It’s true – first we make our habits, and then our habits make us. Read that again! We may have lost count of the number of times we have resolved to get rid of excess weight or vowed to get healthy. But then we can’t afford to look like a million bucks if we continue to eat from the dollar menu or have habits worth not even a dime! We all want to be fit, active, free from pain, and chronic health conditions. However, following a healthy routine and wanting to have a clean lifestyle are two very different things. It is not as easy as you may think. For this, you sacrifice the food you love, especially junk food, sodas, and other foods that may be bad for your health. Know your limitations and how to work with or around them.
If you want to start making progress towards real change, you first must be sick and tired of being sick and tired! The next thing you need to do is try these simple tips to help you stick to your healthy eating plans and achieve your realistic goals.
1. Start With Basic Healthier Choices
How do you eat an elephant? Bit by bit. Our grand ambitions to stay healthy may motivate us initially, but when we change too many things all at once, we end up getting disheartened and often give up on our pursuit of health. So if you want to change your bad lifestyle and eating habits and improve your overall health, start making healthier choices one step at a time. Begin, for instance, with just one meal – have boiled eggs, oatmeal, or yogurt, and fruit, instead of sausages and bacon for breakfast. Remember: you don’t have to see the whole staircase, take the first step, stabilize yourself, and gradually keep progressing.
2. Make The Most Of Opportunities
Being physically active is a great way to introduce workouts at the primary level. This does not mean you have to sweat it out at the gym for hours on end. You can be physically active anywhere – including your office and home. Try to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park your car a block away from work. Cycle to the supermarket instead of driving. Gradually introduce a 10-minute daily walk after a long day of sitting or try meditation for five minutes every other day. Over time, you may increase your efforts and get better results all without feeling like it was a mountain-moving effort.
3. Be Consistent With Your Efforts
Slow and steady wins the race. You can realize your health dreams through the magic of persistence, determination, commitment, passion, focus and hard work. They happen a step at a time, manifested over months, not days. Taking small steps and achieving goals one-by-one is the way to move ahead towards your desired health goals and a better you.
4. Don’t Skip Meals
Skipping meals is like trying to run a car without gas; it won’t go very far. Our brain needs energy to manage impulses and thus stay balanced. Eating enough at intervals may be the best way to avoid compulsive overeating (that eventually leads you to put on unwanted weight). Studies indicate skipping meals is not a good idea as it is linked to bad food choices, which is why you end up overeating (1).
5. Set Reminders
Good habits may change our lives, but sometimes we forget our commitments to execute them each day. Set a reminder to grapple with such situations. It may help you maintain good habits for the long journey.
6. Rest To Recharge
Just as exercise is essential for us, it is important to get enough rest. Exercise to stimulate, not to annihilate. Physical activity and sleep are in effect two sides of the same coin. If you don’t exercise, you may not get better sleep.
Being physically active may actually improve your sleep. Exercise may improve your mood, help you sleep better and also lower levels of stress and anxiety (2). An adult should sleep seven or more hours per night regularly to promote optimal health (3).
Your life will fly by, so make sure you are the pilot. Our lives are our own responsibility, so we’ve got to take charge!
We are what we repeatedly do. Put the remote control of your life in your hands. These tips may help you stick to healthy habits, and make some new ones too. Once you follow them in your daily routine, you will see drastic changes – for the better! If you want to explore more ways to improve your health and wellbeing and also manage a healthy weight, click below and sign up for the SuperFood WeightLoss Accelerator Program for more detailed information. This will not only help you manage weight but may also help you fulfil your nutritional needs. Discover the exciting world of a healthy life! Sign up today!
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