Want to lead a healthier lifestyle but find yourself consistently falling off the wagon? You’re not alone. So many of us have all the best intentions when it comes to living a healthy life, but find it difficult to commit to the changes that will help us to achieve this. It’s important that you take small steps and make them a habit before moving on to the next change. You should also avoid taking on too much at once. Baby steps tend to be more manageable and sustainable, helping you to implement genuine change. Here are a few different steps you can take to make changes that stick.
Manage Your Calories
It’s important that you understand calories before you make any changes to the calories you eat. Unlike the myths told by many diet clubs and companies, calories really aren’t the enemy. In fact, calories are just a unit of measurement that tells us how much energy is in any given food. Each of us has a recommended daily calorie intake, which indicates how much food we should eat to give our bodies enough energy to thrive, but not too much, which can cause storage and issues linked to being overweight. The guide below should give you a rough idea of how many calories you should be consuming based on your sex, age and activity levels.
- Children aged 2 to 8 – 1000 to 1400 calories
- Girls aged 9 to 13 – 1400 to 1600 calories
- Boys aged 9 to 13 – 1600 to 2000 calories
- Active women aged 14 to 30 – 2400 calories
- Sedentary women aged 14 to 30 – 1800 to 2000 calories
- Active men aged 14 to 30 – 2800 to 3200 calories
- Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 – 2000 to 2600 calories
- Active adults over 30 – 2000 to 3000 calories
- Sedentary adults over 30 – 1600 to 2400 calories
Get Your Fruit and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are packed with important nutrients that help your body to do its job correctly and to its best performance. This is why it’s recommended that you get five portions of fruit and veg a day. This may seem easy, but few people actually stick to it. The key to success is to make sure that you’re eating fruit and vegetables you enjoy. Try a mango lassi recipe, make vegetable crisps, and add berries to your morning cereal or porridge. The list of potential goes on and there are plenty of fun ways to eat these delicious foods. So, give them a try!
Choose Exercise You Enjoy
Most of us fail to stick to exercise routines because we just don’t enjoy the exercise we’re engaging with. But if you find something you do enjoy, you’re much more likely to stick to it. So try a few different things. The gym, personal training, swimming, cycling, dance classes, yoga, and pilates… the list goes on.
These steps are small, but they have a greatly positive impact. So, incorporate them into your routine one step at a time.
