7 Healthy Lifestyle Changes Anyone Can Make

Hi, I have recently been trying to give myself a little bit of a health kick and wanted to share some things which can make us all a little healthier. These are simple things that can easily be worked into your lifestyle and don't require a gym membership.

Healthy Lifestyle Choices Anyone Can Make

Drink More Water
There are so many benefits of drinking water, it's recommended that woman drink 1.6 liters and men 2 liters of water everyday. Some benefits include added concentration, clearer skin and it can even aid weight loss. Keep a bottle of water with you and try setting an alarm to remind yourself to have a drink. Keep it interesting by making fruit infused flavored water, lemon juice is a really nice simple option.

Plan Your Meals
I love to sit down and plan for the week ahead. Planning meals means you can have more control over the food you eat. Having a list to stick to when shopping removes impulse buying and you'll only buy what you need so your bank balance will be a little healthier too.

Cut Out Empty Calories
This relates to the previous point. Eating processed food equals extra calories and added stuff that you don't necessary need to be eating. Start cooking from scratch with fresh ingredient and your food will not only be less calorific but super tasty too.

Walk A Little Further
If you have an office job like myself you'll know how hard it is to keep active. Why not park your car a little further away, get off the bus a stop early, take the steps instead of the lift. Increasing the daily steps you take will make a difference to your overall health.

Get Eight Hours Sleep 
This is an important point and one that I constantly fail on. Get into bed before the time you need to sleep, read a book or get your social media fix but then stop before the eight hour slot of your alarm. Getting your full eight hours means that you'll be more refreshed for the day ahead, which can only be a positive.

See More Of Nature
Get out and about, nature is one of the best natural remedies. Getting some sunshine will boast your vitamin D supply and generally walking and sightseeing in the outdoors will lift your mood. Find a tranquil spot and have a picnic or go visit a beach to watch some crashing waves.

Make Time For You

Mental health is just as important as physical health so make sure you take some proper time to truly unwind. It doesn't matter what you do as long as it's making you happy and giving you a break from the reality of the general day to day.

I hope these tips/ideas are helpful, is there anything you would add?

Sam

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My Weight Loss Experience | MyFitnessPal App

Hi, today I wanted to talk about my weight loss experience. Using the MyFitnessPal app over 2 months I have managed to loss 11 pounds, this was a really easy accomplishment and just required a little meal planning, recipe research and self restraint. I have never been on a diet previous to this health kick, I've just never needed too. I think I've been lucky in the past and my body and lifestyle have worked together to keep my weight at a good level. Now that I'm getting older I think my teenage metabolism is long gone and my job is a lot less active, everything I eat is now having a direct effect on my weight. Like I said in my previous post about weight loss (which you can read here) I have never considered myself to be over weight, but I definitely still had some extra weight hanging around from Christmas which I wanted rid of for the summer months.

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The app helps you keep track of the calories you are consuming on a daily basis, this in turn helps you select healthier options or cut down on portion size. Not once during this last two months have I ever felt I couldn't have something, if I had an indulgent day I'd just make sure to stick to it more the following day. I'm sure you could lose your desired weight quicker than I have if you stick too the calorie goal strictly all the time but you're more likely to binge on all the things you've been craving rather than just working them into a more overall healthy lifestyle. If you're planning on having a treat then plan to have a lower calorie meal during the day to balance out your daily calories.

I already loved to eat healthy, but I have been eating much healthier since I started my weight loss challenge by cooking with fresh ingredients and staying away from pre-packed foods (fresh ingredients are way tastier). When counting calories look at other nutritional values as well, such as sugar intake for example. That leads to the other good thing about the app, it works as a food dairy which calculates all the nutritional information from your food. This shows you if you are consuming enough vitamins and minerals as well as your daily sugar and protein intake. I would say that I actually get more goodness from the foods I eat now than I did previously.

There might be times when you don't want to take the time to fill in the app and others when you just fancy a takeaway but continuing to work towards your goal is so worth it. I can honestly say the best result from this weight loss challenge for myself was been able to fit into a pair of size ten jeans which where too small to fasten weeks before. Counting calories has worked for me and I don't think I'm the only one. I'd like to lose another 3 pounds to make it a whole stone lost and then I have some room to indulge during the summer without feeling that I have undone all the good I have accomplished.

Do you have a favourite low calorie meal?
Sam

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