English Language VI

Debate 5: Lifestyles

Members:

C:

ST-LVIC-G5-1
ST-LVIC-G5-2
ST-LVIC-G5-3
ST-LVIC-G5-4
ST-LVIC-G5-5

A:

ST-LVIA-G5-6
ST-LVIA-G5-7
ST-LVIA-G5-8
ST-LVIA-G5-9
ST-LVIA-G5-10

ST-LVIA-G5-11

Discussion Leader:

DL-LVI-G5-1
DL-LVI-G5-2

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-6

Hi there! My name is ST-LVIA-G5-6 and I’m a student of English Studies. I’m the first one that is posting in this thread, so I’ll post four questions for you to answer and break the ice.

• Do you follow a healthy lifestyle?
• In what ways could you improve your current lifestyle?
• Do you have any person as a reference of lifestyle?
• What do you think are the key points in one’s lifestyle?

I’m looking forward to reading you, I hope we trace an interesting thread of discussion!

 

·         DL-LVI-G5-1

Hi everyone!

Thanks for your message ST-LVIA-G5-6.

I am the moderator for this group. My name is DL-LVI-G5-1 and I’m from Nottingham, England. I study French and Spanish at University of Leicester, so I am studying here in Valencia for the second half of my Erasmus year to improve my Spanish and I completed my first semester in Bordeaux, France.

I believe I lead a healthy lifestyle because I go to the gym 5 days a week, I eat a good diet and I have a good work/life balance. However, I could improve my lifestyle by drinking less alcohol (very difficult to do as a student :D). I don’t have a particular role model when it comes to my lifestyle choices, do you? For me the most important parts of our lifestyles are diet, exercise, sleep, avoiding unhealthy habits such as smoking, and our happiness.

What would your answers to your questions be?

Here’s some questions I also have for you all:

What is a healthy lifestyle?

Do our lifestyle choices increase/decrease our life expectancy?

Is it possible to have a healthy life style in the modern world?

I look forward to reading your replies!

·         ST-LVIA-G5-8

Hey everyone! My name is ST-LVIA-G5-8, I am a French student! I am from Orléans and study in ISIT school in Paris (translation, communication) and I’m so happy to be in Valencia for my Erasmus semester.

I try to have a healthy lifestyle in general, but I think I could do much better. For instance, I am not really sporty and that’s what I would like to improve the most xD. Otherwise I don’t smoke, never did (and really proud of it), I try to eat good food at home, without following a specific diet, and from time to time I enjoy going to a good restaurant. I really believe a healthy lifestyle is all about balance: if you eat healthy in general, then there’s no guilt in treating yourself sometimes.

However, even though having a healthy body can, I think, increase your life expectancy, we also have to be healthy in our minds. We can’t be healthy if not happy, what do think? And I feel we can improve this by complaining less, smiling and laughing more, taking time for ourselves…

What about you, what do you think: Do you think healthy lifestyle and happiness are linked? Where do you get inspiration for your lifestyle? Have you heard of the “hygge” Danish lifestyle? What do you think of it?

Have a nice day everyone!

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-5

Hi everyone! My name is ST-LVIC-G5-5, I’m a student of Translation Studies. How are you?

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-6

Hi again!

First of all, ST-LVIA-G5-8, I found very interesting your comment about the “hygge” Danish lifestyle. I have never heard of it! I searched for it in Google; is it that lifestyle closer to a furnishing style, similar to the concept of feng shui, or am I wrong?

In answer to your questions, I definitely believe that our lifestyle is quite related to our happiness. Personally, I feel happier when I’m aware I’m following a healthy lifestyle. For instance, I normally eat in a healthy way but I don’t always do as much workout as I’d like to. However, when I achieve the combination of both for some time, I feel more glad and active.

I also think that it is possible to have a healthy life style in the modern world. Although it is true that we live surrounded by unhealthy, too much industrially processed products, there’s always the possibility of buying traditional food like fruit, vegetables or legumes. I follow a Spanish nutritionist who uses his social media to spread interesting, scholar-based information about ‘real fooding’ lifestyle. His name is Carlos Ríos, I strongly recommend you follow him!

I look forward to reading what do you think about all this!

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-10

Hi everyone, my name is ST-LVIA-G5-10 and I’m a student of English Studies at University of Valencia.

I have been reading all your comments and they are really interesting. I would like to add some questions about lifestyles.

1. Do you think your lifestyle is different from other people due to your culture?

2. Would you like to change your lifestyle or you are happy with it?

3. Do you think lifestyle affects too much in terms of working? For example, in Spain we start our “working day” at 8 am and finish at 9 am, and other countries prefer to start earlier and finish earlier.

4. Do you think lifestyle affects happiness or humour?

5. Would you say that lifestyle is guided by different trends?

I am going to read all your comments again and I will reply to them. Wish you do the same to mine 🙂

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-9

+ ST-LVIA-G5-10 Hi! My name is ST-LVIA-G5-9 and I am studying English Studies at University of Valencia.
I have decided reply your questions because I think they’re very interesting.

Releated to the first question, I think that more or less all the people from the same culture have the same lifestyle. This can vary depending of the person but it is not usual.

I am happy with my lifestyle but the onlything I would like to change is having more time for myself and work less.

I think that depending of the lifestyle you have, obviously this affect too much in terms of working because depending of the schedule you have, you can have one lifestyle or another and this would be affect your happiness too.

Releated to the last question, I think that we change our lifestyles depending on we see on shops or on TV.

After all of this anwers, I would like to ask another 5 questions about lifestyle.

1.Do you think diets are useful or not?

2.Do you pay much attention to what you eat?

3.Do you have a snack every time you are hungry or do you wait for the lunch or dinner?

4.Is physical activity (jogging, going to a gym, swimming pool) an important part of a healthy life style?

5.Do you try to eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner at a certain time every day?

I would like you to reply my questions 🙂

 

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-10

+ ST-LVIA-G5-9 Hello ST-LVIA-G5-9, thank you so much for answering to my questions. Now, as you did, I will do with yours.

1. I think not all diets are useful because some of them, as doctors have proved, are good for losing weight but not for being healthy and the most important thing is not only the physical aspect but the health.

2. I do not because I enjoy eating what I like and I do not want to become very strict with calories or grease. I just eat what I want but I try not to eat crap all the time even though it is very difficult for me to follow certain rules.

3. I usually wait for lunch or dinner but sometimes I have a snack if I know that I won’t be able to have dinner or lunch at a certain time.

4. I do think it is important. It helps you to be fit and at the same time is good to your body. You can combine different sports during the week to not to get bored with the same one.

5. Yes, as I think it is important not have a snack if it is not necessary. I think it is good to have a certain time to eat the important meals of the day as lunch or dinner because it will help you to be more responsable in your alimentation.

I hope I had answered to your questions the way you expected.

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-2

Hi girls! My name is ST-LVIC-G5-2 and I’m a third year student of Translation in the University of Valencia.

First of all, I’m sorry for not having joined the group before, but I have been very busy with my mid-term exams and projects.

I have been reading all your questions and answers and I find them really interesting and thought-provoking, so I need some time for thinking on them and giving to you my viewpoints and impressions separately on your posts.

Although, I have thought on posting more questions, I think yours are enough for the moment, later on, I’ll post mines.

Well, I’ll keep in touch!

·         ST-LVIC-G5-1

Hello, my name is ST-LVIC-G5-1 and I am a student of translation in the Universitat of Valencia.

I have read all your comments and I think you all say something really interesting about lifestyle.

I think that I am going to answer a few questions and I will propose others.

For example, I think that I have a quite good healthy lifesyle but I am sure that it could be better if I do more exercise and I control my diet but when I’m on a diet I really hate it and it affects the way I behave, I don’t know all of you but I am really angry when I am hungry 😂

If you want to answer my questions here I have two of them:

1. If you were 10 years younger would you have changed something in your life that affects your lifestyle nowadays?

2. Do you think that being fit and following a good lifestyle implies spending a log of money?

I am looking forward to see your answers!
·         ST-LVIA-G5-11+1

+ ST-LVIC-G5-1 Hi ST-LVIC-G5-1! I would like to answer because I find it really interesting.

First of all, if I were 10 years younger, I would have never tried the Colacao because I’m addicted to this flavour and I can’t stop drinking it. Addictions are difficult to overcome, seriously.

Regarding your second question, I strongly believe that being fit or having a good lifestyle is not only about the money you spend, but also the time you must invest in preparing this elaborated meal.

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-6

I completely agree with your answer ST-LVIA-G5-11! Colacao/Nesquik is one of the most addictive products on earth 😂

When it comes to the second question ST-LVIC-G5-1 asked, my thoughts coincide again with those of ST-LVIA-G5-11. I think that following a good lifestyle requires time rather than money. Ready-made food is a fast option but normally the meals offered in the supermarket can’t be qualified as healthy (with some exceptions).

Following this issue, do you think is it possible to have a good, healthy lifestyle in a society ruled by hurry? I’ll wait for your replies and then I’ll give you my point of view!

 

 

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-1

+ ST-LVIA-G5-6 hello ST-LVIA-G5-6! I agree with you and ST-LVIA-G5-11 about the ColaCao, I really love it!

Regarding to your question, I think that it is possible to follow a healthy lifestyle in our current society but the truth is that, like you all said before, you need to invest time. I mean that, for example, you need to prepare your food to take it away and it implies that you have to cook it the night before you want to eat it.

Another option when following healthy diet is going to restaurants, nowadays there are many places that prepare specialized food for vegetarian people or even they offer you many possibilities of healthy food like “quinoa salads” or those typicall ingredients.

In our society it is also important to go to the gym and if you don’t have time it is difficult to follow a healthy lifestyle, but there are many gyms that open early in the morning and close really late.

So, I do think that it is possible to follow a healthy lifestyle in our current society where we go running to everywhere, but we have to invest time in preparing our food and going to the gym.

I am waiting to see what you all think about it.

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-2

+ ST-LVIA-G5-6 Good morning, girls.
I have been considering all your questions and I’ve tried to elaborate my point and position in this debate.

Firstly, I would like to answer your questions, ST-LVIA-G5-6, because I consider them really helpful for introducing myself a bit.

I try to follow a healthy lifestyle, which, for me, basically was a combination of balanced diet and sport. I say “was” because your questions had me reflect about that and, consequently, think about the question DL-LVI-G5-1 (+DL-LVI-G5-1) posed: “What is a healthy lifestyle?”
What I’ve concluded, which is quite similar to ST-LVIA-G5-8  (+ST-LVIA-G5-8) position, is that a “healthy lifestyle” is everything you do in your daily life in order you feel good with yourself, I mean, for example, going bed early would be a point, but also other ones such as trying to keep a moment of the day for you to relax and to avoid negative feelings and thoughts, or looking for something that makes you laugh.
Well, in short, my point is that a “healthy lifestyle” is not only a physical matter, but a mental one too.
Do you agree with me? What type of acts, rituals or other stuff do you do during your day that make you feel good?

I’m looking forward to reading your replies. Thank you.

·         ST-LVIC-G5-2

Hi again, now I would like to answer the questions of ST-LVIA-G5-9  (+ST-LVIA-G5-9) which are mostly related to food/lunch habits.

To begin with, I’m against-diets for one basic reason: I think a temporary diet cannot make long-term changes in our body and then, we would experienced the so-call “rebound effect”. Actually, the idea of “temporary diet” cannot be included into the concept of “healthy lifestyle” because the definition of “lifestyle” crash with the idea of “temporary”. According to the Collins dictionary “The lifestyle of a particular person or group of people is the living conditions, behaviour, and habits that are typical of them or are chosen by them”.
** With diets/temporary diets in this context I mean the ones you follow to lose weight.
Do you agree with me? Have you ever dieted? If yes, what are your experiences?

Regarding my meals habits (regular times I sit and eat) I generally try to eat five times per day (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and supper) which are the typical meals followed here in Spain, what is quite related to the question of ST-LVIA-G5-10  (+ST-LVIA-G5-10) about the differences between cultures. When I’m hungry, I try to wait until these meals because we have to let out metabolism “work” (or that’s what I’ve always heard). I have to say I’m a bit “strict” in this point, because I generally try to follow that routine (five per day)
What about you, girls? Follow you a routine of meals?

Finally, I want to answer the question about whether I pay attention to what I eat. The truth is that I do, I try to eat healthy (when it’s possible), but actually I’m not obsessed with that, I love eating and I don’t like to forego food.
And what about you?

Thank you.

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-2

Once again, hello girls!

Today, I would like to answer the questions related to my own lifestyle, such as “In what ways could you improve your current lifestyle?” (+ST-LVIA-G5-6), “Would you change your lifestyle or are you happy with it?” (+ST-LVIA-G5-10) or “If you were 10 years younger, would you change anything?” (+ST-LVIC-G5-1).

To start with, I think ST-LVIC-G5-1’s question hit the target because I have never reflected upon that topic. Ten years ago I was just ten and, as a child, I thought everything was okay: no sports, no vegetables, no fruits… How wrong I was! For example, I didn’t use to have breakfast, I began to drink milk just three/four years ago, and now I realize how essential is to do so, in order to start the day full of energy. In addition, I didn’t practise any sport, which was a complete mistake; if I were face to face with myself in the past, I would try to show her how important is to be physically active for your future.
Do you regret any particular habit of your past?

However, I have to say that in these ten years I have considerably improved my habits and, as I have said in previous posts, I try to follow a healthy lifestyle. However, trying to answer ST-LVIA-G5-6 and ST-LVIA-G5-10’s questions, I’ve realized that there are many improvements I could made. For instance, I’m a “nocturnal animal”: I do better at night and I can’t (and I swear I try) going to bed earlier, and consequently, I never get the recommended eight hours of sleep. Otherwise, I consider I’m doing well with my habits because I’m generally pleased and happy.

Therewith, I think I’ve answered another question of ST-LVIA-G5-10 “Do you think lifestyle affects happiness and humour?”. In my opinion, surely it does. When you follow a healthy routine of sports or a meal’s one, it’s reflected on you, on the way you act or you look like.

Thank you. I’m looking forward to reading you.
·         ST-LVIC-G5-3

+ ST-LVIA-G5-6 Hi! My name is ST-LVIC-G5-3 and I am a student of Translation at the University of Valencia.
First of all, I would like to reply to the question: “Do you have any person as a reference of lifestyle?” and “Do you follow a healthy lifestyle?”

From my point of view, having a good reference in nutrition or sports is important to always be motivated and learn a little each day. I follow many nutritionists and athletes in social networks that encourage me to do the same as them.

I always try to eat healthy, I go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week and try to drink alcohol as little as possible (it is not always possible). Like DL-LVI-G5-1 has said, if you are not happy, it is not possible to lead a healthy life, since your state of mind is one of the most important parts of a healthy lifestyle.

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-3

+ ST-LVIC-G5-1 I would like to answer your questions, ST-LVIC-G5-1.

1. I started doing sports only 4 years ago, since in high school I was forced to do a pretty tough resistance test and I had to improve it. I would have liked to start doing sports much earlier, since right now it is an indispensable part of my life, and I think it would have been easier to start as a child.

2. I do not follow a strict diet, but I always like to know what I eat, that’s why I always try to cook myself. I think that eating a healthy diet is cheaper than buying ultra-processed food, since we are investing in health.

·         ST-LVIC-G5-3

+ ST-LVIA-G5-9 Hi ST-LVIA-G5-9, I find your questions really interesting, so I am going to answer some of them.

2. I think that the most important thing is to be aware at all times of what we are eating. When we know the ingredients and we are informed about what it contains, for example, a box of cereals, we are able to decide whether or not to consume it. In my case, I almost always read the labels and I am aware of what I am eating at each moment.

3. I believe that it is not a mistake to eat between meals if what we eat is healthy. For example, when I’m hungry but it’s still not time to have lunch or dinner, I usually eat dates, yogurt, cookies made by myself or a piece of fruit. If we choose well what we are going to eat, it does not have to be something insane to eat between meals.

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-3

Here you have some other questions about lifestyle you can answer!

1. What is the most unhealthy thing you like to do or eat?

2. What was the last thing you bought that you really didn’t need?

3. If you needed to, could you grow your own food?
Do you know where your food comes from now?

4. Where, how, and why do you travel?

 

·         DL-LVI-G5-1

All your posts are so interesting and really well written! I have learnt something from each of you.

I am going to answer + ST-LVIC-G5-3 questions as they are the most recent.

1. Personally, the unhealthiest thing I do is binge drinking when I go out to clubs/bars with my friends. I consume too much alcohol and I know this will have detrimental effects on my health, however I believe that whilst I am young I may as well make the most of having fun.

2. In terms of food the last unnecessary thing I bought was a meal out in a restaurant. It was not needed but I enjoyed it with my friends, so it could be said that that isn’t a terrible thing because I had a good time.

3. This is a good question that I found important because at home, in England, we have things called allotments and it is a public area designated to you if you want one, and you can grow your own food/crops in this area. I think this is a great idea because everything is fresh and there are no preservatives put into the food.

4. Lastly, I tend to travel across Europe by plane. When travelling across a country I typically use trains and buses. I travel because I love to learn about new cultures and languages and I want to see the world. I think everybody should take advantage of being able to travel because it is a very enriching experience.

One question I have for all of you:

Do our lifestyle choices determine our life expectancy or do genetics play a more important role?

I look forward to reading your responses

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-2

Hello girls!

I have been rereading your questions and answers and one of them has specially caught my attention and I would like to give my opinion. The aforesaid question is “Do you think that being fit and following a good lifestyle implies spending a lot of money?” (+ST-LVIC-G5-1)

I agree with the answers of ST-LVIA-G5-11 (+ST-LVIA-G5-11), ST-LVIA-G5-6 (+ST-LVIA-G5-6 and Marián (+ST-LVIC-G5-3) up to a point. Like you all, I consider that being healthy and trying to follow a healthy lifestyle takes a lot of time an effort and, of course, if you don’t have it, probrably that “lifestyle” won’t work in the long run.

However, if you don’t mind me saying so, I strongly believe that being healthy also incurs great expenses. For example, when we talk about doing sport, we have to pay a gym (which is a monthly expenditure) or, alternatively, if we want to practise sports at home we have to buy the equipment needed (which is not specially cheap). Personally, I prefer the second choice and that’s why four years ago I bought a second-hand treadmill. It was cheaper than paying the gym, but not everybody can afford that.
On the other hand, when we talk about food, what I’ve experience when doing the grocery shopping is that the majority of products that I consider healthy (fruits, vegetables, energy bars, pasta, dried fruits, etc.) are more expensive than the unhealthy ones such as chips or sauces. One particular example is the vegetable pasta, which, according to different researches, is a good feed against migraine, anxiety or insomnia; however it is more expensive than the normal one. My point is that if we opted for eating whatever, the shopping list would be reduced and, consequently, cheaper.

Please, I’d like you to correct me if necessary or to give me extra information that I’m unconscious of. Thank you.

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-1

+ ST-LVIC-G5-3 Hello ST-LVIC-G5-3, I have read all your questions and they got me thinking a lot about what I do in my daily life so I am gonna answer some of them:

1. What is the most unhealthy thing you like to do or eat?

I think that the most unhealthy thing I do is eating sometimes food that is unhealthy for example when I go to McDonald’s or fast foods restaurants. But I think that sometimes we can allow ourselves this cravings

4. Where, how, and why do you travel?

I travel to Europe when I have a small amount of money saved and I really like to spend it travelling. I always take planes if I leave Spain because it is a cheap option if you find a good sale. Nevertheless, if I travel to differente cities in Spain I use the train or my car.
I like to travel to discover the different cities and to get to know all the cultures and different traditions.
·         ST-LVIC-G5-1

+ DL-LVI-G5-1

Hello DL-LVI-G5-1, your question is really good and I would like to give you my point of view:

Do our lifestyle choices determine our life expectancy or do genetics play a more important role?

I strongly believe that in a certain way, our lifestyle choices determine our life expectancy. For example if we smoke we have further possibilities to suffer lung cancer, or if we are sedentaries we have more possibilities to have health problems in the future.

Genetics can help sometimes but if we don’t help our body with good health habits in the future we will regret.
·         ST-LVIC-G5-1

I would also like to say something about what + ST-LVIC-G5-2 said about having mental health, I think that most people usually focuses on being fit but they don’t take care about their mental health. For me, it is important to dedicate some time during the day for myself, and when I am really stress I like to walk to forget about everything. Those are really small things that I do to take care of myself and my mental health.

I would like to know if all of you do something special to be mentally fit and to feell good with yourselves.

I am looking forward to see your answers. Thank you all!

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-7

+ ST-LVIA-G5-6 Hi! I’m gonna answer your very first questions!

1) Do you follow a healthy life style?

Yes, I try to pay attention to what I eat and to choose the right food and good products in order to be healthy. I also try not to drink too much alcohol as when I was in highschool. I still drink, but I don’t drink it to excess, except for special occasions. I also try to sleep at least 8 hours at night, but it can be hard to achieve it.

2) In what ways could you improve your current lifestyle?

I think the most important point I could improve to have a healthier lifestyle is to practice more ! Indeed, I walk a lot (especially here in Valencia, in order to visit), but I don’t practice a particular sport.

3) Do you have any person as reference of lifestyle ?

Although I follow some bloggers who have a healthy lifestyle on social networks, I don’t have a particular person as a reference of lifestyle. The lifestyle I try to have is the result of many influences and persons at the same time.

4) What do you think are the key points in one lifestyle ?

I think that the key points are food, sleep, sport and activity in general (studies, work, leisure time).

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-7

Hello everyone! I’m ST-LVIA-G5-7, I’m a French Erasmus student and I study in Valencia for the second semester.
I chose this subject because I’m interested in the diversity of lifestyles and because I think that the lifestyle you have has a great influence on your personal life.

It’s my turn to ask four questions :

1) What do you think of the vegan lifestyle?

2) Do you think that respecting other people’s lifestyles is always possible, or that it can divide people if they don’t share the same one?

3) How do you measure the influence of your own lifestyle on your personal life (your feelings, your behaviour, etc) ?

4) Do you think that “fashionable” lifestyles exist?

Thank you !

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-3

+ DL-LVI-G5-1 I find your question really interesting.

Do our lifestyle choices determine our life expectancy or do genetics play a more important role?

It is true that many people will suffer from a disease no matter what their lifestyle has been, although, currently, the medical advances allows us to know it in advance and detect it immediately. Despite this, I have long believed that we are what we eat, and that many diseases that currently exist in the world could have been prevented if we had been more careful with what we eat

It is a very ambiguous issue, since we may carry a healthy lifestyle all our lives and suddenly get surprised by cancer (sorry for being a bit negative), but it is always better to prevent than to cure.

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-3

+ ST-LVIA-G5-7 Hi ST-LVIA-G5-7! Very interesting questions.

1. What do you think of the vegan lifestyle?

It is true that meat is currently very integrated into society, and that it would be difficult to eliminate it from our diets, as well as products of animal origin, but a vegan diet is very beneficial and it is proven that you can have a healthy life without consuming anything of animal origin. Many athletes are vegans and people still can not believe it.
From my experience, being vegan is frowned upon, since in my attempt to be a vegetarian for only a week I already had my whole family against me (it was just a test). Since that week I have decided to eliminate certain types of meat that I ate of obligation or that are very processed (sausages, blood sausages, horse meat …).
The vegan diet is also very beneficial for the environment, since 18% of the total CO2 emissions are due to the livestock sector (food, processing and transport of meat), but also the water consumption of the livestock sector exceeds 8% of human consumption.
·         ST-LVIA-G5-7

Thank you for your answer!

Indeed, many plant-based products can replace meat and fish in terms of nutrients.
About vegetarianism being frowned upon, I understand what you mean. It’s true that it may be difficult for some vegetarians or vegans to accept people’s judgement. Some people have a very harsh point of view about it. And among these people, some keep being open-minded. In that case, you can try to show them that this different lifestyle is worthy. Even when I feel that people “Attack” me about it, I try to stay calm and explain my viewpoint with constructive arguments. As for my family, I made them understand that they had to accept me as I was, with my choices and convictions. But I completely understand that it can be difficult. Sometimes, even after almost a year, it’s still is complicated for me to be confronted with people’s negative viewpoints.

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-4

Hello everyone!

I’ll briefly introduce myself and then I start to answer most of your interesting questions!
My name is ST-LVIC-G5-4, I am a 23-year-old French Erasmus student and I’m living in Valencia since September. I come from Dijon, the capital of Burgundy and there I study languages (both English and Spanish), economics, law, communication and civilisation. In September, I will start my master degree in international fair trade. I am first going to answer the first four questions from Mirea Cabanes.

1) I can’t say if I follow a healthy lifestyle or not. I try to be as healthy as possible but I can do way better. I eat almost only fresh and organic vegetables and fruits and I rarely buy processed products. I love cooking and baking so I make almost everything on my own. I am a food lover in general, but I must confess that I love chocolate and pastries…
I’m not really keen on doing exercise but I walk a lot everyday. Actually I don’t practise any sport on a weekly basis since high school when it was part of the schedule. And the truth is that I feel different and my body has changed inevitably. Moreover, last year was very stressful and overwhelming, I had a lot of homework for university, competition for the Erasmus exchange was tough, I had absolutely no time for myself so I started to take bad food habits such as eating anytime I felt bad. This leads me to the second question.

2) Because of this bad habit, I got 8 kilos since last year so I think I could really improve my current lifestyle by doing more exercise and by putting myself some limits when I eat for example. Instead of eating when I feel stressed I guess I could just have a walk or go for a run in order to take my mind off what stresses me. I tried several times to do so since I am in Valencia but I can’t keep motivated in the long-run and I always give up at the end. Besides, I don’t sleep very well and I always feel tired so be willing to do sport when I am tired is really hard.

3) I don’t have a proper model or reference. I just admire people who manage to have a healthy diet without any deviation and who do exercise several times a week. I think you need a strong will and a lot of time to succeed in doing this. I also think you have to be very organised in order not to feel underpressure and quickly overwhelmed. In my opinion, it is easier to do exercise when you have a special passion, for example dancing, playing football or swimming.

4) Personally, I think the key points are:
– sleeping the right amount of time per night
– staying active and trying to do exercise at least twice a week
– listening to your body and be aware of your needs

I’m really interested in the healthy/“back to nature”/eco-friendly lifestyles and I do my best to consume more responsibly and better. For example, I use only vegan cosmetics and I make my own cleaning products with natural components because I think that adopting a healthy lifestyle doesn’t only deal with what we eat and if we work out. Now I am curious and I would like you to answer these questions:

1. Have you ever heard about the raw diet and lifestyle? What do you think about it?
2. What do you think about natural plant-based medicine? Do you think it is as efficient as chemical one? Why/why not?
3. Have you ever heard about ayurvedic medicine? What do you think about it?
4. Do you think meditation and body consciousness can help us to be healthier?

Thank you very much for reading me and for answering my questions, I hope you’ll be inspired! 🙂

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-6

+ ST-LVIC-G5-4 Hi ST-LVIC-G5-4! I found your questions very interesting because I realised I’m not aware of some concepts you mentioned.

I share your eco-friendly lifestyle! I know that I am not 100% eco-friendly (it is quite difficult to be so nowadays, I think), but I try to be conscious about what I buy and use on my skin and I always prefer natural products. I have not made my own cosmetics yet but it sounds awesome!

I’ve heard about the raw diet and lifestyle, but I don’t think is the perfect diet. It is true that I could work with vegetables and fruits (according to many studies, raw vegetables retain more properties and vitamins than cooked ones), but probably I would miss cooked meals, so I prefer a combination of both. Moreover, some healthy products such as legumes cannot be eaten without cooking them, but they are essential in a healthy diet.

Regarding the second question, I think that it depends on the illness you have. When it is a serious one it is unavoidable that we resort to chemical medicine, but it does not mean that plant-based medicine can’t be helpful. I would say that they are complementary.

When it comes to the third question, I have never heard of ayurvedic medicine. I’ll google it!

Lastly, more and more people are joining meditation groups and practising body consciousness. I have not practiced any of them myself, but one of my relatives is very keen on meditation and she seems very happy since she started to practice it, so I’ll give it a try.

Thanks for all your interesting posts, I’ve read you all!

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-4

+ ST-LVIA-G5-8 Hi ST-LVIA-G5-8, I liked the way you link health and happiness. I totally agree with you when you affirm that a healthy lifestyle deals also with mental health. If you feel bad I think this is more difficult to follow a healthy lifestyle and on the contrary, when you feel in phase with your needs and your spirit it is easier to know what to do to be healthy. In echo to what ST-LVIA-G5-6 said, I am also happier when I follow a healthier lifestyle. For example, when I have time to prepare good food, to take care of myself and to do some sport I am much more positive and I use those good energies to improve even more. By doing so, you can be proud of yourself, be more self-confident and this helps a lot to be happy.

I had never heard about the “hygge” danish lifestyle so I made some research because I love to learn new things and I think we can learn from every single culture in the world. It turned out to be very interesting! I love that way of thinking and of grabbing every little positive side of any situation/moment/thing in life. Being positive, aware of the world that surrounds us and take the most of life are essential to be happy. Besides, creating a warm and welcoming environment is within everybody’s reach! This is more than a lifestyle, this is an important part of the danish culture and I think I will look deeper into this topic…

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-8

Hi everyone !
+ ST-LVIC-G5-4 I’m so glad that you could learn about this lifestyle! I personnally would love to add more “hygge” to my life.

Moreover I think there is another aspect in the danish lifestyle and in hygge specifically that is very important : the relations with your family and closed-ones. I think that to have a balanced lifestyle and to be happy with your life, it is important to share good and comforting moments with your family and loved ones, they are so important in every aspect of your life, both in good moments when you can share a good laugh and in bad when they are here to reassure and comfort you. I went to Denmark once and I noticed that their work and school days ended earlier than in France (for instance at 5pm, almost every shop is closed) because in this country, family time is essential.

Concerning the eco-friendly, ‘back to nature’ lifestyle you talked about, I totally agree with you 🙂
I am actually trying to use less beauty products and to use more natural ones. And indeed I did try to do my own products but I also try to find some companies that create cosmetics with very minimal ingredients. When you start to look at the ingredients of most cosmetics, it is pretty scary to see the amount of chemicals your skin can absorb and that can affect you health.

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-7

+ ST-LVIC-G5-4 Hi ST-LVIC-G5-4! I like your questions because I’m very interested in the concepts you talked about, and I actually would like to know much more about it!

1. Have you ever heard about the raw diet and lifestyle? What do you think about it?

Yes, I heard about it. Indeed, since I’m vegetarian and trying to be more and more involved in a vegan lifestyle, I often look for vegan restaurants, shops, etc. And I noticed several times that vegan food and raw food are often linked regarding restaurants and products. I heard that raw food would be better for digestion, and most of all that it would preserve all fruits and vegetables’ nutrients, contrary to cooked/baked food that would kill some good ones.
I think it would be good to try but pretty difficult to change (again) our habits ! But of course, we don’t have to eat only raw food. You can eat more raw food and try to see if something changes regarding your health.

2. What do you think about natural plant-based medicine? Do you think it is as efficient as chemical one? Why/why not?

I’m really in favour of plant-based medicine, because I simply believe that if we can chose natural over chemical, it’s better. But to heal very serious diseases, I think that it hasn’t proved its worth, contrary to chemical treatments. Consequently, I think we have to wait for it to make progress and advance before we can use it for everything.

3. Have you ever heard about ayurvedic medicine? What do you think about it?

If I remember well it’s a natural type of medicine coming from India? I think this is another lifestyle to learn about. I really believe in the interest of discovering new lifestyles, since the lifestyle we already know about are not necessarily the best one.

4. Do you think meditation and body consciousness can help us to be healthier?

I don’t know if it’s healthier because I have never tried it. However, I think that although achieving real and deep consciousness may be very hard, if you reach it through meditation, it can be very fulfilling and helpful. In order to achieve that, I think we have to believe in it and its power, and we have to take it very seriously. Anyway, it must be beneficial for personal development and mental and physical health!

·         ST-LVIA-G5-7

+ ST-LVIA-G5-8 I read your comment and I totally agree with you on that point.

I’m deeply convinced that family time is a key element for personal fulfillment and development. Having good and sane relationships with your family is essential to have a healthy life, since it has the power to provide stability and balance to your life, personality and behaviour.

Family time is a very important thing to preserve in everyone’s life. That’s why I think that, as you explained it, its role must not be underestimated!

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-5

+ ST-LVIA-G5-7 Hi again! Sorry for not answering any of your really interesting questions before. The truth is that i’m very busy now with all my University stuff. Anyway, I should answer any question posted before but I find it absolutely difficult because I think that all of them are really amazing! If I have to choose some question… I would start by commenting the late post. I have to admit that I hadn’t heard about the raw diet but after reading all the information that ST-LVIA-G5-7 has given to us I have learnt a lot!
In fact, I know about vegan and vegetarian’s lifestyle because I think that nowadays it’s impossible not to hear anything about them.However, I didn’t know until now that it was related to “raw diet”. In relation to this, i would like to propose you a question:

Do you think that nowadays some people are becoming vegan or vegetarian just because it is trendy?

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-5

Hi again ! I would like also to open a discussion about what do you think about these “magic diets” in order to loose some weight? I mean, for instance on Christmas people eat lots of food and then, after having put a lot of weight on their bodies, they think that the best option is to do the contrary: that is, spending a week for example eating just salads or vegetable soups. What do you think about?
Thank you very much for reading me !

 

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-8

Hi + ST-LVIC-G5-5, thank you for your questions !

About your last comment, I think there is no such thing as “magic diet”. Very often, people who experiment this kind of diets can’t really see a result, or at least on the long term. I never did any kind of diet personnally, but I believe that going through a diet for a short amount of time and reducing a lot what you eat can cause frustration and can lead afterwards to eat more and gain weight again, perhaps even more.
I think that if you have a healthy diet (and by that I mean eating healthy, balanced food) during the whole year, if you eat a lot more during Christmas time (I guess like everyone ;)), but you go back to your regular alimentation after that, then there is no worries to have!

Concerning the vegan lifestyle, it is true that we hear more and more about it nowdays. Maybe some people will try it for the trend but in my opinion, I don’t think these people will stay vegan for a very long time if it doesn’t fit their lifestyle (I’m not judging, I think it is cool and interesting to try new things!).

However I believe that to be a vegan you must have real convictions. Eating as a vegan can be good for your health of course. But being vegan also implies to be careful about what you wear for instance (leather, silk, wool), about the components of your cosmetics which sometimes have ingredients derived from animals… Most vegans choose this lifestyle not only for their health but because they are animal lovers and have real convictions that justify their choice.

Thank you for reading, if any of you has more thoughts, please write back. 😉

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-3

+ ST-LVIC-G5-5 Hello ST-LVIC-G5-5, regarding your question, I think veganism has become more and more visible thanks to the media because people are more informed about it, but also because many famous people are vegan and share their values in social networks.
It is possible that veganism is now fashionable, but that implies that people are more informed about what is the origin of the food they consume, and therefore I think it is a good trend, which does not harm anyone, otherwise, it helps the planet.
Veganism is a way of life that supports the planet and loves animals, and I think that if this trend continues, the world will be a little better.

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-2

Hello again!

I have read all the latest post and questions and I’m sorry but I don’t have a point because I have never experienced with vegan/vegetarian diets and therefore I’m not informed about that. I’ll try to do so in order to answer you.

I’m going to to answer DL-LVI-G5-1  (+DL-LVI-G5-1) question “Do our lifestyle choices determine our life expectancy or do genetics play a more important role?”

I consider that genetics are very substantial with regard to our health, for instance, there are too many genetic and inherited diseases such as diabetes or some kind of cancer. However, I strongly believe that the decisions we take regarding our lifestyle are the key for our life expectancy.

I would like to exemplify what I’m saying with my grandmothers, because I’ve thought on them when considering my position in this debate/subject. My mum’s mother has smoked since she was a teenager, and she continues doing so; she has never practised any sport and she has never deprived any food no matter the calories or the fats.
The other one, my dad’s mother, has never smoked, she used to practise volleyball or basketball and she has always eaten healthily.
Although my dad’s mother is older than my mom’s one, she is by far healthier than the other one. She can go out, do the shopping, cook the dinner and even go playing bingo with other retired people. On the other hand, my mum’s mother suffers from arthrosis and she not even can walk.

What I’m saying is that everything you do when you’re young and strong will affect your health when you’ll be an elder.

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-6

Hi again!

I would particularly like to answer + ST-LVIC-G5-5 question about vegetarianism and veganism because it is an issue that interests and concerns me.

It is true that nowadays vegetarian/vegan people are more noticeable, probably thanks to social networks. They contribute to share information in general and about our lives in particular. Our lifestyle is linked to our personal information, so these people might unavoidably find in social networks a way of conveying their ideas regarding this issue. The consequence of this sharing would be a higher degree of visibility about this lifestyle, which could reach people that might be interested in it and be the boost they needed to become vegetarian/vegan.

Obviously, as it always happens, this visibility can make something( vegetarian/vegan lifestyle in this case) viral, so some people might adopt this lifestyle just because it’s trendy but without any further interests or ideals behind. However, as + ST-LVIA-G5-8 said, I don’t believe that these people would follow it for a long time (or maybe they do because they start to be aware of the implications of following this lifestyle, which would be fantastic for our planet!).

Thanks for bringing up this topic.
I read you all!

 

 

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-5

+ ST-LVIA-G5-8 + ST-LVIA-G5-6 I totally agree with you and I find really interesting what you have said, thanks a lot for your opinion!

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-5

+ ST-LVIC-G5-3 thank you for your opinion too! Of course, I think that it’s also a good trend, we should take more care of our planet!

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-5

+ ST-LVIC-G5-2 I totally agree with you! I also think that what we do in the present affects a lot in our future! I found really endearing your grandma’s history! Related to this, I would like to propose you a new question:

Do you think that today teenagers and young people are healthier than in the past?

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-4

+ ST-LVIC-G5-5 Hi ST-LVIC-G5-5!

I think this is likely that people become vegan (or at least try to become because it can be very hard, even more when you don’t know why you do this) because they hear/read more and more about it. They want to have a go because of the powerful influence of the media. However, few of them really know what this is really about and mix the different diets and lifestyles. As you may know, we can “divide” this kind of diet into three categories.
First of all, vegetarians basically don’t eat animals (meat/fish/seafood).
Second of all, vegans follow the same pattern but they don’t eat food coming from animals neither (such as dairy products, eggs, honey). Finally, and here lies the confusion, there is another sort of veganism which is also called “ethical veganism”. The latter is much more than a diet, it is a real lifestyle dealing with and defending animal rights in general. For example, ethical vegan persons don’t use any industrial/chemical product (because in case you don’t know, every product you can buy in supermarkets are tested on animals), they don’t wear leather/fur/puffa jacket (filled generally with feathers). They also have to pay attention to the tobacco they buy if they are smokers because even the tobacco is tested on animals… Those persons are usually deeply involved in that cause, it is a real state of mind.

 

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-4

+ ST-LVIA-G5-8 I totally agree with what you wrote concerning vegan lifestyle. I answered the question too and we finally almost said the same things! Nothing to add 😀

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-6

+ ST-LVIC-G5-5 Hi ST-LVIC-G5-5!

Regarding your question about teenagers, I think it depends on the person you focus. As far as I am concern, there are groups of young people who are healthier than in the past while there are also others that are rather unhealthier.

Nowadays we have by far a lot more information about what is good and what is bad for our health than before thanks to scientific researches. Some teenagers and young people are aware of this information and concerned about the profitable use they can made of it when applying it in their daily lives. In their cases, they would be the ones that might be healthier.

Nevertheless, it is also possible to find people who are oblivious of the correct lifestyle and habits they should follow, or who are informed about it but still prefer to have unhealthy habits (such as being sedentary) and eat, for instance, fast food every single day of their lifetimes.

In my opinion, we all should take advantage of all the information that is within our grasp and apply it on daily basis, even if they are actions that seem insignificant (small details count!). What do you think about it?

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-5

+ ST-LVIC-G5-4 interesting thought! I didn’t know about “ethical vegan people” thank you for tell me about that!

 

 

 

·         ST-LVIC-G5-5

+ ST-LVIA-G5-6 Yes, I think like you! Nowadays we have a lot of information than in the past didn’t exist. However, although is true that it depends on the people, I think that generally nowadays some teenagers are eating a lot of fast food, they don’t eat vegetables or fruit and what I think that is even worse is that most of them don’t practise any kind of sport, which I think that was more usual in the past. Now, we have a lot of facilities to practise sports but I think that some teenagers are becoming more sedentary because they prefer spending the time at home, maybe playing with their tablets or computers and I think that we should avoid that!

 

·         ST-LVIA-G5-8

Hi + ST-LVIC-G5-5, I agree with you that some teenagers are becoming more sedentary due mainly to technologies. Indeed they tend to prefer playing video games instead of going out with friends and practice sports. Besides I think they now have access to tablets and computers as you said, at an even younger age.

These kind of technologies can be used as a fun tool in education, as a more attractive way to learn for children. Yet, I think the amount of time they spend on electronic devices should be regulated by the parents. Moreover proposing to children an activity for instance once a week, like sport, art, music can be a good idea to have them spend less time in front of screens and more time with other kids to develop their social and communication skills.