Age, sex and size don’t matter; everyone has the power to influence the activities that negatively impact on their day to day life. Even though there are universally recognized ways to a happy life, the level of enjoyment is largely dependent on the path chosen by individuals. However, regardless of the direction one chooses, leading a healthy lifestyle shouldn’t be compromised as it is the key to a disease-free and prolonged lifespan. The journey can be best described as a marathon rather than a sprint; it is the outcome of the hundreds of steps that count for the long haul. Exercising thirty minutes a day is one thing; eating healthy and avoiding intake of potentially toxic foods is another. Below are five other tips that will go a long way in improving an individual’s everyday life.
Replace Saturated With Unsaturated Fat
Fats are essential for the appropriate functioning of the body and improving an individual’s general health. However, it’s important to note that there are two types of fats, including saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and have immense adverse effects on the body. For instance, they raise the blood cholesterol level, which significantly elevates the risk of contracting stroke and heart disease. Such fats are primarily derived from animal products like cheese, fatty beef, pork, lamb and butter to name a few.
Luckily, unsaturated fats are the exact opposite of the product above. The fats are liquid at room temperature, and when consumed, the blood’s cholesterol level is hardly affected. Sources of unsaturated fats include nuts, fish, whole grains and poultry.
Avoid Sugary and Salty Snacks
Consuming foods with high salt concentration can result in high blood pressure, which increases the risk of suffering cardiovascular disease. There are numerous ways of reducing salts in one’s daily diet, including purchasing products with low sodium content. Such foods include eggs, fish, buttermilk and cottage cheese among others. Secondly, one can substitute table salt with spices while cooking, which will equally improve the meal’s flavor. It would also help if people excluded salt from their dining table.
Similarly, a high amount of sugar in the body brings about several health complications. For instance, it causes the glucose levels in the body to spike and plummet unceremoniously. This unstableness leaves individuals experiencing fatigue, headaches and mood swings. It also triggers unnecessary cravings that bring about false hunger. In contrast, people who avoid sugary snacks and drinks experience emotional balance, fewer cravings, and moderate energy.
Eat Several Times A day and Control Portion
Consuming appropriate portions of different types of foods on a daily basis is a sensible step towards a healthy diet. Skipping important meals especially breakfast leads to untimely hunger and before the next mealtime clocks in, one is out of control and ends up consuming unhealthy fast foods or even overeating. Snacking in between meals will go a long way in controlling the temptation to ingest junks. However, snacks shouldn’t replace the main meals.
When snacking, people willing to lead a healthy life should choose dried fruits, yogurt, unsalted nuts, vegetables like carrot sticks or perhaps cheese on bread. Paying close attention to the size of the meal portion can help a person to refrain from ingesting large amounts of calories. This will also encourage them to consume different types of foods, which implies diverse nutrients in the body.
Juicing for Better Consumption of Veggies
Vegetables are essential ingredients for a healthy lifestyle, but only a small percentage of individuals consume enough. This is because the taste of most veggies such as broccoli is appalling. The good news is that a juicer can be a helpful appliance as it can allow one to mix different greens together and consume it as a juice every day. Moreover, juiced foods are often more beneficial mainly because one is able to ingest raw products. When baked, boiled, pickled or stewed, the same products lose significant nutrients and antioxidants. Also, when the raw vegetables are juiced, cell walls are broken, and hence, the body can easily absorb all the nutrients present.
Maintain A Healthy Weight
The ideal weight for different individuals varies with their height, genes, age, and gender. An overweight person is susceptible to numerous killer diseases, which include cancer, diabetes, and heart diseases. The excess body fat is caused by consuming more than the body requires. Calories are a natural consequence of caloric nutrients from the consumed fat, protein, alcohol and carbohydrate.
The body stores the extra calories in the form of fat under the skin. It, therefore, follows that one needs to be more active to utilize the extra calories that would otherwise be detrimental to their health. For instance, a person could adopt healthy habits like skipping the rope, swimming, biking, walking or running on a daily basis lest their body creates the dreaded fat reservoir.
A healthy change in one’s lifestyle is key to improving their day to day life. It’s advisable to start with a simple plan that’s easily sustainable. From not skipping breakfast, juicing vegetables, eating less and being active, there’s a multitude of habits one can adopt to make their everyday life better. By following the above health tips, people can improve the quality of their lives and ultimately feel happier, more confident, fit and full of energy.
