Top 10 Health Tips
We are continually bombarded with tips and suggestions on how to live a healthier life. Many of us then end up doing nothing due to feeling overwhelmed to make a change! Below are 10 simple and some not quite traditional tips to start improving your health and well being.
1. Preparation:
Preparation might not seem like a traditional health tip, but it really is the foundation on which to build good habits, which then determine your results. Grab a notebook and start “predicting your future” by creating a plan of action which involves all areas of your life. Think about which parts of your life are not working and jot down practical strategies to move you closer to your goals.
For example, exercise three times per week, eat 5+ fruit and vegetables each day (write out what foods and when) and Manage my stress levels by reading for one hour each day.
This tip is all about making sure you know exactly what you need to do to achieve what you goals.
2. Accountability
Whenever we start a new habit or routine, it can take a push to get started. I dislike using the words willpower and motivation because they are such fickle emotions that can fluctuate on a day to day basis. We don’t need willpower to brush our teeth each morning, nor should we for doing healthy habits!
It’s important to clarify your goals first with a plan of action and then get into it. I recommended seeking a professional to help you formulate a plan of action and keep you accountable. This really helps, especially until habit takes over.
3. Avoid “Diets”
Who hasn’t heard of the cabbage soup diet or themselves tried some wacky diet that eliminated 90% of your usual foods! Dieting or going on some food plan that deviates dramatically from your usual eating habits will just set you up for failure. Yes, in the short term you may lose a few kilos. But I guarantee in a few weeks after stopping your “diet” you gain back all, if not more weight than before. The fact is “diets” are not pleasurable or convenient, therefore they are not sustainable. We really do know what “good” foods are but due to lack of time and knowledge on how to prepare some foods, we take shortcuts. Aim to start introducing more “good” foods into your diet.
4. Eat right
In conjunction with tip 3, it is important to fuel your body with the right nutrients. Aim to have a big hearty breakfast of protein, a small serve of carbohydrates and some fat. Example; 2 eggs, wholegrain toast and 2 small scoops of avocado. This type of breakfast will sustain you through the morning. Eat every 3-4 hours or as suits your body. Some people prefer high protein diets as this helps make them feel more energetic and some desire lighter meals. Talk to a professional for extra help.
5. Cardio Exercise
No healthy plan of action is without exercise! Exercise is so important to living a life full of energy, aging better and being healthier. It can affect all areas of your life, including your stress levels, sleep patterns and digestion. Experiment with various forms of exercise to see what suits you. Aim to do some form of cardio each day, resistance training and flexibility exercises a few times per week (stretches or yoga) so you can create a healthier body.
6. Sleep
As most of us lead extremely busy lives, it is often sleep that gets sacrificed so we can cram more in to our day. Reduced quantity and quality of sleep can lead to a suppressed immune system and make you more prone to grogginess, illness and increased stress. Most adults need between 6-8 hours of quality sleep per night. You judge which amount leaves you feeling alert and vibrant the next morning. Make sleep a priority by allowing yourself time to unwind at the end of each night in a way that suits you.
7. Digestion
Digestion is really the cornerstone of good health. If you don’t have good digestion, then your body cannot absorb the nutrients from your food. A healthy bowel can prevent illnesses and contribute to feeling and looking healthier. If you are experiencing constipation, you may get headaches and even muscle and joint pain. Your digestive system communicates with other parts of your body and impacts significantly on your overall health. If you feel you are clogged up, start increasing fiber in your diet gradually. Consume 1.5-2 Liters of water a day to help move things along and start looking at areas of your life that are contributing to an unhappy bowel. Stress, eating when distracted, certain foods and lack of exercise can all be culprits.
8. Stress
Stress in general can be healthy for us as it pushes us to keep moving forward and achieving our goals in life. Continual stress on the other hand can cause anxiety, headaches, insomnia and fatigue when left to run rampant. Stress can surface in a multiple of ways; snapping at your partner, waking at 3am every night, feeling tired after 8 hours sleep, feeling down or just plain “blah”.
I’m not going to suggest soaking in a bubble bath or nipping off for a massage to stop your stress as these are not long term fixes. The solution lies with examining your lifestyle and assessing what areas of your life are feeling out of control. Our happiness in life is in direct proportion to the amount of control we feel we have over our lives. If you are stressing about feeling overweight, then do something about it! If a relationship is leaving you drained and unhappy, then you need to make a drastic decision for your long-term health. Stress management is a continual process of managing your lifestyle so you feel a sense of control.
9. Relationships
More and more studies are showing that for us humans to be healthy and happy, we need to build strong support networks and relationships. Having friends is good for our health! Make time each day to connect to your partner, kids and/or friends. As woman we actually release endorphins (happy hormones) from having a good gossip.
10. Action & perseverance
Being armed with great tips and techniques are all well and good, but unless you actually do what you learn and do it consistently, then you are no different that if you didn’t know this stuff in the first place!
Pick out a few tips to incorporate into your life slowly. The more consistent you are, the better your results long-term.
Nalisha Patel
By: Nalisha Patel
Different Health and Fitness Tips to Help You Lose Weight
There are many different health and fitness tips that you can find if you just spend the time looking. You can find these tips in books, online, or by talking to your doctor or nutritionist. One of the first things you will need to do is to determine if are you looking to maintain your health and weight or are you looking to improve on your health and lose weight?
If you are looking to lose weight then you need to look at diet and exercise. One of the exercises that you can start off doing is walking. Walking will help you to lose weight. You will need to walk as often as you can and for around thirty minutes to one hour at each session. If you are looking to lose weight, you should be walking in the morning and then going for a walk again in the evenings. You could also power walk or jog. However, if you have not done much exercising before,you should not start out by running. You will tire quickly and will find that you are likely to burn out quite quickly and perhaps even injure yourself.
If you are looking for diet plans to help you with weight loss then you will want to find a plan that you are likely to stick to. Some people recommend reducing calories and eating a small snack every two to three hours. Snacks could be something like a banana or yoghurt. You could also try a high protein diet, but there are some health risks associated with these types of diets, so it is advisable to speak to your doctor. You will also need to work at still eating small meals every few hours. This helps to keep your metabolism going because you will constantly be digesting the food that you eat.
If you are able to follows these health and fitness tips you will find that you will start to lose weight pretty quickly. You also need to know that maintaining a healthy weight is extremely important in ensuring that you are in the best physical shape to help reduce the problems that you may have for being overweight. These problems might consist of diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure. You also need to be sure that even if you are dieting that you do still exercise. This should be exercise outside of your typical daily activities.
By: Linda McDermott
Tips on How to Lose Weight Fast and Effortlessly
Being overweight can be a great burden and finding a way to get back to a normal and healthy weight can make a big difference in your life. The consequences of excess weight include lack of energy, loss of self esteem and confidence just to name a few. Unfortunately there are many conflicting and contradictory approaches to weight loss being taught out there and it can get confusing as to which approaches really work. Here are a few tips to help you get on the road to losing fat and staying thin.
Tip 1: Eat less more often
This may sound contradictory to eat more often in order to lose weight however starvation based diets rarely work. This is because when you starve yourself your overall metabolism which is your bodies fat burning capacity diminishes. However if you eat smaller portions more frequently your metabolism should stay at a higher rate so even though you are consuming more calories you body burns it off much easier.
Tip 2: Add muscle to your body
Muscle is a powerful weapon in the battle against fat. The best way to add muscle is to weight train. You can join a gym and take some personal training sessions to get familiar with the exercises. There are also many useful home gyms you can buy that can give you fantastic weight training benefits right from the comfort of your home. Even starting out with a simple bench and set of dumbbells can be great until you need more weight as your body gets stronger.
Tip 3: Do aerobics regularly
Many people work jobs where they are seated idle for long hours and not very active, If you are not physically active then this can hurt your health in many ways and can also lead to obesity. Aerobic exercise can be done in many ways including jogging, running or even walking. Many people prefer walking as it is the least stressful on your joints. Golf is a great game where you can walk and have fun at the same time so consider taking it up as it offers many benefits.
Tip 4: Eat more alkaline foods
Green colored foods are considered alkaline like broccoli and spinach. These kinds of foods help reduce acidity in your body which promotes fat loss and better overall health. You may even want to consider a green food supplement as they can help you get concentrated nutrition quickly as it can be difficult to consume enough whole green foods that your body needs.
Tip 5: Stay motivated
Setting goals is a great way to monitor your progress and can help you stay on track. Decide how much weight you would like to lose 1 month and then 3 months from now and write them down. A goal like losing 10 pounds a month is fair and can be attained. Review your goals daily to help keep your mind on target. Also connect with the benefits that losing weight and staying thin offers like more energy, greater confidence, less sickness and such. Try following some of these weight loss tips to help you stay thin and healthy.
By: Joseph Reimu
