The secret to a healthy lifestyle that very few people know.

Let me get right to it - the most sustainable lifestyle is the one in which whatever you choose to do is inspired from within, gives you joy and aligns with your goals.?

For instance, let's take exercise.

Any physical activity you inherently like or enjoy will be far more effective than the one you feel forced to do or are told you must do.

So, walking is not better or worse than running, which is not better or worse than resistance training. But some prefer walking, others running, or the gym, while yet others prefer callisthenics or yoga.?That's why it is better to spend most of your energy and mindshare on what truly inspires you naturally. Rather than forcing things into your life because they're healthy or a meta-analysis, said x is better than y.

Making choices based on who you are and what works for you brings a sense of freedom, control and agency over our lives.

Moreover, when we freely choose to self-discipline, we enjoy life more and experience greater satisfaction from our efforts. And you can use the remaining time and energy for things that bring balance to your lifestyle, such as stretching for runners, strength training for yogis, etc.

So, again, it is a *drive* that comes from within that makes some lifestyle choices more attractive than others. This drive should be honoured, nurtured and multiplied. It is much better, effective and more sustainable than being driven by fads, fear of criticism or society's expectations. Doing that leads people down a rabbit hole of self-criticism, body shaming and viewing healthy living as a form of punishment which is never sustainable.

More importantly, the more desperate we are for results, the easier we are to manipulate and more prone to falling for fads that don't work but steal our motivation, time, money and energy levels. So the wiser choice is to honour your inner calling or drive and ask yourself What do I like and enjoy more? Instead of What should I do? That is the differentiator.

In the next article, I talk about how you can personalise your lifestyle to get the best results for your time and efforts.

Namita Piparaiya?is a former corporate executive; she spent over a decade, from management trainee to business head, with leading MNCs, including Citibank, Aviva, and Generali. She is now the founder of Yoganama Wellness. The?Well-Balanced Newsletter ?is her initiative to bring practical wellness tips to the workplace. Please feel free to connect if you'd like to discuss Corporate Wellness Programs at [email protected] or book a 1:1 consultation with her on?yoganama.com