There’s a lot more to proper nutrition than simply putting down that cheeseburger, although that would be a great start. If you want to experience the full benefits of living a healthy and active lifestyle, then the first step is to tweak your nutrition. Tips on the subject should help you to get started.
A nutrition change is ultimately a lifestyle change, and for this your mind really has to be ready. It’s not at all an easy thing to break out of a habit. Just as cigarettes and alcohol can be addictive, so too can bad habits like woofing down potato chips and eating fried foods. You’ll need to start out by convincing yourself that you desperately need the change.
Preparing your body for the new lifestyle can be a multi-step process, the first of which is seeing that you’re healthy enough to begin an exercise regimen. A physical may be in order. After that, you’ll have to take a tally of the foods you can and can’t eat, and you’ll have to get your body used to ingesting fewer “albeit healthier” calories.
Following up on the second step, you will need to become informed about a wide range of food. Not only their nutrition values, but also various recipes and different preparation techniques. Remember: This is a complete lifestyle change. It’s not like you’re going to eat healthy for a week and then revert back. You’ll need to know a lot of info about how to make the permanent switch.
There will be more than a few times where you’re tempted to throw the same old things into your shopping cart, but this is where knowing which food items to purchase comes in handy. You won’t have to sacrifice a lot of the things you love once you’re informed of the process. You’ll learn how to spot healthy alternatives.
Whether by keeping a journal or by vigorously watching the scales, you will need to track your progress. And not only for your overall body weight, mind you, but also for your cupboards and your fridge and all the other changes you’re making.
This is where the men are separated from the boys (or the women from the girls). Preparing your food correctly is everything. If you drenched tofu in batter and deep-fried it, you might as well still be eating fried chicken. You will need to start steaming, baking, poaching and grilling food instead of frying and sauteing. You will have to substitute butter for olive oil, take it easy on the salt, and limit your bad starches.
Now that your mind and body is prepared and you have an idea of how you will receive your nutrition, it’s time to start out with an exercise regimen. Start slow at first, making sure to exercise at least 20 minutes every day. As you become used to working out, you should increase the duration and the intensity of your workouts.
Nothing you learn is worth the brain cells it’s kept in unless you actually follow through with it. You’ll have to stay motivated to change. This isn’t a time to rest on your laurels. You need to push through continuously.
Living a more nutritious lifestyle is a reward in itself. Remember to use these tips above to help you live a healthier, more active life.