Princess Lessons ~ Healthy Living
This might not seem like a very Princess-ly topic, but I think it’s really important. Being healthy gives you more energy, a clearer mind, better skin, brighter eyes and shiny hair. No beauty products will give you the same glow 
as being naturally healthy. Starting a healthy lifestyle when you are young is also the best health insurance for when you grow older, long live the Princess!
Now, I love sweets. 
They are my weakness, and I know you’d probably rather see some cute cake recipes here aswell. However I do try and moderate my diet. I studied Nutrition for two and a half years and I have a pretty good idea of what to eat, but coming from a family that didn’t really cook, I’m not always sure how to eat it! Salads for example, are great, provided they contain a good variety of nutrient rich vegetables and not just a mass of iceberg lettuce, but they don’t usually taste that nice and aren’t very filling. While I was searching for a recipe for greek salad dressing today I came across this website MediterrAsian.com. Its about asian and mediterranean cooking and has some fantastic recipes and ideas, as well as a great daily food plan. Take a look, there’s more good information there than in a lot of the popular diet books.
Despite all the lovely cake and champagne in Sophia Coppola’s recent movie, Marie Antoinette actually ate very well especially considering the time she lived in and the rich foods she had access to it. 
According to Campan’s Memoirs the Queen “breakfasted on coffee or chocolate; at dinner ate nothing but white meat, drank water only, and supped on broth, a wing of a fowl, and small biscuits, which she soaked in a glass of water.” Which I think is a pretty fine example for any Princess to follow.
I think that Healthy Living should be simple, it shouldn’t be about counting calories, denying yourself the occaisional treat or being starving all afternoon because you only had carrot sticks for lunch. I also believe that eating well alone is not enough. These are the three main points I try and keep in mind for being a healthy Princess.
Eat Well. I suggest educating yourself first, read about nutrition, learn about different cultural cuisines and find healthy recipes that include foods you love. If you really have no idea where to start, see a Naturopath or Clinical Nutrition who can help you set up a simple diet plan that works for you. There are also heaps of great sites online like the one I mentioned above it even has recipe makeovers for healthy burgers and fish and chips! You don’t have to give up the foods you like, just learn to moderate them. Allow yourself little treats but only when you know you’re doing well with your regular diet. For a simple thing to start with, try increasing your intake of fresh fruit and raw vegetables for this week. It won’t take long before you notice a difference! Always drink lots of water too.
Exercise. I admit, I hate getting sweaty. I am useless at sports and I’ve never set foot inside a Gym in my life. My idea of exercise has always been walking. I love taking long walks by the river, walking to the library, carrying my shopping home from the markets etc. However lately I’ve noticed I’m not very flexible, so a couple of friends and I are going to enroll in Ballet classes to improve our fitness. Some other elegant and old fashioned exercise options are: badmington, croquet, tennis (very popular with the victorian gentry), fencing, ballroom dancing and horse riding.
Relax Ever wondered how people can have a perfect diet, go to the gym four nights a week and yet still always seem tired and run down, easily catching colds and flu? Stress causes more health problems than you would believe. Our bodies need time to recover and repair themselves, and this means stopping once in a while and finding some time to relax. Meditation is excellent, but it doesn’t work for everyone, there are lots of alternatives. Take a slow walk on the beach, or through a park. Being connected to nature has amazing effects on our health and peace of mind. Read a book of poetry, take a hot bath, lay on your bed and listen to relaxing music. Do whatever it takes to help you wind down. Having at least 30 mins a day of ‘time out’ will go along way to dropping your stress levels. Also make sure you get a good nights sleep, that means at least 8 hours. Early to bed and early to rise, makes a Princess healthy, beautiful and wise!
Welcome to the Princess Portal, a blog about finding your inner princess and living every day with beauty, grace and a sense of childlike wonder. This is both my diary and a way of sharing my writings on the Princess lifestyle. Please feel free to comment on anything that interests you! I'd love to hear from you ♥
January 29th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
That is possibly the most adorable healthy lunch I’ve ever seen. I approve of this topic whole-heartedly; enough people have certainly asked you about it, and besides, having a problem with overeating and insomnia myself, I can definitely tell you it’s not a matter of overindulgence, but of lack of self-worth. I mean, who says, “I am a princess, and as such, I am going to do something that I know will harm me!”…?
January 30th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Bento! ♥ That is an adorable lunch box, did you make it yourself?
Actually, this whole article is wonderful. I can’t thank you enough for the link. The recipes look amazing, and the information that goes along with them is incredible!
Btw, I’m not a fan of salads, either, but I find I can eat them if they have a little fuit in them, like mandarin oranges or apples with spinach, or blueberries and blackberries with baby greens.
January 30th, 2008 at 5:47 am
Ugh, I wish I could learn from your habits!
I’m terribly horrible at eating healthy. In a normal week for me, I usually only eat one very small meal a day, ((Dinner,)) For four or five days … And then the remaining few days I overeat like crazy. I suppose it probably evens out in the end, since I don’t gain weight *TOO* tremendously, but I never feel very healthy. When I eat too little I feel faint, weak, and snappish, and when I eat too much I feel sick, sluggish, and vaugely annoyed!
Sure wish I could stumble across middle ground. ;_;
January 30th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I think this is a wonderful entry and I was wondering if you would mind if I posted a link on Loli Weightloss (loli_weightloss.livejournal.com) as it is very relevant. I would understand if you’re not comfortable with someone direct linking to your post which is why I wanted to ask first.
I like to incorporate Lolita/old-world feminism into my everyday life and that’s hard to do when also trying to shape up and eat right so I loved the suggestions for unconventional exercising as well as taking time to relax and generally taking care of yourself.
January 30th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Rosie - Thank you! Mirai and I love making bento lunches, but it takes a long time to prepare so we don’t do them as often as we’d like. I think your point here is excellent, taking care of yourself is a big part of self worth.
Caer - Yes I did! I will have to try adding fruit to my salad, that sounds delcious! I tried the somen noodle salad recipe on that site last night and it was delicious.
Mallory - I have low blood sugar levels so I have to eat regularly whether I like it or not. I think eating breakfast is always important though, sets you up for the day.
Rebecca - Its not technically a weight-loss entry, but you are welcome to link to it if you find it useful. Glad you like the exercise suggestions, I wish I had time to do all of them!
January 30th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Healthy eating is so important! When I don’t eat healthy I feel crappy and tired. I’m naturally very slim, so it’s not a matter of weight, but good nutrition makes me feel so much better.
About exercise…well living were I live I cycle and walk a lot(shopping!). I really dislike every form of sports.
January 31st, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Agh, I get enough of this from Roli! I feel guilty! XD But I know I don’t take care of myself as much as I should… exercising was so much easier when I was a student- when I work every day I am already tired by the time I get home and don’t have a lot of energy left!
They’re all good tips though. Tips I should probably listen to more. ^^;
February 6th, 2008 at 1:23 am
I really wish that eating like Momoko was healthy.. xD
These are really good tips! I wish I could follow them! ^^;;
February 7th, 2008 at 8:29 am
This is a very important lesson in my opinion, for I believe that it is good for a princess to be beautiful on the inside, so that it may show on the outside.