Get back on track this year with my top 10 healthy lifestyle tips for 2005. You might like to adopt 1 or all 10.
Print out the lifestyle tips and stick them on the fridge or your pin board at work, as a daily reminder. Or write them throughout your diary as memory joggers at the start of every month.
Tip 1
Eat a wide variety of foods and remember that if you eat well, you’ll feel great. Try to include ‘superfoods’ such as yogurt, kiwifruit, beans, oats etc. in your regular diet.
Tip 2
Eat breakfast. Not only will it give you energy to get through the day (and improve your mood), it will also help stop you snacking on the wrong foods later.
Tip 3
No carbs; no go. Don’t give up carbs as they are essential for physical and mental energy. Choose nutritious carbs with plenty of wholegrains, and eat as many or as few as you need to meet your own requirements.
Tip 4
Include lots of short bursts of easy, fun activity in your daily life to help clock up more incidental activity: take the stairs, walk the dog, get off the bus one stop early.
Tip 5
Beware of portion distortion. Over recent years, serving sizes have been getting bigger and bigger so that nowadays one serve of ice-cream or one bottle of drink can be several times larger than the portion sizes of the past. Keep serving sizes modest and don’t overeat.
Tip 6
Serve family and communal meals smorgasbord or platter style (rather than plated) so that everyone can choose what they like and how much they need. Remember that children usually have a very good sense of how much or how little food they need, but this ability is lost as you get older and become more accustomed to serves. Sit down and eat together with family and friends as much as possible.
Tip 7
Breathe, relax and slow down at times. Remember the fast way is not always the best way. Make time to turn some fast food into slow, relaxed meals to linger over. And partake in some slow, meditative activities like Tai Chi or yoga.
Tip 8
Drink plenty of water and limit beverages containing caffeine.
Tip 9
Challenge your mind and body with new pursuits to keep physical activity fun and keep up your motivation to exercise. Join a new sport club, sign up for a new class or explore a new park or bike path.
Tip 10
Be positive and encourage a positive body image amongst your family and friends, and set a good example. Remember, healthy people come in all shapes and sizes.
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