Ditch The Diet: How You Should Embark on a Healthier Lifestyle
These days it seems like you have to be eating kale, drinking chia water and baking with coconut oil to be healthy. You might have tried a cabbage soup diet, a fasting diet or even something like a protein-only diet. The thing is, though, these kinds of diets are never going to help with long-term weight loss. As soon as you start to eat “normally,” you will put a lot of the weight back on. The key thing is to make changes to your lifestyle that will last. Big lifestyle changes are the actual things that will make the difference. It is easier said than done, of course. But here are some steps to get you started on your way to an overall healthier you.
Think About Why You Overeat
If you are overweight and it isn’t related to a health issue, then the chances are is that it comes from overeating. But how often do we take a step back and think about why we are overeating? For a week or so, it’s a great idea to write down a food diary, including your emotions. It can help to identify triggers for things that will make you eat more. Do you just have an afternoon snack because you are bored, or because you are hungry? When you break it down like that, it can help a lot. If you are an emotional eater, then there are strategies to help too. You just need to understand your triggers and then you can go from there. You can find an online food diary at somewhere like myfitnesspal.com.
Avoid the Fad Diets
Some fads are just that; a fad. They are an obscure thing that doesn’t relate to normal life. Of course, you will lose weight if you are only eating 1,000 calories a day. But healthy eating isn’t only consuming 1,000 calories a day. You want to eat normal foods to lose weight. Just having less of them and including more exercise. A site like HealthButSmart.com dispels some myths about a lot of the fads that we are seeing these days. The important thing is to check on facts, rather than taking a celebrity endorsement as truth.
Move More
For some of you, moving more isn’t about training to run a marathon. For some of you, moving more will mean taking the stairs instead of an elevator. It might mean getting off the bus one stop early. Just do whatever will fit into your life and do more than you are normally doing. Try to get your heart rate up for at least thirty minutes each day. It might even be worth getting something like a step counter. Then you can see how much more you move each day. It can become a little competition with yourself too. Just be more active and get your heart pumping. Your body will thank you for it!
It’s important to remember that everyone’s body is made differently. Your healthy weight might be different than someone else’s, even if they’re the same height as you. When trying to lose weight, the most important thing is that you take care of yourself and do so in a healthy way.
What would your tips and advice be for making a change to your lifestyle?
