Tag Archives: meal

How to Eat Whatever You Like and Stay Healthy

The very act of eating food now has its own set of dilemmas. Every single thing that you like to eat seems to have some sort of negative impact on your health, be it cholesterol, fat, sugar, etc. But when you’re trying to measure calories instead of trying to eat food, you take away a very basic aspect of the act of eating – enjoyment! This article is about a few ways that you can eat whatever you like and stay healthy still.

1. Exercise!

Exercising seems to be an obvious enough option. Every gym in the world has shouted itself hoarse on your TVs, newspapers, radios, etc. trying to scare you into dropping everything and hitting the gym straight away. While you do need to realize that your action (binging on food) does have a reaction (excess, ‘unwanted stuff’ in your body that you need to get rid of – you get the drift), it doesn’t have to be resolved in a gym. A gym is an expensive and occasionally claustrophobic experience that is rather unnecessary. Instead, why don’t you go for a walk/jog instead? Biking can be an option too, but needs some basic precautions. Most importantly, do something intensive every day, and don’t give up the moment you feel tired!

2. Have meals at regular intervals.

Your body relies more on habit than you’d think. The urge to munch something every now and then might make you do away with your hunger just then, but your body needs to get used to times when it gets ‘nourished’. This will give it time to actually digest your food intake.

3. Breakfast like a king, dinner like a pauper… no, seriously!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It recharges your body from the longest stretch you’ll spend without food or drink – sleep. Skipping breakfast is a really bad idea since you’ll not have enough energy to last till lunch. Dinner, on the other hand, is a time when you feel that you’ve got the most time on your hands, and hence, it tends to be the heaviest meal for you (most people, in fact). But the ‘sleep’ factor sets in again. Your body will be ABSOLUTELY passive for the stretch of time through which you sleep. The point being, do try to keep the ‘fatty’ and ‘sugary’ food for some other time. If you don’t, insulin resistance and weight gain beckon.

4. Try yoga!

Once considered an ‘exotic’ pastime, with bearded gurus thrown in for good measure, yoga has come a long way since. Plenty of celebrities consider it a way of life, and they probably are right. Yoga is said to improve your metabolism and reduce stress too! If done correctly, the benefits can be greater than even an intensive spell of swimming. Moreover, you can stay in the comforts of your home, and do it at a time that suits you! There are plenty of yoga videos that you can get online or purchase. Better still, do some research and join a yoga class, where you can be taught by experts.

The very idea of knowing that you can eat what you want represents a kind of freedom that few people have in today’s world. But it comes with a rider – moderation is quintessential. You need to remember that too much of anything is harmful and that includes food. If you do, then you really can have anything you like and stay healthy too!

 

This is a guest post on behalf of Crunchlunch.co.uk – Whether you are looking for Pizza Express Vouchers or Nandos Vouchers, Crunchlunch.co.uk has it covered.

Staying healthy at your Workstation

Many of us have a day job that binds us to a desk for most of the week; and this can seem like quite an obstacle for those looking to stay healthy and keep fit. There are, however, plenty of ways you can stick to your diet, maintain energy through out the day, and keep your muscles engaged no matter how long you’re stuck behind a desk every day. Here are just a few healthy habits everyone should practice, no matter what their day job might be. You don’t have to let your work get in the way of your health, just follow these useful tips.

1) Keep moving: many of us will spend several, consecutive hours sitting at our desk; and the rest of the day in the sitting position. Whether it’s in the car on the commute to and from work, our lunch hour, or at meetings, remaining stationary has a huge impact on our health. Recent studies have proven that those who simply stand, rather than sit, while at work, cut their risk of heart attack nearly in half. Besides heart health, your metabolism can also greatly benefit when you continue to move through out the day. When sitting for long periods of time, your metabolism comes to a complete stop, which can even cause your body to retain fat. By standing at your work station, or while on the phone, pacing while brainstorming, or moving at any idle second, you’re doing your body a huge favor. Consider replacing your office chair with a stability ball, which helps you engage your muscles while sitting. Other habits, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, standing at your lunch break, and more all make a big impact.

2) Snack through out the day: snacking seems like an unhealthy habit, however, when snacking on the right foods, it offers many health benefits. Keeping healthy snacks at your desk, and choosing the right breakfast and lunch foods, can help maintain your energy levels through out the day, and help you burn more fat. Beginning with breakfast, make sure you don’t skip the meal, and load up on fiber, fruit, and calcium, such as with a nonfat yogurt parfait with fresh berries. Snacks can include a hand full of almonds, apple and cheese slices, green tea, low-sodium popcorn, a banana and others. These are all low calorie snacks that will prevent the mid day “crash” and give a healthy boost to your energy.

3) Work out before you work: studies have proven that working out in the morning, before breakfast, will increase productivity through out the day, help you sleep deeper, and help you feel more rested. At the end of a work day, you’re less likely to get to the gym, which is why working out at the beginning of the day is ideal. Those who exercise first thing in the morning also burn more calories during the day than those who don’t. Whether it’s cardio or strength training, exercise for at least twenty minutes at the beginning of the day for a more energy and productivity.

 

Author is Holly Adams of Coupon Croc. Save big on health spas and resorts with a Thomson discount code.

Quick tips to help you feel healthier and happier

It’s that time of year again – New Year resolutions are pouring in from everyone you know. It would be very surprising if you or someone you know weren’t planning on losing weight, getting in shape, or striving for a healthier lifestyle in the New Year.

Many people struggle with keeping in shape or loosing weight. Here are a few tips that can go a long way to help shed those unwanted rolls.

Don’t skip meals

If you are thinking that fasting to lose weight is a good idea, think again. Fasting and skipping meals actually leads to a decrease in weight loss, and in most cases an increase in weight gain. This is usually due to unnecessary cravings getting the best of you and binging when you should be eating healthy.

If you do not have time to cook or feel like you need to skip a meal because you are too busy, try meal replacement shakes as an alternative. Get the nutrients and protein you need to lose weight.

Start small and build up

It’s hard to go from eating out every night to eating nothing but whole foods and eliminating your junk cravings. Start with one thing at a time – whether replacing fast carbs with slow carbs, or eating more whole foods instead of processed snacks and meats.

The same can be said with exercise – don’t think you will commit to going to the gym every day if you haven’t seen the inside of a gym in over 6 months. Baby steps are the way to lose weight. Stay focused and conquer one thing at a time.

Change the way you snack

Instead of snacking on chips or candy, try replacing your usual snack time with an actual meal. Make a very small meal consisting of a good balance of healthy food and eat that instead of snacking. You’ll notice that you will soon lose your cravings for junk food all together.