Not everybody lives an extremely healthy or extremely unhealthy life; most of us fall somewhere in between those two ends of the spectrum.
We might eat vegetables and go for occasional walks, but we struggle to maintain a long-term healthy routine. But if that sounds like you then it might be time to make a change.
Living healthily 24/7 might seem like an unattainable goal, but it isn’t. And that doesn’t mean you’re never allowed to relax on the sofa or have a chocolate bar ever again – it just means that you should create a healthier daily routine.
Still, how do people stick to healthy lifestyles?
By following a moderated, balanced, and consistent diet
The hardest part of eating well is finding a diet that you can maintain consistently. Many of us might eat the occasional healthy meal but then end up snacking throughout the day or ordering takeaways when we feel lazy.
Obviously, the occasional treat is fine, but you need to aim to eat filling meals which remove the urge for incessant snacking. The goal of a healthy diet isn’t to slim down and look good; it’s to provide your body with the nutrition it needs, as mentioned on this blog before.
Of course, this is why moderation and balance are both so important. Rather than eating junk food with empty calories, you should be making sure that all the food you eat is giving your body the sustenance and energy it needs. That way, you’ll be able to keep your body fit and healthy without having to eat excessively. In turn, you’ll maintain a healthy weight.
Forget the fad diets. This is the proper way to eat healthily on a 24/7 basis. With a healthy diet, you might slim down slowly, but the results will last because you’ll be taking care of your body.
By exercising regularly but realistically
In other words, don’t push your body beyond its capabilities. Slimming down and building up muscular strength are both goals that take time. If you want to rush to the end goal then you’re going to be disappointed with the results. If you jump straight from a sedentary lifestyle to a 3-hour gym workout then you’re not going to do very well. You might also pull a muscle or injure your body in some other way, and that’ll really bring your new healthy lifestyle to a halt.
The best way to stay physically active is to exercise regularly but realistically. If you’re just starting to go jogging then do a 5-minute run. A week later, push yourself to a 10-minute run. Keep adding 5 minutes every week as your level of endurance improves. You’ll notice that your stamina gradually improves and your muscles slowly become stronger. As mentioned at NHS.uk, being physically active can even make a massive improvement to your mental state.
The same goes for resistance training. If you’re doing push-ups then start off with a few and gradually increase your rep count with every passing week. Attaining a healthy physique isn’t a race. You need to let your body gradually improve. You’ll find it much easier to stick to a workout routine in the long run if you keep a level head and aim to gradually improve.
You can push yourself to your limit, but going any further could end up damaging your body and undoing your hard work. Obviously, the food you eat has a big impact on the results of your exercise routine too. If you follow the earlier advice in this article then this will ensure that your workout routine has the proper results; you need a sufficient amount of protein for muscle gain and iron to maintain high energy levels, for example. But you might even want to check out IsaElite.com.au for weight loss programs that will help you to cleanse your body of toxins and ensure that you maintain your losses.
This could be very helpful if you want to see effective results from your exercise routine. Remember, the goal is to maintain a balanced and healthy weight.
By sleeping properly every night
This is the easiest piece of advice to follow, but it’s one of the main lifestyle aspects that many people dismiss in daily life. It’s a product of the modern world that we don’t value sleep.
We’re all told to be productive members of society, and there isn’t enough time for rest in this busy modern world. However, the irony is that we’d all be much more productive if we valued our physical and mental wellbeing and got enough rest.
Sleep deprivation doesn’t just have the effect of tiredness and bags under your eyes, so morning showers and caffeine aren’t actually going to solve the problem. Sleeping well is important to your mental health, your metabolism, your muscle repair, your immune system, and (essentially) every aspect of your physical and mental health.
You need to start prioritising sleep. Getting 8 hours of rest every night is crucial to keeping your body and mind functioning at optimal levels.
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