Hi Everyone,
Creating a healthier lifestyle takes time, it’s a personal path where small steps should be taken in order for you to live a longer, happier life.
Here are some simple steps you can follow to help you get on the right track.
1. Drink at least 2 litres of water a day
Water contains no calories, contains no sugar, is cheap and quenches thirst, preventing dehydration. Plain teas and coffee, that’s without the milk and sugar are also healthy and will keep you hydrated. If you just aren’t a fan of the taste of water why not try sparkling water or flavoured water, but watch out for the sugar contents in some flavoured waters. You could try just adding a slice of lemon or a lime into your water to add a little flavour without the sugar.
2. Never forget to eat breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the entire day and should be your biggest, with meal sizes gradually reducing throughout the day.
Studies showed people who ate their largest meal at this time lost an average of 17.8 pounds over a period of three months compared to the 7.3 pounds lost by people eating their largest meal at dinner.
In fact studies have shown skipping breakfast has the possibility to increase a woman’s diabetes risk, and increase the risk of heart disease in men between the ages of 45 and 82, according to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
3.Maintain a balanced diet
The key here is the word balanced. It’s not about cutting out chocolate and cake altogether and stuffing your face with fruit instead, it’s about eating each food type within moderation.
Eating foods in moderation can reduce the risk of obesity and malnutrition but also reduce the risk of diabetes and osteoporosis too. The eat well plate advises on plenty of starchy foods such as potatoes, pasta and rice, lots of fruit and vegetables, a little bit of meat, fish, eggs and dairy foods, and limited amount of food and drinks containing sugar and fat.
4. Quit bad habits
Giving up traditional smoking and turning to Electronic cigarettes is a great way to kick the habit, despite all the backlash over the use of the E-cig recently there have been significant findings to show its success such as the ASH report. Smoking is one of the biggest causes of deaths, not only from smoking yourself but from passive smoking too. Smoking typically causes lung cancers but also cancers of the mouth, throat and oesophagus too.
You’re much more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease, a heart attack or a stroke as the smoke damages your heart and your blood circulation.
5. Take up a sport or a hobby
Staying active can help you to live a longer healthier life and reduce many health conditions such as musculoskeletal conditions, strokes, obesity and mental health problems.
Physical activity can improve psychological health as when you exercise more serotonin is released, this is a chemical that is often found in antidepressants, effective for depression and anxiety.
You are not only getting fit, looking good, preventing illnesses but becoming more positive too!
6. Distance yourself from social media
Statistics show that 66% of people struggle to relax and sleep after spending time on social media. This is not only because of the blaring light from a phone or computer screen is blue light, much like the light emitted from the sun that wakes you up in the morning but also causes eye strain.
You are also becoming so wrapped up in other people’s lives and problems that you aren’t taking the time to relax and de-stress from your own.
7.Get more sleep
Sleep helps our body and mind to restore and also plays a critical role in immune function. A study of 150 people who got their sleeping habits monitored for two weeks were exposed to the cold virus, the findings were that the people who got seven hours or less hours sleep a night were more likely to develop a cold than those who got eight hours or more.
8. Maintain positive relationships
Human connections and positive relationships are essential for both emotional and physical health. The connections help people to thrive throughout their life, positive relationships can help people to feel they have a sense of purpose which enhances their wellbeing.
Relationships encourage people to grow and learn and these friendships can provide you with emotional support when needed most.
9. Create time for yourself
Having a little you time is essential to maintain productivity and have much more energy. Not only have you benefited from this, thanks to all of your relaxation, others are going to benefit from your happy relaxed positive attitude too.
Take a break at least once a week where you can either book yourself into a spa or just have a few hours to yourself doing whatever you like.
10. Think positively
Recent studies have found that positive thinking is not just about trying to display happiness but can actually make a positive impact on your life. It will impact your work, life and health- positive thoughts such as “I can do this” are much more likely to get you through something compared to negative ones which will only cause you more stress.
Creating a healthy lifestyle will take time with lots of small steps, remember not to overwhelm yourself and change your lifestyle choices one by one, It will not be easy but it will be worth it!
Loading ...
