Thinking about how you are going to start making those changes towards a happier healthier life can be a little daunting, especially if you have not tried before and have no idea where you are supposed to start.
We often get a little turned away from trying to live a healthier life because we believe that we’d have to give up our favourite foods or start going to the gym 24/7 to get results. But worry no more, there is an easier way to kick start your health journey with easy tips and tricks you can do throughout the day to help improve your health, fitness and general wellbeing without even realising it.
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No salt
We often use salt to make food taste better or give it a little flavour, but for that temporary pleasure we are actually causing an increase to our blood pressure. The amount of salt you eat has a direct affect on your blood pressure. The higher your blood pressure, the greater the strain on your heart, arteries and kidneys, which can cause heart attacks and strokes. So to help keep our blood pressure in the healthy, safe zone try to avoid salt altogether. Your food may taste awful for a while but eventually you will adjust.
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No snacking
The number one weight gain culprit is snacking. Most of us fall victim to this relentless tormentor without even realising it until we are about 15 pounds heavier and trying to figure out where we went wrong. Picking at that chocolate bar throughout the day, following it up with a tiny piece of cake after lunch and then relaxing with a bowl of ice- cream after dinner all adds up eventually. No mater how many salads we track ourselves eating to keep healthy, its what we don’t register eating that does the most damage.
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Park far/ Getting off the Bus Early
Walking is perhaps the most basic and easiest form of exercise anyone can do, and yet so many people complain when they have to walk a few feet to do anything. So now it’s time to start being proactive with living healthy. Parking further away from the supermarket, or getting off the bus a stop early will not only force you to take a couple extra steps, but will help jump start your healthy living habits. You might think taking those extra steps won’t count for anything, but just like the chocolates and cakes- every little adds up, no matter how insignificant we believe it to be.
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Wash Your Car
As I’ve mentioned so many times before, it’s the small things that add up, and starting with this small act is definitely one to add to the list. You may not even realise it, but washing your car is a workout in itself. The scrubbing, the lifting, the bending, the wiping, the drying, the polishing, the checking and re-checking, the dusting, the vacuuming and finally adding the new air freshener. Is all hard work, doing this once a week may not be as strenuous as a session of weights in the gym but it will help with keeping you active and healthy without even realising it.
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Taking the Steps
No more escalators, elevators, ramps or slides, its time to start taking the steps, no matter what floor it is on, no matter what you have to carry or how tired you are. It’s time to take the step in the right direction, and there’s no better way to start than with actual STEPS. At first it may be a struggle, but eventually walking up and down those flights of stairs will feel like a breeze and you will be looking for excuses just to walk up and down because you like the feeling it gives you. Slightly winded but still full of energy.
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No fast food
Easier said than done for sure, fast food as anyone that knows me will tell you is my vice. BUT cutting this out will not only help to spare your health but it will also spare your pocket. Buying fast food is practically the same as flushing your money down the toilet and then going to drink from the bowl. It is not only a huge waste of money but it also has no value for money either. Fast food brings no health benefits whatsoever, they are usually loaded with salt, fat, grease just waiting to clog up your arteries and cause an early heart attack.
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Sleeping more!
No, this doesn’t mean calling into work sick and spending all day in bed getting your beauty rest. But sleeping the recommended 8 hours a night could do a world of good for you. Sleeping more helps lower stress levels, improve attention span, improve memory, help repair blood vessels, and build and repair muscles.
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Drink water
We always say we don’t have the time to drink the recommended 8 glasses of water a day but yet we walk around with bottles of soda and box juice without a second thought. Drinking more water brings a number of benefits to the body; it flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells, prevents dehydration which causes lack of energy and makes you tired. So for more energy and better overall performance- drink more water!
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No More Alcohol
Drinking excessive alcohol doesn’t do any favours for the body, not only is alcohol dead calories that can lead to weight gain, without providing any nutritious benefits. It also messes with your hormonal and inflammatory responses to exercise, making it more difficult for y our body to repair damaged proteins and build new ones, so if you’re trying to put on size- avoid the tequila shots.
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Standing on the scale
The number one weight loss mistake most people tend to follow is standing on the scale. It not only depresses you and potentially demotivates you, but using your weight as a way of measuring progress is not very accurate. As you work out you do lose weight, but you also gain muscle so you may find that while actually your weight isn’t moving your body fat percentage is. And it’s the fat you are trying to get rid of, so to help practise healthy and driven weight loss methods- avoid stepping on the scale.
Become the face of fitness you’ve always wanted and follow these 10 easy steps for a happier healthier life.
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