Leading a healthy lifestyle is no easy task. People will try to make huge changes, such as cutting much-loved carbs out of their diet or giving up alcohol. However, while this may cause drastic weight loss, it is not a sustainable way of getting healthy. It is often small habits which make all the difference.
Avoid Fad Diets
Instead of adopting the latest craze such as a juice diet or ‘magic’ coffee which makes you lose weight, make little changes to your diet instead. This means planning meals and preparing lunches so that you are not tempted to just grab something easy. By eating well most of the time, you can still allow for sweet treats and the odd meal out.
Eat lots of Fruit and Veg
8% of teenagers and a third of adults don’t get their 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. This leaves us short of vital vitamins and minerals. It can be easier than you think to get all the fruit and veg you need. You could simply chop up a banana to put over cereal or take a small pot of berries to work. You can also get a portion of fruit from less obvious products. This could be a fruit smoothie or a pack of Urban Fruit.
A word of caution with smoothies – They only count as ONE of your 5 a day. Drinking five will still only count as one portion. They contain natural sugars from fruit, too much is definitely not good for you.
Say NO to Sugar
Sugar is added to a lot of the food and drink we consume. Unfortunately, it makes food taste good, but it is bad for us to have too much. Many packaged products have shockingly high amounts of sugar. It really is worth making your own food where possible and being selective about the packaged food you do eat. Have a look at our Doozy menu for alternative products to high sugar snacks and drinks. Consuming too much sugar can not only cause weight gain but also causes tooth decay.
Try New Food
Invest in a recipe book or download from the web. We get stuck in the same routines which can make it difficult to break out of to change our lifestyle. Just by adding more choices in our diet can help us lead a healthy lifestyle. Cooking your own food means you see everything that goes into it; unlike a microwave meal which we consume with very little thought to the ingredients content.
Get Active!
This doesn’t mean you have to spend every morning at the gym. But most of us need to be more active. Maybe you could walk/ride into work instead of taking the car. Or meet a friend a few times a week for an exercise class. You could try something new like Zumba or Yoga.
And a Bonus Tip… START NOW!
Don’t wait until the next week, just gradually start to make little changes and see what position you are in a few months down the line.
In October, fitness blogger Bethan write a blog about her favourite snacks when trying to keep fit. You can read it here.
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