Getting healthy doesn’t always have to be boring. A lot of us think about it in terms of cutting things out of our lives – delicious food, that always important couch and TV time in the evenings – but the truth is that there are ways to get healthy without making yourself miserable. Here are some tips to help…
Start Eating Breakfast
First of all, it’s time to start eating breakfast. A lot of us aren’t great at eating first thing in the morning, preferring to drown ourselves in coffee instead, but the truth is that breakfast really is the most important part of the day. Without it, you’ll probably get hungry in the middle of the morning and end up eating something from the office vending machine that isn’t particularly healthy. Instead, make yourself a delicious smoothie to take to work, or get up half an hour earlier so that you can have oatmeal with fresh berries, or peanut butter and banana slices on wholegrain toast. Healthy breakfasts don’t have to taste bad!
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Find Equally Delicious Alternatives
With a lot of your favourite foods, it’s absolutely possible to find healthy alternatives. If you love chocolate, eat it in moderation – or go for dark chocolate, which is definitely better for you. If you love savoury snacks in the middle of the afternoon, go for carrot sticks and hummus instead of potato chips. If you love fried food but you’re worried about the health implications, why not use an air fryer? Some information on the best air fryers of the year can be found online so you can choose the one that’s best for you and your family.
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Get Outside
The great outdoors is beckoning you to get out there and enjoy it this time of year. Research your local beauty spots and drag your friends and family members out for hikes and walks. Not only is getting outside good for your physical health – you’ll probably notice fewer headaches and backaches if you start walking – it’s also great for your mental health. Just make sure that you use sunscreen with a high SPF to protect your skin from the sun this summer.
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Find An Exercise Class That Suits You
It can be very difficult to motivate yourself into getting fit. Going to the gym doesn’t suit everyone – it can be discouraging when you see everyone else there doing exercises that you don’t think you’ll ever be able to master.
Hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions is a great idea but it can get pretty pricey – instead, why not pick an exercise class that suits you? If you have a little rhythm in your hips and you want to do something energetic then you could go for zumba, which is a combination of dance to Latin music and aerobics. If you want to improve your spiritual health as well as physical, why not go for yoga? This will also help you a lot if you have a sore back or neck as a result of spending most of your working life at an office.
I would also add one item to your list:
forgive yourself for falling off the health train – or else give yourself planned “unhealthy days/meals.” Sometimes eating healthy can feel like you’re the only sober person in the bar – especially with kids. So I allow for cheats.
I think what’s important is long-term consistency.