02/08/2018
7 Habits That Will Get You Healthy & Fit For Life
1. Stop making excuses
I know, you're too busy to go to the gym. It takes too much time to pack a healthy lunch and too hard to find something healthy to eat out. You would work out at home, but you don't know how.
2. Walk more.
Even if you go to the gym six days a week, the real key to lifelong fitness is to simply be more active and walk more in your day-to-day life. Try making a conscious effort to walk whenever and wherever you can: to the grocery store, to get your afternoon coffee or go on a post-dinner stroll with your family. Try and aim for at least 10,000 steps a day.
3. Don’t always deprive yourself
Although it may seem counterintuitive, striving to always be "perfect" with your nutrition is actually not a good long-term strategy to get or stay in shape. Depriving yourself of dessert and all the foods you love will only result in a binge of those very same foods when your willpower is at a moment of weakness.
4. Find activities that get you moving.
Instead of always going to the movies or sitting around for long meals, try finding some activities you and friends or loved ones enjoy doing together. Go for a bike ride, take a scenic hike, set up a game of bocce ball for the whole family to enjoy — the list is endless! Not only will you get moving, you're bound to have more fun as well.
5. Shorten your workouts.
When you have to plan an hour or more for a workout, of course it's not always possible to go to the gym. But when you pack your entire workout into an efficient, 10-20 minute HIIT workout that works your entire body and leaves you soaked in sweat, you'll no longer have the same excuse to skip your workout as often as you normally would. Just remember to work hard!
6. Make sleep a priority
Many of us underestimate the importance of a good night's rest, but it's crucial for long-term health that you give your body a proper amount of sleep each night. And if thinking long-term isn’t enough of an incentive, remember this: too little sleep can also impair weight loss efforts due to raised cortisol levels. Try and get around seven to eight hours a night on a regular basis.
7. Find ways to actually enjoy your veggies.
I get it, not everyone loves the taste of vegetables. Although I now crave veggies like broccoli, brussels sprouts and kale on a daily basis, there were definitely times in my life when I ate nothing but mac and cheese for days (college, anyone?).
Mrs Azra Furniturewala
Nutritionist