I stopped knowing what to eat, so I reviewed my diet and exercise
Since I started thinking about my health,
I've been wondering more and more,
"What should I actually be eating?"
Vegetables are good!
Fish is good!!
You should eat fruit too!!!
You have to exercise too!!!
Sleep is also super important...
The more I look into it,
the more things I find I need to do.
Doing everything perfectly while working,
is honestly quite tough💦
So this time, I've re-examined my diet and exercise to aim for a healthy and smart body.
What I want to aim for,
is not a lifestyle where I only try hard for a short period.
It's a lifestyle I can continue without overdoing it✨
When it comes to a healthy diet, what should I actually eat?
First, what I was concerned about was my daily meals.
When researching health, various nutrients come up.
Protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber...
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2025 Edition)" also shows standards for various nutrients depending on age and other factors.
However, I don't think I could keep up with calculating all the detailed numbers in my daily meals.
So I thought of,
a method of deciding on the foods I eat regularly to some extent, rather than memorizing nutrient numbers
instead.
When I looked into it, it seemed possible to get the necessary nutrients from foods you can normally buy at the supermarket without needing special health foods.
The 5 foods I want to include in my daily diet
For now, these are the five things I am consciously trying to eat.
🥬Vegetables
I want to eat as many different kinds of vegetables as possible.
For example,
・Broccoli
・Spinach
・Carrots
・Pumpkin
・Tomatoes
・Bell peppers
・Mushrooms
and so on.
However, buying, washing, cutting, and cooking these every day is a bit difficult.
That is where frozen vegetables come in handy.
Put them in miso soup.
Stir-fry them with eggs.
Microwave them and serve as a side dish.
As long as I do that, it seems easy to keep up even on days when I am tired from work.
I think it suits me better to eat vegetables casually, using frozen foods, rather than thinking I have to cook them properly every day.
🐟Fish
Mackerel, sardines, salmon, etc.
Fish not only provides protein, but depending on the type, it also contains fats like EPA and DHA.
That said, buying sashimi every day is expensive and difficult.
(Though if I had the money, I would eat it every day lol)
So, I plan to use things that are easy to eat, such as grilled fish, frozen fish, canned fish, and whitebait or dried young sardines.
I intend to incorporate fish in ways that are easy to continue, without thinking that eating fish means I have to cook it properly every time.
🫘Soy products
Speaking of soy, there is tofu, natto, and edamame.
They are inexpensive and require little preparation, making them easy to incorporate into everyday meals.
Tofu and natto in particular can be eaten as they are, butjust adding a little something can expand the range of ways to eat them.
For example, with tofu,
・Chopped green onions
・Whitebait
・Bonito flakes
・Mekabu seaweed
Just topping things with these is enough.
If you add chopped green onions to natto, you can also add a little bit of the vitamins and minerals found in the onions.
"Tofu with soy sauce and chopped green onions"—this combination is incredibly delicious!
I think I'll be able to keep this trend going for a while♪
🥚Eggs
Eggs are also a food that is easy to incorporate into your daily diet.
They contain not only protein but also various nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
And above all, I'm grateful that they are easy to eat.
If you make hard-boiled eggs, you can add one to your breakfast or eat one when you're feeling a little hungry.
However, there are days when boiling water in a pot just to make hard-boiled eggs feels like a chore.
That's when a microwave hard-boiled egg maker comes in handy.
I believe that using tools that "reduce tedious steps" rather than "trying hard for the sake of health" is one way to go.
For example, there are types available on Amazon that allow you to make multiple hard-boiled eggs at once in the microwave.
You can easily enjoy delicious and nutritious hard-boiled eggs✨
Even if eating eggs themselves is easy, it won't last if boiling them is a hassle💦
In that case, use convenient items to reduce that effort.
I think these kinds of small adjustments are also important for maintaining a healthy diet in the long run.
🥗Seaweed and 🍄🟫mushrooms
Mekabu, wakame, and mushrooms are also foods I want to incorporate.
The good thing about them is that they make it easy to supplement dietary fiber and add an extra dish to your meal.
However, I will try not to think in extremes, such as "if it's good for you, eat a lot of it."
Instead of eating a large amount of one thing, I will combine various foods.
I intend to continue with that kind of mindset.
Eating healthy food doesn't mean you'll naturally lose weight
Just because you eat tofu, fish, and vegetables doesn't mean you will lose weight.
According to documents from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, it is important to balance not only diet but also physical activity to maintain health.
In other words,think of "what you eat" and "how much you move" as a set.
I decided to think about it this simply.
What I want to do is "walking + a little strength training"
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Physical Activity and Exercise Guide for Health Promotion2023" recommends that adults move their bodies even a little more than they do now.
As a guideline, this means 60 minutes or more of physical activity such as walking per day, and strength training 2-3 days a week.
That said, I won't decide that I "must achieve 8,000 steps every day."
Take a slightly longer route when walking.
Use the stairs.
Do strength training on days when I have time.
For now, I will start with that much.
Even if it is difficult to continue full-scale exercise every day, it seems easier to continue moving a little in my daily life.
I want to continue 80% effort for a long time rather than 100%
When I look into health,
"You should also eat fruit"
"You should also take this"
the rules keep increasing.
But in my case, if I increase them too much, I won't be able to keep it up.
I also eat fruit on days when I can.
I also think of supplements as a support, not a replacement for meals.
The basics are,
diet, exercise, and sleep.
On top of that, I will only incorporate things that I can continue without strain.
Rather than finishing a perfect life in 3 days, I'd rather continue a life that's about 80% perfect for years.
That is what I want to aim for.
I won't make it a life of 'constant struggle' for the sake of health.
First, I am focusing on these three things.
1. Include fish, eggs, tofu, etc., in meals✨
2. Add one vegetable dish✨
3. Walk a little more than now and do muscle training occasionally✨
None of these are special things.
If you want to stay healthy and have a smart body as you age, I think it's important to create a life where you can continue doing these ordinary things rather than working hard for just a short period.
I am also still in the middle of trial and error 💦
I want to be healthy.
But, unreasonable things don't last.
For those who have such worries, why don't we start just one thing that seems doable together?
🌿Thank you for reading until the end!
I would be happy if this article was even a little helpful or if it made you think, 'I'll give it a try.'
If you could ❤️ or follow me, it would encourage me to continue sharing habits for working people to get organized.
📚 Articles to read together
'This might be about me.'
I have compiled recommended articles for those who felt that way. Please feel free to read from the themes that interest you 😊
👤 For those meeting me for the first time
I have summarized the reasons for writing this note and my self-introduction in an article.
🛒 Items introduced here
The items introduced in the article are summarized in Rakuten ROOM. If there is anything you are interested in, please take a look.
Reference Materials
・Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare "Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2025 Edition)"
・Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare "Physical Activity and Exercise Guide for Health Promotion 2023"
#HealthHabits #DietaryImprovement #Nutrition #HealthyEating #Walking #StrengthTraining #WellnessHabits