Maintain a balanced diet
It can sometimes seem that everyone is obsessed with the latest diet and the craziest fitness regime but we don’t need to push ourselves to extreme limits in order to maintain a healthy weight and be fit. By following these tips, you can maintain an ideal body weight for your size without altering your lifestyle to crazy measures.
Eat fruit and veg – We need to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day as part of a balanced diet. Fruit and veg are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals and are also high in dietary fibre, which will help with any digestion problems. It also helps prevent bowel cancer, strokes, risk of heart disease and some cancers.
It is easy and simple to add fruit and veg into our diet; if you want a snack in between meals, have some fruit and add some veg at the side of your meal to help you consume the recommended 5 portions a day and get the vitamins and minerals you need in order to stay healthy.
Exercise – Exercise is key to becoming healthy; it gives us more energy, helps us handle stress better and makes us live longer. By exercising it also gets our heart pumping and prevents us from many diseases such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. Exercising will make you stronger, increase bone density and stay flexible and coordinated to name a few benefits. Not to mention exercising burns calories quickly!
Exercising can be done easily as there are many gyms and classes that you can sign up to. However, if you are on a budget, you can always buy fitness DVD’s to do at home or go for a jog around your street. Remember, always do exercise that you find fun to do or you won’t stick at it and with many new and fun classes cropping up everywhere, from zumba, yoga and aerobics, there is bound to be a gym class or exercise that you enjoy. And take advantage of the hot weather and get yourself to the nearest outdoor tennis court, basket court or football pitch.
Skip the bus – If you’re travelling somewhere which is within walking distance, get out of the routine of catching the bus and walk instead. Just by walking for half an hour a day, it can burn calories and help you maintain a healthy weight and be fit. Remember, walking is an exercise and is easy to do. So next time you’re thinking of catching the bus to work, considering walking instead and your body might thank you for it later.
Drink plenty of water – We are recommended to drink 2 litres of water a day and with our bodies made up of 60% of water, it makes sense to fuel are body with the liquid. Drinking water will make us look healthier, giving us clearer skin and flushing out toxics in our body. Not only will you look healthier, you will feel healthier too!
Don’t overfill your plate – Get the portion on your plate right or you could be consuming more calories than you need. People tend to pile their plates high, resulting in too much food being eaten. And once you are starting to feel full, stop eating as this is a way for your body to tell you it’s had enough. Over consuming can lead to weight gain.
Eat breakfast – Breakfast gives you fuel for the day and it gives you the fibres to your diet that you need. By eating in the morning, it kick starts your metabolism and will stop you snacking throughout the day.
By Claire Lancaster