First step in adopting a healthier lifestyle
The other day we were mountain biking past the local dump site. The smell was horrendous, but what was even more disturbing was the number of people scavenging the dump in search of something useful. I could not help but wonder about the personal hygiene of these poor people. They are surrounded by trash all day, surely their hygiene and health must suffer – no matter how careful they tread or search amongst the rubbish.
There is a lesson in this for you and I who want to live healthier. It is going to be much harder if you are surrounded by food and snacks such as cupcakes, huge steaks with fat on the edges, potato crisps, chocolate bars, etc. On the other hand if you have healthier snacks and food at hand, such as wholegrain bread, sumptuous nectarines, avocado, assorted nuts and meat with no fat, then it is going to be much easier. Don’t buy the products that are not conducive to helping you in your quest for better health. Replace them in the fridge and pantry with healthier alternatives. Surround yourself with healthy foods.
Never eat when you are not hungry. Your body has been designed to give you signals when you need food. A rumbling tummy means it is empty and that you should eat. A feeling of satiety means you should stop. Often people eat beyond their satiety point just because the food tastes so good. It is a good habit to stop when you feel satisfied as this reinforces your satiety signals to your brain and “shrinks” your stomach. One of the big secrets to keeping your weight down, is to listen to you body and stop eating when you have had enough. (The one exception is breakfast which you should have before 9am every day).
A sound habit is to sit down for three proper meals a day. Only eat when your food is on a plate and at designated times during the day. Take time to have a break from work or whatever you are doing when having a meal. Eating on the run doesn’t feel like eating and in the end you feel that you didn’t eat. It helps to keep track of what you are eating.
Target vegetables and fruit in your diet. Many, if not most people who struggle with lifestyle diseases, hardly eat any vegetables. This failure in the modern diet is the cause of major problems (overweight, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, cardio vascular diseases and blood glucose control) throughout the world. Vegetables are a non-negotiable for a balanced and healthy diet. A “balanced meal” always includes large portions of vegetables or salad. You need at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
Keep to healthy snacks. When you need a snack between meals always have a fruit. Generally we eat far too little fruit. Dried fruit is also good, but be careful with the portions as it is concentrated in calories. Other healthy snacks are nuts but only eat as much as you can hold in your fist.
One of the secrets of keeping the same weight as you age is to compensate when you have eaten too much, especially when you have eaten too much of the wrong food. A second helping implies that you are taking in twice as much as you should. In order to limit the damage, YOU SHOULD HAVE MUCH LESS at the next meal to cancel this out. You should COMPENSATE for the bigger meal/snack you had in the previous sitting.
Last, but not least, the daily dose of exercise. We discussed it last week – it is important to do regularly to the point that it becomes an ingrained habit. It gets your circulation going and builds physical strength and fitness that will enhance your well being.
Habits often work against us, but we can purposefully turn the table to our advantage by developing healthy habits. When you have enough of them in place they do become a “formidable force fighting for your health”.
Find out about the GI Smart Club and the health benefits members receive.