10 Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle

Tip 1 – Don’t let yourself get thirsty Dehydration slows down your blood flow leaving you with less energy to face the day, drinking water first thing in the morning is a great way to kick start your day and takes only minutes, bring a bottle of water to bed at night and drink it first thing when you wake up to give yourself a boost of energy.  You should drink eight glasses of water throughout the day to keep your self hydrated.  This will have a great effect on your energy levels and is very easy to implement into your daily routine Tip 2 – Eat Breakfast Everyday Skipping meals because you are rushing is never a good idea, studies have shown that people who skip breakfast burn less calories during the day than those who eat a healthy breakfast.  This is especially important if you are dieting.  Many dieters tend to assume that a skipped meal can work to their benefit by reducing their calorie intake for the day but the opposite is actually true.  Giving your body a healthy eating pattern can improve how your body burns calories. Tip 3 – Snacking is Good For You Yes, snacking can be good for you, it all depends on the snacks you choose, keeping your metabolism topped up with  a healthy snack can help you to feel more energetic throughout the day.  Try snacking on dried fruit, low fat cheeses or yogurt's. Tip 4 – Exercise Yes, exercise will feature in any healthy lifestyle plan, but taking regular exercise does not have to be a chore, try taking a walk on your lunch break, or take the stairs instead of the lift, leave the car at home if you can.  Walking more often can be very beneficial and even if you hate the idea of exercise you may find that you will enjoy taking the odd walk, every little helps.  If you really cant stand it, take out your ipod, put on your favourite music and see if that makes it more enjoyable.  If all else fails, or you have young kids and are at home most of the time, find a reason to go up and down the stairs often, it is all going to help you to keep active. Tip 5 – Protein It cant be said enough, protein is great for dieting, your body uses more energy digesting protein.  Plain and simple, eating protein can help you to burn more calories.  Try lean meat or fish with vegetables for a balanced meal, leave out the pasta and go for whole grains.  Do not only eat protein, keep all your meals balanced and you will find you have more energy by the day. Tip 6 – Drink Tea Green tea has many benefits, including helping to protect you from heart disease and cancer.  It is also very beneficial for boosting your metabolism. Tip 7 – Fiber Your body also uses more calories to process fiber rich foods.  Snack on fruit and cheese or some yogurt to add more fiber to your diet. Homemade vegetable soup is a great source of fiber and you can make it and freeze it for the days when you are in a rush and need a healthy lunch that wont take hours to prepare. Tip 8 – Cut The Alcohol Although drinking alcohol does not slow your metabolism it has been shown that having a daily drink can make you gain weight, this is because when you drink alcohol, your body processes the alcohol first, leaving the calories you consumed from your meal until last, which means they are more likely to be stored as body fat. Tip 9 – Don’t Be a "Yo-Yo" Dieter Switching your diet plan regularly means you can end up depriving your body of essential nutrients and may mean you are consuming fewer calories than you need to keep your body active, resulting in low energy and if you are low in energy you are not going to feel motivated enough to exercise and are more likely to snack on high sugar foods.  If you must diet, consult your doctor for the best plan for you personally and stick to that plan for the recommended time period, a properly planned diet is not a quick fix and you should not expect to see immediate results.  Take your time and build your diet into a part of your lifestyle, rather than changing your routine overnight and suffering withdrawals, add a new healthy eating step a day and build it in as part of your everyday routine.  The results will come and because you are working it in slowly the benefits are going to be long lasting. Tip 10 – Relax Yes relax, sleep.  Relaxing and sleeping are both good for your body and your mind.  You need to be getting around 7 to 8 hours of sleep in every 24 hour period.  Not only should you be getting enough sleep, you should also be relaxing during the day, being stressed can interfere with how your body processes carbohydrates making it more likely that you will gain weight.  Take regular rest periods when you can unwind for even a few minutes during the day and de stress, maybe with a nice cup of green tea? [Source: 10 Quick Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle by Alana R.]