We are all guilty of making the New Year resolution to be healthier, then come February (or in my case the middle of January) we are back to our normal routine!
Starting a healthy lifestyle can be hard, so let’s first look at just a few of the benefits to give us some motivation.
Beat the blues
A healthy lifestyle and regular exercise stimulate your happy hormones, reducing stress levels and helping create a positive outlook.
Sleep Soundly
Regular exercise and a healthy diet not only ensures you’ll have a better night’s sleep, but it also helps you to fall asleep much faster. Win Win!
Be Brainier
I can’t promise you will become the next Stephen Fry but you might solve a few more conundrums on Countdown!
Lose Weight
Regular light exercise and a healthy diet will ensure you lose weight and keep the weight off. So forget the latest crash diet fad if you really want to keep feeling your best there is no better and more importantly safer way than through a healthy lifestyle.
Long Life
The risk of high-profile health issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer can be dramatically reduced through a healthier lifestyle. What more motivation do you need!
So now you have all the motivation you need to stick to this year’s new healthy living promise! What next?…
If you are looking for a quick fix, or how to drop “10 stone in a day” then this guide isn’t for you. What we are aiming for here is to ensure an ongoing healthy and active lifestyle (For which you can get your trainers here!). So if you are still interested read on…
It doesn’t mean you have to give up all the things you love and run 10k every other day. At it’s most simple all you need is to be a bit more active and eat healthier.
The biggest mistake most people make when setting out on their new fitness goal is to jump in with both feet! Take it one step at a time, if you try too hard, to begin with, you will end up feeling tired, grumpy and demoralised and won’t last more than a couple of weeks.
Check out this post on Men’s Fitness which has a 31-day guide to an improved you. The basic premise is by making just one little change every day you will hardly even notice a change in lifestyle, but the accumulation of these over the month will massively improve your health. This includes tips as simple as drinking more water and changing your breakfast from cereal to yoghurt.
Here are our tips for a healthy lifestyle.
1) Increase your Vitamin C intake
Not only does Vitamin C boost your immune system but it is also essential in the process of making carnitine. So what? I hear you cry! Well, carnitine is a compound that helps your body with the process of turning fat into fuel i.e. reducing the level of fat in your body. It is also worth noting that in times of stress carnitine levels decrease so Vitamin C can help combat this.
2) Add probiotics to your diet
These are tiny bacteria that live naturally in your body or to be more precise your gut. Keeping your probiotics topped up ensures a healthy gut which in turn has many benefits such as improving your mood and your metabolism.
3) Sleep
Tiredness naturally triggers cravings for sugar and other foods that increase your bodies short term energy levels. This obviously isn’t what you want so make sure you get a good nights sleep.
4) Eat a good breakfast
Most people make the mistake of not having enough protein at breakfast. Having a good protein rich breakfast sets you up for the day and keeps your appetite in check reducing the desire to snack throughout the day. Good examples of protein-rich breakfast ideas are Eggs or Peanut butter. Try to avoid most cereals as they are high in sugar. Check out this link for some great breakfast ideas
5) Drink Green Tea
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there is a compound in the brewed tea that temporarily speeds up your metabolism. So drinking four cups of green tea every day could help people shed 2-3kg in two months!
6) Exercise
The first tip when setting up a new exercise regime is to set yourself goals. But make sure these are realistic and achievable otherwise you will demoralise yourself before you even begin!
Simply getting out and walking more can have massive benefits to both your physical and mental well-being. But if you wish to push yourself a little further why not try a challenge such as a 10k run or a charity bike ride. That way you have something to aim for in order to keep you motivated to train. Check out our handy running guide if you decide to attempt a long distance run.
If you are like me and struggle to keep yourself motivated to get out and exercise then it is a good idea to get an exercise buddy. Make sure it is someone of similar ability so that you can push each other along.
For a great resource of health and fitness ideas and information check out the NHS Livewell page.
Finally seeing as its Wynsors, we couldn’t finish without highlighting our great range of footwear! So if you are going to start a new exercise regime make sure you have the correct trainers for the job. We have a great range of running trainers, gym shoes, football boots and more so pick up a bargain today. We also have a massive selection of men’s walking boots and ladies walking boots so if hiking is your thing grab a pair today.
So there you go, hopefully, this gives you a good starting point for a happy and healthy New Year!
