Tips for Having a Healthier, More Active Life

It’s hard for adults nowadays to fit a healthy way of life into their busy schedules, however it can be done. This guide might prove to be very useful in doing so.

What to avoid?

The first step to a healthier life is knowing what to avoid in your diet. Although we all have a general knowledge of what that is, it may be easier to have a list in handy:

• Saturated fats: This kind of fat is associated with a lot of diseases, such as heart problems or high cholesterol or blood pressure. The foods that contain the most saturated fat are: fatty beef, lamb, pork, butter, cheese and skin from poultry. Instead, focus on white meats and fish.
• Cut down on sugar: Tooth decay and obesity are just a few of the conditions associated with a high sugar diet. Fizzy drinks, cakes, pastries and alcohol are known to have a lot of sugar in and it’s best to avoid them.
• Eat less salt: A diet rich in salt causes hypertension, and it’s especially bad for the elderly. Now I’m not saying to completely stop adding salt to your food, but most of what we eat already contains it. Checking labels will prove to be very helpful when determining the salt intake.

Stay hydrated

It may sound unbelievable, but feeling hungry might sometimes be due to us being actually thirsty. Drinking a lot of liquids through the day will not only help us avoid unnecessary eating, but will also help us stay hydrated.

Unsweetened fruit juice will not only hydrate, but will also add extra vitamins that will keep you going all day and healthy in the long run. Drinking 150 ml of orange juice is perfect for a whole day. Rely on water and tea to do the rest.

Warm weather will determine us to drink more liquids, which is a great way to replace the water we’re losing when we sweat.

Veggies are your friend

Growing up we might have been in a constant battle with veggies, but as we grew, they became an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. It’s recommended we eat 5 portions of fruits and vegetables along a single day to maintain all the necessary vitamin levels.

What your diet should contain?

For a healthy, clean, lifestyle, it’s important to have all of the below:

• Proteins: They provide energy and power up the brain. They must be high quality; like the ones we get from beef or eggs. Be careful if you’re suffering from a kidney disease, as they have been proven to be harmful if consumed in large amounts.
• Fat: I’m not referring to saturated fat here, but de-saturated, healthy one, like omega 3s which you can find in fish.
• Carbs: They are not all bad. Carbohydrates assure energy for the entire body, but they must be complex and unrefined, like those from fruit, whole grains and vegetables.
• Fiber: This will help you prevent heart disease, stroke or diabetes. Fibers also take longer to be digested, forcing your body to burn more calories in the process, and boosting up your metabolism.
• Calcium: It’s good for your health, but it may be harmful for the elderly, especially women as calcium deposits can trigger arthritis. Calcium keeps your bones and teeth strong, and you can get the optimum dosage from milk and cheese.

Exercise

A healthy lifestyle cannot be completed without some exercise. If your schedule doesn’t allow you to go to the gym, there are a few simple steps you can take to get more out of each day. Walking at least 10,000 steps a day can help you prevent a number of conditions. Just skip the bus next time you go to work.

Avoiding the elevator next time, you go home helps too. Using the stairs can help in building stamina and burning those calories that you acquired with the snack from lunch.

Going to the gym or doing cardio will definitely improve your way of living, even if it’s just 2 times a week.