Day 5:

Here’s To Your Health

Just about every part of your life can be influenced (and improved) by the principles of minimalism. Even diet and exercise. By focusing on what you need, getting rid of what you don’t, you’ll eat better. By paring down exercise to the basics, you’ll get more out of it and probably save money.

Eat With A Plan

“Meal prep” is gaining in popularity. (That’s where you make a week’s worth (or so) of food in one day and portion it out for the week.) There’s a reason for its popularity, and it’s sort of a minimalist reason: it’s simpler, it’s cheaper, and it saves you time.

By planning what you’ll eat for the week, you don’t buy extraneous food you don’t need. Making your own food is far less expensive than buying premade meals. And by cooking all, or most of, your meals in one big day, you save time. Time that can be spent on other things. On actualizing your goal plan, for one.

Start With A Purge

Apply your newfound minimalist purging skills to the food in your kitchen. In the fridge, pull everything out (give the inside of the fridge a wipe) and only put back what’s fresh. Only put back the condiments you’ll use at least once in the next 2 weeks. Everything else gets tossed, emptied, rinsed and/or recycled.

Move to the pantry next.

Write Your Own Menu

When you’re ready, choose a day to make your meals. Gather the recipes you want to make. The internet is a great resources for make-ahead recipes. Write out your grocery list. Pick a day to shop, then get cooking on meal prep day.

A Little Different

Here’s where minimalism may differ a bit from meal prep in general. When you do cook, make sure you’re doing it with intent. Pay attention. Be mindful. You’re cooking for yourself and maybe your family. You’re doing a wonderful service. You’re nourishing yourself. So don’t try to rush through it. Enjoy the elements that go into cooking. Enjoy the process.

And when you eat, apply the same principles. Try to savor the bites. Remember the care that went into making your meal. Enjoy it. Simplify your eating routine until you’re just eating. Not checking your phone, not listening to the news, not watching videos. Just eat.

Get Some Fresh Air

Staying healthy is important and everyone knows it. Including the companies that would like to sell you exercise equipment and gym memberships and instructional courses and everything else that you don’t need.

Unless you are an athlete in training, you probably have all you need to stay healthy. It can be as easy as taking a walk after dinner. It can be as low-cost as watching yoga or pilates or no-equipment cardio videos on YouTube. It can be as simple as riding your bike instead of driving somewhere.

Minimalism tries to accomplish a task (in this case, staying healthy) in the simplest way possible. So using your own body and clothes and equipment you already own to walk, run, bike, and workout, makes the most sense for those living a minimalist lifestyle.