Pic: credits: Dan McKay
Improving Your Lifestyle
Leading a healthy lifestyle is really important in terms of reducing stress, improving overall well-being and living a longer life. There are tons of small changes you can make to your current routine to improve your physical and mental health in a short period of time.
First of all, it’s best to start the day with a good breakfast. This gets your metabolism going for the day and you’ll start burning calories more quickly. It has also been found that skipping meals, especially breakfast, means you’re much more likely to gorge when you do finally eat something. Breakfast also makes you more alert, which means you’ll produce a better standard of work in the morning and it can help to eliminate “hunger moods” – skipping this wonderful meal can cause grouchiness in children and adults alike.
If you’re in the habit of say, drinking a cup of coffee and smoking a cigarette first thing in the morning, why not swap the cigarette for a bowl of high fibre cereal and the coffee for a refreshing cup of green tea? Green tea help to get your metabolism going at a higher rate and so can aid weight loss. It has been shown to regulate glucose levels, which can be great for suffers of diabetes as it reduces insulin spikes. It contains catechin, an antioxidant which destroys the bacteria that causes throat infections and certain dental conditions. It can also help to reduce blood pressure and alleviate some of the symptoms of depression. All in all, this herbal tea seems to be a bit of a wonder drink and certainly worth sampling if you’re trying to turn your lifestyle around.
Try your best to get a good night’s sleep every night. It sounds simple, maybe even hackneyed, but sleep is one of the most important parts of the day. Getting a good sleep doesn’t just mean sleeping for a solid 8 hours. Where possible, try to sleep with a peaceful mind. If you lead quite a stressful life, try some relaxation or meditation techniques before bedtime to try and offset some of your anxiety to really make your slumber worth it.
Finally, avoid snacking like the plague! If you’re a snacker, it might be a hard habit to kick, but it’s really important if you’re trying to improve your lifestyle. Chocolate lovers might like to replace a whole bar of milk chocolate with a single piece of good quality dark chocolate. Allow it to dissolve slowly on your tongue and really savour the experience, telling yourself that this is your treat for the day. Try not to pick at dinner while it’s cooking. Plan ahead and make sure you’re not ravenous while you’re cooking. If you’re hungry after work, have a piece of fruit or some celery to tide you over.
