Drinking more water - First and foremost, arguably the most important part of any healthy living plan, is to up your water intake on a daily basis. I would often come across people dieting and trying to lose weight, who would convince themselves that they were being healthy, because they were drinking "diet" sodas instead of full-sugar versions. In reality, these so-called diet beverages, are even unhealthier than full sugar versions.
The reason for this is that instead of sugar, they contain artificial chemical sweeteners such as aspartame, which have been heavily linked with cancer, Alzheimer's disease, depression, and much more besides. I was once guilty of drinking four or five of these sodas a day, and would constantly find myself feeling tired, suffering with a headache, and generally feeling awful.
I read on various forums and from online articles and studies, that I should instead be drinking plenty of fresh water each day instead, so that is what I did. Water hydrates you, it flushes toxins from your body, it enhances organ health and function, it boosts the metabolism, and much more besides.
I would either purchase mineral water, or would drink filtered tap water to remove chemicals and impurities which are added to make tap water drinkable. I was peeing more, which was slightly annoying, so what I would do is try to get most of my water intake in nice and early, so I wasn't having to get up and go pee every few minutes in the evening.
Drinking a fresh juice each morning - Another fantastic method of really helping to increase your nutrient uptake on a daily basis, is to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice each day.
I purchased a juicer, looked up some recipes, stocked up on fresh fruits and veggies, and each morning, would drink a fresh juice. Juices are ideal because they taste great, you can get so many ingredients in each one, and you can supercharge your vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant consumption with just one juice per day.
I would juice ingredients such as spinach, apple, kale, lemon, celery, courgette, cucumber, ginger, broccoli, lime, carrot, and beetroot, and would start each day with a fresh juice, which is better than any vitamin supplement could ever be.
Eating fresh and healthy produce - Another very big change I made, was to change my diet dramatically, replacing frozen and processed junk foods, with fresh and healthy foods instead.
Before I began my health journey, I would often order takeout three or four times a week, as well as stuff my face with frozen ready meals and various processed baked goods which were pumped full of chemicals, fat, salt, sugar, and other hidden nastiness.
When I decided to take back my health, I made sure all my cupboards were bare, and went to the store, stocking up on fresh and healthy natural produce instead. Each week my staple ingredients included: Salmon, fresh chicken breast, grass-fed beef, mackerel, organic eggs, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil, olive oil, and complex carbohydrate sources such as oats, brown rice, wholemeal bread, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pasta.
Instead of sugary tomato-based sauces, I would blend my own tomatoes, add herbs and seasonings, and use that with my fresh pasta dishes. All of my food was fresh, low in unhealthy fats, rich in natural goodness, and free from artificial ingredients. I looked online for various healthy recipes, and found plenty, which all tasted great, and all helped me to lose weight.
Increasing cardiovascular activity - Even when I gained all of that excess weight, I would still lift weights in the gym, which did help me to burn some calories and gave me some much-needed exercise. Whilst the weight training was beneficial, I would rarely, if ever, do any real cardiovascular exercise.
When it came to me exercise and activity levels, the first thing I did with my training, was to incorporate 3 cardiovascular sessions into my weekly exercise regime. I was still lifting weights 3 x a week, but was also doing cardio as well. I would often do 40 minutes on the treadmill, although in the summer I would go for long walks, and then, as my fitness improved, long runs, around the neighbourhood. I also took up swimming and cycling with friends and found that this really helped the pounds to literally melt away, almost right before my very eyes.
Cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart, it boosts circulation, it helps reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, or heart attack, and it helps to regulate blood sugar levels, and blood pressure in the process. There were days when I felt as if I couldn't be bother to do cardio, but rather than quit, I would force myself into the gym, and would get it out of the way nice and early, and would feel so much better because I had.
Getting a regular sleeping pattern - Finally, the last thing I addressed was my erratic sleeping patterns, which were doing me no good at all.
I would find myself staying up until the early hours of the morning, watching TV, watching Netflix, and playing computer games, and then sleeping through to midday the next day.
I'm fortunate enough to work from home, so I could basically get up when I wanted, and go to bed when I wanted, because as long as all of my jobs got done, it didn't matter what time I started or finished.
I would often feel tired and irritable, and struggled to concentrate, so decided to go to bed around 11pm each night, wake up around 7am the next morning, and start work by 8am. I felt happier, I looked better, I had more energy, and I was much more productive at work and got much more done, which meant I earned more money in the process. Aim for 7 - 9 hours sleep each night, and you'll feel one heck of a difference once you do get into a regular routine.
So there you have it, just a few ways in which I was able to take back, not only my health, but my life as well, and there's no doubt in my mind that you can do the same. When it comes to healthy living, and health and fitness in general for that matter, the best advice that I personally can give you, is to take everything one day at a time.
Don't overcomplicate things, don't think that you need to weight every food item out and eat every three hours on the dot, and just generally take everything slow and steady by making small changes that then become bigger ones overtime. It worked for me, and it will certainly work for you too.
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