initial caffeine buzz – water is the purest source of energy to keep your cells fuelled, even if it is a little boring. Your skin will be clearer, your weight more stable (you’ll notice less water retention because your body no longer has to hold on to the little water it does get!) and you’ll be in a better state of mind.
Man, I drank a lot of water writing this section.
The F-Word
Do you ever see those books on
sale with a slender, blonde woman in workout gear on the cover, smiling like she actually bloody means it as she stands under the words, How to transform your life through exercise! and just think, Oh, fuck off? Sorry! I can’t do it. I can’t sit here and write about how exercise changed my life. I can’t give you a before and after photo where I look like a blimp on the left and tanned, toned and totally rejuvenated on the right. I’m not here to insult those authors, or say that their methods don’t work, but when I decided to write about fitness and exercise, I knew I’d have to be honest.
I bloody hate exercise with a passion. Unlike seemingly everyone else in the world, I don’t get those endorphins that supposedly make you feel great after a workout. I cannot think of many things worse than waking up early to go to the gym – and believe me, I’ve tried. Getting out of bed at 6 a.m. in the freezing cold and doing exercise, or having a lie-in until 10 a.m. under the soft, warm covers of my bed? Tough choice!
However – I understand the repercussions of writing a book for young people in which I tell them not to bother exercising. Exercise is important – we all have an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. I sit at my desk writing, filming and editing most of the day, every day. I’ve sometimes looked down at the pedometer on my watch in the evening and seen that I’ve walked 200 steps – all day. If anything, it’s quite a feat to be able to only walk 200 steps a day, but this isn’t the time or place to joke about little victories.
Unfortunately for my fellow fitness-haters, exercise has too many benefits for us not to do it. It keeps our metabolisms in check, it makes us more alert, it helps to prevent illness, it builds stamina and strength should we ever need it (ever tried to lug a flat-pack wardrobe up a flight of stairs? You need to be fit, and also slightly mad). We cannot keep saying to ourselves, Yeah, I’ll get fit eventually. Start taking little steps towards becoming more active. You don’t need to be at the stage of a marathon runner to enjoy the long-term benefits of light exercise. Here are some tips that I’ve learned along the way to subtly increase your fitness level without feeling exhausted and fed up with exercise altogether:
Do yoga! There are many free online tutorials and yoga sessions to try out that will help with your flexibility and muscle toning. When I’m not flat-out with work (such as, you know, writing 70,000 words) I exercise with DDP Yoga, which is hosted by a retired wrestler. It uses dynamic resistance, so you work against your own body without having to buy tons of expensive equipment, and your heart will be pounding without you doing any form of high-intensity cardio! I promise I wasn’t paid to write that – it’s just that good. If you’d rather practise more laid-back, relaxing exercise, then don’t dismiss the benefits of stretching out your spine with a less intense form of yoga. Learning to take in oxygen at the right times can really help to clear your mind as well as get blood pumping around your body. The best part? You can do it from the comfort of your own home! I personally can’t stomach the idea of doing exercise classes with strangers (they’re not looking at me – I know they’re not – but it always feels like it). Yoga really only requires a mat and possibly some balance blocks (but they’re not a necessity) and about half an hour a day. You might not notice the benefits immediately, but stick with it, do it once a day for a couple of weeks, and you’ll begin to feel your body being less reluctant to move with you.
Travel to new places. I’m not saying take an exotic week out in Asia, or go and climb a mountain – a simple walk down unexplored streets will do the trick. If you live in a village and there’s a street you’ve never needed to walk down, go and explore it (in broad daylight, of course. Make sure you feel safe at all times!). If you live in a built-up city, there’s always a new street or a store you haven’t been to! Go to that park you always walk or drive past. Sometimes, I get dressed, go outside and just walk. I just keep walking. I often get lost – thank goodness for GPS on phones these days – and sometimes, being lost is just what the body needs. When I was still living at home with my dad, I once went out on a walk past my first primary school and stumbled upon a massive field that I had no idea was there. It was shrouded by bushes and trees, and was impossible to see from the outside when walking past on the street – it was only through pushing a bush to one side that I was able to discover it. I ended up visiting this large-but-secret field many times throughout that summer. I’d lived around the area for twenty years and had never seen it! It was my secret place, where I could walk, listening to my favourite music. As a stressed, overworked, underpaid waitress, visiting that field kept me sane that summer. Walking (especially to music, in my case) is not only great and vastly underrated exercise, but it also helps to clear your mind. When you’re not forcing yourself to sit in front of a screen, your mind is no longer distracted by all the things popping up in front of you, and you’ll find yourself able to think about things that are troubling you in more depth and from a new perspective.
For every hour you’re sitting down – whether it’s at a desk or watching TV – stand up and walk around for five minutes, or longer if you can! It can be so easy to lose track of time when you’re working or watching a top-notch anime (Shokugeki no Soma is my shit), but purposefully standing up and walking around will help stretch out your muscles and get blood flowing. I also find that when I’m sitting down, my body often falls into a state of tiredness and I find myself more prone to napping, which wastes time I could be using productively. Once you notice yourself in this seated position for too long (set a timer on your phone for fifty minutes if you find it hard at first), stand up and walk around. Go out and get some fresh air! If you find yourself fortunate enough to be able to do this more often than five minutes in every hour, then do! You’ll find that you get more done by walking away from your desk for a few minutes than you do when you’re distracted for hours sitting down.
Of course, I should probably add some buzz words: join a gym! Join a class! Go cycling with friends! Go for a jog! The truth is, I’ve tried all of these things, and not one of them has changed my life, because that’s not what my body wants to do. Perhaps one day I’ll do a workout at the gym and have an epiphany that exercise opens my mind, but for now, the little steps I can take, mixed with a healthy, balanced diet that includes a lot of protein and leafy greens, have helped me tremendously.
Oh, and also don’t get caught up in the hype of fitness. It can be very easy to become addicted to exercise if you do feel an endorphin rush. If you find yourself feeling angry and wound up from not exercising, this is a sign that your brain is becoming dependent on fitness, and this can lead to an emotional dependency on eating right, which can be a slippery slope towards an eating disorder. Certainly reduce unhealthy foods, and do light exercise, but don’t cut out your favourite foods entirely. Don’t punish yourself for not exercising by skipping a meal. Schedule light workouts for, say, three times a week if you’re trying to maintain a fitness level instead of training for marathons. Everything should be in moderation – and that includes the things that benefit you. If you feel as though you may be becoming emotionally dependent on exercise or you’re deliberately trying not to consume enough calories, there are helplines at the back of this book that you can call for advice.
For clarity, I’ve been eating chocolate all the way through this section. Everything in moderation! That reminds me. I need to go and walk around for a while . . .
12
A Life Worth Living
The Life List
I make a lot of lists. I have to-do lists for the short-term, an ongoing list of video ideas, a list of people who I would totally smash (humans are flawed hypocrites, who knew?) and, most important of all, the life list. This is a list that I believe everyone on Earth should have, for numerous reasons. It is the list of things you wish to achieve in your lifetime, including the places you wish to visit and the things you’d like to own. I first created my initial life list out of boredom when I was twenty years old, having just started making YouTube videos. It was short, but it was filled with the
goals I had made for myself:
I want to be able to live on my own.
I want to be able to do YouTube as a full-time job.
I want to reach 100,000 subscribers.
I want to travel to America. I want to buy a house.
I want to get married and have children.
Slowly, as things were crossed off, such as quitting my waitressing job and reaching 100,000 subscribers, new goals were added. My goal of travelling to America transformed into wanting to visit all fifty states, and music goals such as ‘release a debut album’ were added. Currently, this is where I’m at with my life list:
Buy a house and pay off the mortgage.
Visit all fifty states of America.
Visit Canada.
Visit Japan.
Visit Australia.
Raise a total of £100,000 for Liberty in North Korea.
Release a debut album.
Release a song that has global recognition.
Reach 2,000,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Work in partnership with WWE.
Own either a café or a fashion line.
Get married and have children.
Get a dog.
Write a book.
A life list is important to me for a couple of personal reasons. For one, it keeps me focused on the next step towards crossing off a goal. Being able to see your long-term or short-term goal in front of you as a physical statement, demanding to be achieved, helps encourage you to work hard for it. Once a goal is written down, you can no longer push it to the back of your mind, with the thought, Yeah, well, maybe I’ll do that, if I feel like it in the future. It is there, waiting to be fulfilled. Of course, it’s important to note that, if your focus shifts, it is completely okay to take something off your list. You should only write down things that you are passionate about achieving. For instance, whilst I would like to own a café in the future, I have a lot I want to achieve before starting on that, and somewhere along the way, perhaps it won’t be something I am passionate about achieving any more. If that time comes, I’ll cross it off – I’m sure it’ll have been replaced by something else that has captured my passion and attention. Also, it’s important to note that whilst these are long-term goals, I still celebrate the short-term goals that help me get to where I want to be. It’s all about the little pictures, remember?
Feel Good 101_The Outsiders' Guide to a Happier Life Page 19