Top Tips on How to lead a healthier lifestyle
The beginning of the year is always a time you say 'I'll eat healthier this year' or 'I'm going on a diet, I need to lose weight'.. but how long is it before you've gone back to your old ways? And then later down the line start a new 'diet'.
I've put together 5 tips on how to keep on track..
1. Stop calling it a 'diet'. The word automatically comes with negative connotations and you've mentally already said to yourself it's something that is going to be short term. Mentally tell yourself it's going to be a 'lifestyle change' and think about the positive outcome eating well is going to have on your overall health and well-being.
2. Don't count Calories! All calories are made up differently, and they are only a measure of how much 'energy' the food contains. Therefore something may be 'less calorific' but it isn't as energy dense, and may not be as nutritious for you as other food you could have chosen with the same 'calorie number'. Our bodies also treats all calories differently, high calorie foods (Nuts, seeds, avocado.. etc) are typically rich in nutrients which will fill you up for longer and help you to burn fat, where as sugary foods will be less calorific, but actually won't keep you satisfied for long and leave you reaching for more..!
3. Take longer to chew your food. This may sound silly, but your food has a longer contact time with saliva which is full of digestive enzymes and will therefore allow the food to be broken down better, taking the strain off your stomach! Slowing down will also help you to absorb more nutrients within the food.
4. Stay Hydrated! Drinking water can not only help you to keep full, studies have also shown it can help you to burn more calories. Drinking water will also aid the digestion of your food and it softens your stools to help prevent constipation!
5. Finally.. Don't cut out everything you love! Changing absolutely everything you eat will make you miserable and will therefore be very hard to sustain. Every so often, have that chocolate bar or eat that pizza you're craving. It will help satisfy those cravings and stop you from falling off the bandwagon all together. Just jump back into those nutrient dense foods afterwards!
