By Kelly Ryan, Registered Holistic Nutritionist
As an entrepreneur, the last thing you are thinking about is retirement, am I right? But to live a long life that you want, you have to take care of yourself.
My father owned his own business, and now that he is a “senior” and has “retired,” he enjoys life on his terms.
I put senior and retired in quotation marks because he is only semi-retired, and though he is over 65, I don’t think anyone who knows him would consider him a senior. I also think he has always enjoyed life on his terms.
This is because he takes care of himself: he exercises regularly, remains active, reads, eats healthy food, and has a young, healthy mindset.
Now he travels, goes to the cabin, and enjoys the odd rum and water when he wants.
Follow the 80/20 rule.
80 percent or more of your meals are healthy and 20 percent or less are conscious decisions so you set yourself up as well as you can.
Avoid toxins and other pro-inflammatory non-foods. Eat regularly, not on the run. Manage your blood sugar levels; keep your weight in check. Exercise your brain and keep your stress levels low.
Get fresh air and exercise every day to help you in your later years and to be a better, more effective entrepreneur now. Exercising can help boost energy levels, maintain bones, keep your brain strong, maintain blood sugar levels, and more.
You work hard, but take the time to care for yourself. Self-care is important to maintain your health and lifestyle for as long as possible.
Eat real, live whole foods with a variety of colours to get a good variety of nutrients. Half of each meal should be vegetables and fruits.
The Anti-Inflammatory Buddha Bowl below, adapted from “A Whisk and Two Wands,” is easy and a good start.
What is the point?
The point of all of this is to avoid spending your retirement (or semi-retirement) years crippled in a bed with severe diabetes, arthritis, or Alzheimer’s, unable to enjoy life.
I remember growing up thinking “There’s no way my dad will ever retire,” and though he has semi-retired, he has taken care of himself so he can live his life on his terms.
Whether you want to retire some day, to semi-retire, or to continue working, don’t you want to be able to enjoy that time for as long as you can? The only way to do that is to take care of yourself now, so that you can live the life you want later.
The Anti-Inflammatory Buddha Bowl (Serves 4)
Ingredients
2 medium heads cauliflower, stems removed, broken into florets
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp turmeric
1 dash sea salt and pepper
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
sprinkle of cayenne pepper (optional)
4 cups chopped kale
1 clove garlic, minced
8 medium cooked beets, peeled and quartered
2 avocado
2 cups blueberries
1/4 cup raw walnuts, chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; brush with coconut or olive oil. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower with olive oil, turmeric, sea salt and pepper, and some cayenne pepper and nutritional yeast if desired. Spread cauliflower on baking sheet, bake for 30 minutes, checking at 20 minutes. When cauliflower is almost done, heat a large skillet with a little coconut oil over medium heat. Add kale and cook until it starts to wilt; toss in garlic. Cut avocado into chunks. Divide kale among bowls, top with cauliflower, beets, avocado, blueberries, and walnuts. Enjoy!
Pro tip: Buy “Love Beets” or another pre-cooked beet to save on cooking time.
Kelly Ryan,
Kelly is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who helps moms get their energy back and feel great. She believes that it is possible to be a mom, and feel energized, feel like yourself, feel great and love life! As a mom to 2 wonderful kiddos, she wanted to start them off right, keep them as healthy as possible and teach them how to take care of their own health. As a professionally trained Chef and lover of food, she had to undergo big changes in her diet 3 years ago when she discovered that a gluten and dairy intolerance was causing her major health issues that medicine just couldn’t seem to fix. These reasons ignited her interest in natural nutrition. Kelly has completed the Natural Nutrition Program with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, Eben Pagan's Virtual Coach program, the Basic Pastry and Basic Cuisine programs at Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Ottawa and is certified as ASQ’s Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She is a member of the CSNN Alumni Association, NLOWE and Healing NL. She is a speaker and health coach inspiring her audiences and clients to feel recharged, energetic and fantastic. Connect with her on Facebook @KellyRyanRHN.