Healthy Living: Top 10 Tips for Sustainable

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Healthy living, much like marriage is a commitment you make for life. Statistics show that over 90% of women on earth are dissatisfied in some way with their bodies. They also show that over 80% of girls over the age of sixteen have tried and failed at dieting more than once. The fascination with dieting and achieving that magazine perfect body has become the backbone of a multi-billion dollar industry. Just about every magazine or newspaper has a section devoted to these diets.

View below Top 10 Tips for Sustainable Healthy Living…

In a lot of ways, diets are like get-rich-quick schemes. They will rarely produce any returns in the long term. Our bodies are built in such a way that short-term diets will most times compromise our metabolism and lead to greater long-term damage than you may believe. In light of this, we have put together a collection of tips on how you can eat healthy the right way. Healthy living is not a job that will take only seven days or nine days or even thirty days as most of these schemes, supplements and drugs pitch.

Do not Overestimate your Willpower:

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The biggest mistake people make when going through a transition is overestimating willpower. A lot of people believe that they can keep the junk food, alcohol, cigarettes, etc and still stick to the process. This is so NOT true. Your willpower will only take you so far. When the munchies or cravings hit, you will cave at some point. If you do not have a source of your preferred junk food, the alcohol, cigarettes, etc. in the house; you will likely not find anything to fill the craving. When you have a source close by, you are more likely to relapse. In the same way, a recovering alcoholic is told to avoid bars, stores and friends that have gotten him to that dangerous point, you will need to avoid the things that feed your behaviour far away. This gives you enough time to mentally talk yourself out of making worse choices. So, clean out the cupboards, freezer, refrigerator and all other hidden stashes. Willpower is never enough.

Eat Enough Food:

Most people who are trying to lose weight tend to not eat enough food to keep their metabolism stable. This leads to an increase in hunger hormones that result in bingeing. To know how many calories you need to eat daily to remain at your current weight, calculate your basal metabolic rate. After getting that number, you should cut down on your daily requirements by no more than 500 calories a day. If you do this, you will lose no less than 1kg every fortnight. This number may be more depending on how much weight you need to lose and your previous eating habits.

Get Enough Exercise but Do Not Overdo It:

The recommendation of most of the research into weight management suggests that you should partake in a cardiovascular exercise about 4 to 5 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes. In addition to weight management, cardio will also help to keep your heart healthy and improve your stamina while reducing the risk of heart disease. In the same vein, you should aim to do a minimum of 20 minutes of strength training every time you exercise to help retain and build your lean muscle mass. In addition to this, you can add supplements to cut fat, retain lean mass to your diet to restore you to health or achieve your fitness goals faster.

Weight Loss should be a By-product of your choices and not a goal in itself:

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The majority of people who fall off the bandwagon of healthy living do so because they are not seeing as much progress in weight loss as they want to. Always keep in mind that different people have different bodies and will lose weight at different paces. In the interest of your emotional well being, do not make weight loss a goal. Living as a slave to the weight scale can cause you more harm than good. Aim to weigh yourself no more than twice a month. Instead, make healthier choices. Even though your weight loss may not seem apparent at first, your body will thank you for these choices in the long term.

Know your limits:

Always respect your body’s limits. Many people in the quest to appear as fit as someone else have sustained grave injuries. Your body knows its limits. It will not change overnight.. At some point, your body will be able to pull off those amazing moves and surprise you.

Do Research:

Research, research and research some more. What works for others may not necessarily work for you. Take into cognizance any health issues you have and use them to formulate a diet that does not compromise your health. Good examples are a lactose or gluten intolerance, allergies, etc. Always consider your health conditions before choosing a diet plan.

Drink Enough Water:

Always drink water. A minimum of 2 litres per day is recommended for your body to function optimally. In the same vein, water will help keep you feeling full and reduce hunger.

Avoid “Unhealthy” Food Options:

There are several foods that should absolutely never make it onto your list of things to eat. They include white flour, refined sugar, soda, etc. Just avoid them. They are high in calories and have very little actual nutritional value.

Kick Bad Habits (Smoking, Drinking Alcohol, Eating Junk Food, Diet Cycling, Bingeing):

There’s no other way to say this. Stop them. Just stop them. Bad habits are detrimental to your health and the health of people around you. Your body is like a machine. Garbage in, garbage out. Food is a source of fuel. If you wouldn’t put oil into the fuel tank of your car because of the result, then you should not be smoking, drinking alcohol or bingeing. Just stop it. If you need professional help to overcome these habits, see your doctor.

Find a New Focus:

Find a new passion for pouring your energy into can help prevent you from constantly dreaming about all the “wrong” things you could be doing. Find a new hobby or take up an old one again.

Keep at it 24/7 365:

The most important element to living healthily is making the right choices consistently. Keep it up and you will see the result. Healthy living is not a short term adventure but a lifetime commitment. Choose right!

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