Want to feel better inside and out? We all have those days where we just want to sit and watch tv, eating our favourite takeaway. Yes, we all have those one off days, which is fine. One reasonably sized takeaway a week, or month isn’t going to cause you any harm. However, it’s what you do the rest of the time that will make all the difference. So, how do you adopt the components of a healthy lifestyle?
What Is A Healthy Lifestyle?
Getting healthy isn’t a phase, or a fad diet you do for a few weeks, it’s a complete lifestyle. Being healthy for one or two days a week, or month isn’t going to make much difference. It’s all about consistency.
For example, if you exercise regularly and eat a healthy balanced diet 90% of the time, then that’s considered a healthy lifestyle, because you’re doing it consistently.
Of course you can still have the odd takeaway here and there, you don’t have to be 100% on it every single day because that’s not realistic.
A healthy lifestyle should be something you could do every day for the foreseeable future. So, if you go to the gym for 3 hours a day, eat under 1,000 calories a day, every day, this isn’t going to be something you or your body can sustain. You’ll wear yourself out quickly, lose the motivation to continue and ultimately go back to the way you were.
This is why dieting so often doesn’t work. It only works while you’re doing it, as soon as you come off your diet, you’ll quickly go back to how you were before.
The 4 Main Components Of A Healthy Lifestyle
- Exercise
- Nutrition
- Sleep
- Relaxation
How To Adopt A Healthier Lifestyle In 10 Steps
Here are 10 steps to help you adopt and stick with a healthier lifestyle…
1. Increase The Amount Of Exercise
The first component of a healthy lifestyle is exercise. Increasing the amount of exercise you do will increase your daily output, meaning you’ll start to burn more calories.
Whether you’re wanting to lose weight, or generally just be a healthier person, a great way to do this is to implement more exercise into your daily routine. This could be through doing a quick 10 minute high intensity home workout, joining a gym, going out for a run or brisk walk…etc.
Other ways to do this could be…
- Taking the stairs instead of the lift
- Walking instead of driving (if possible)
- Go for a walk on your lunch break
- Stand instead of sit at your desk
Also, by increasing the amount of exercise you do, especially if you incorporate resistance training or weight lifting as these will help you build more lean muscle. The more lean muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will become.
However, If you’re one of the stay-at-home workers, you might think have no choice but to sit all day. But in reality, you can get the best standing desk converter from specialised businesses to avoid this from happening. There is no longer the excuse that you have to sit at a desk all day!
2. Eat The Rainbow
This simply means try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Fill your plate with all the colours of the rainbow.
From carrots, tomatoes and beetroots, to radish, sweetcorn, sweet potato and broccoli. Anything you can find in the fruit and vege aisle at the supermarket should be on your plate at meal times.
3. Avoid Processed Foods
Where possible, try to avoid highly processed foods as they are much less nutritionally dense then that of fresh foods. Processed foods not only take out the nutrients your body needs to be healthy, it also takes out half of what your digestive system does for you.
This simply means processed foods will be digested much quicker so your body does less work – meaning you won’t burn as many calories while eating. It also means you’ll get hungrier again much quicker – something these fast-food companies bank on to get your money!
4. Make Better Choices
As we briefly mentioned above, leading a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean you can’t have takeaways, or eat ice creams from time to time. In fact, you should still have the foods you love, just in moderation.
For example, if you decide you want a piece of cake for pudding after your dinner, maybe have something smaller for lunch, like a salad to make up for that piece of cake.
Or, instead of having white bread, opt for brown or wholemeal instead in your sandwich. When it comes to any white foods, see if there is a brown or wholemeal version instead as this will be much better for you. Rice, pasta, bread, flour…even sugar!
Even a simple choice such as taking the stairs or taking the elevator. Pick the one that takes more effort for you to do. The more you start to make these smaller changes, the less you’ll notice you’re even doing them, they become your new normal.
5. Eat More Protein
Did you know it’s harder for your body to digest protein than fat or carbs. This means you’re body will consume more calories while trying to digest the protein, and as it’s slower to digest, you’ll stay feeling fuller for longer.
Plus, protein is also great when it comes to building more lean muscle. The more lean muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will become, meaning you burn calories quicker. As a general rule, try to eat around 1 gram or protein per pound of body weight. So for example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should aim for approx 150 grams of protein per day.
6. Eat Mindfully
When it comes to eating, make sure you’re being mindful of what you’re putting in your mouth.
For example, if you’re watching tv whilst eating your dinner, you’re a lot more likely to over eat as you aren’t paying attention to your hunger signals. Instead, try to sit at a table to eat, then watch the tv when you’re finished. It’s likely you’ll find you stop eating much sooner than you would normally.
7. Drink More Water
Sometimes when you think you’re feeling hungry, it could actually just be that you’re thirsty. If you aren’t sure, try drinking a glass of water and leaving it for 10 minutes to see if that stops you feeling hungry.
Water is also a much better option than fizzy or sugary drinks. Water has zero calories so you can drink as much as you like, whereas most fizzy drinks will be packed with sugar, and god knows what else. The extra water you drink will also help to flush out any toxins in your body, making you feel better, and can even make your skin look healthier and more glowing.
8. Plan Your Snacks
By planning your snacks in advance, you won’t opt for the nearest thing to you when you’re feeling hungry.
For example, if you have a ready made pot of fruit, muesli bar, or banana to hand, you’re much less likely to buy a chocolate bar because it’s right there in front of you when you’re feeling hungry. If you’re feeling hungry, the last thing you want to do is faff around trying to make something. Plan ahead and have your healthier snacks ready to go.
9. Slow Down
When it comes to slowing down, this can be used in all areas of your life.
Slow down when you’re eating, don’t rush your food. If you eat too fast your brain doesn’t have time to catch up with your stomach to tell you you’re full.
Slowing down can also be used for you in general. If you’re always on the go, or stressed, your body doesn’t have the time to re-energise itself and relax. Whether you sit down for a few minutes to have some you time, read a book or even have a bath. Whatever it is you like to do to relax and unwind, doing this will help your body calm down and reduce your stress levels.
Stress is great at keeping your body on high alert, raising your cortisol levels, and can even make you hold on to excess fat and water. By slowing down you might just see your weight start to go down as well.
10. Sleep
Another component of a healthy lifestyle is sleep. Try to get somewhere between 7 – 8 hours sleep per night. This will not only help your body recharge and re-cooperate as you sleep, it also helps to balance out your hunger signals.
If you’re tired you’re more likely to make bad food choices and will be less inclined to do any form of exercise because you feel so tired. Also, being tired can often make you feel more hungry than normal, so you start snacking more between meals, or have bigger meals to compensate.
Sleep is your best friend when it comes to leading a healthier lifestyle.
In order to live a healthy lifestyle, you have to figure out what exactly a healthy lifestyle is for you, and how you can fit it in to your life. There are programs out there that can help you with this step. One that I highly recommend is isaCleanse UK. Living a healthy lifestyle with isaCleanse UK is easy. They have a complete nutrition program to help you lose weight, keep the weight off and be overall healthy. They also have a fantastic support system for you along the way.
Which of the above components of a healthy lifestyle would you start with?
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