Tips and tricks into a more active and healthier living.
Living a healthy life can be difficult because of other daily tasks. Working a 9-5 job and still having children and pets to look after, very few people want to take a 5km run after a stressful day and then still be tasked with more household chores and duties. It can be hard to make the time but what if there was a way to lose weight and keep to the daily routine? Here is some tips and tricks on how to do both and still have time for yourself:
Start Small: Waking up and doing a few stretches and small exercises, is easy and only takes 5 minutes out of the day. Set your alarm for 5 minutes earlier then what you would have the night before, wake up and begin with a dynamic stretch. After your body feels stretched, do some light exercises; sit-ups, push-ups, plank, lunges and squats. Start out light with doing around 15 of each or squating for 15 seconds, you want a light pain in your muscles, not something that is going to make doing your daily routine too strenuous from tired muscles. If you have done this routine for a little while and find that you want to add a little more intensity to your workout, you will need to incorporate more time and perhaps, since we are in the age of technology, why not use an app on the phone to give you new ideas, as well as monitor how much you are getting out of each exercise.
Encourage the whole family: Healthy living should not just be something you aspire to and should be promote through the household. According to Healthy Living Alliance almost 70% of women and 39% of men are overweight in South Africa and fast food restaurants popping up at alarming rates, this estimate will only increase. It is important to encourage healthy living with your family as this will not only benefit them but could be a family task. Set aside Saturday or Sunday morning for exercise, after church or after homework. Whatever the excuse, do the important tasks and then drag the family out for some fun in the sun. Going to the beach, doing hikes, fun runs and many exciting activities that not only improves your health but brings your family closer. Children use to be outdoors because of all the possibilities that could happen or they could create, now children are indoors for all the possibilities a phone can show you. It is crucial for a parent to encourage activity outdoor and what better way to protect your child or ensure they are outdoors, than being out there with them.
Exercise at work: No, i don’t mean do jumping jacks in the office but there are ways to be active when you are at a seated job all day or sit frequently during the day. It is estimated that 86% of working American people sit at desk jobs, that is a 9-5 on your bum. That is a whole lot of brain activity with very little body activity, not to mention the back strain from having to slouch to type or sign things, which is a norm in a desk job. That is 8 hours at a desk and that doesn’t even factor commuting, relaxing at home or even sleeping! That is a whole lot of being active by not being active. So, it is important to factor in some exercise into your daily schedule and what better way to kill two birds with one stone than doing your work and exercise together. How do we do this without being unprofessional in the work place? Following a tip from airlines, on the longer vogue flights they usually provide tips on stretches and activities to do on board to keep active and ensure that passengers aren’t just sitting for many hours. These aren’t activities that require you do draw a lot of attention as you are on board with many other passengers. This can be implemented in the workplace as well as you can do some calf raises, neck rolls, shoulder rolls, walking during meetings and even carrying a stress ball.
Be a health foodie: Health doesn’t just stop at being more active and doing exercise, that is only half of the way. What we put into our bodies matters and in a society that revolves around efficiency and good taste, this can be something difficult to keep in mind. Statistics show that 50 million Americans eat fast food everyday and even more shockingly, a third of children eat fast food on a daily basis. This is crazy amount of people and money going towards food that is bad for our bodies. It is suggested that what is spent on fast food annually, which is roughly around 3 billion, would stop world hunger for 3 years. Apart from becoming obese, the chemicals and added substitutes to make food taste good results in an increased chance of strokes, diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis and many other illnesses. Again, this can’t just be a lifestyle choice for you. If you care about the welfare of your family and want them to live a long, happy life free from life-threatening diseases, the best way to start is by watching what you put in your body and your family. Easier said then done, yet again, because what child wants vegetables over fast-food? Start out simple, with minor changes that don’t cause too much upset within the family. This new lifestyle can be a huge adjustment, so dip your toe in by changing any fizzy sodas with 100% fruit juice. The amount of sugar in sodas is scary and this is something that is considered a stable drink to a lot of people. Around 8-13 teaspoons of sugar go into 12 ounces of soda. 100% juice also contains sugar though, so keep some 5l water bottles around so you can encourage your family to have half water and half juice in their cups. This makes it still taste nice but is a lot better for the body than a glass of soda. Making sure the children don’t just have a lunch box of sweets is essential, children are still growing and need foods that are going to give them the energy and nutrients to do school and sport. Limit the sweets to one and add in water, a fruit and some cut up vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and things like that. Don’t make your children’s lunch boring, don’t give them something like an apple. Rather cut up some variety of fruit like; watermelon, pineapple,cranberries, strawberries, mango’s, oranges and many more options. When taking out the sugar, don’t take out the fun. Nuts and raisins are also something to look into as a healthier alternative to put in the lunchbox. If you are looking for ways to improve the cooking in the kitchen and to be healthier while doing it, google some healthy recipes for the family and you can find countless recipes that will give flavor to the healthy dishes. Ranging from the more complicated recipes, to the more time efficient and cost effective recipes.
There is a right time to start being healthy. It is now. You are the excuse, the obstical standing in your own way but there is an easier way to go about it then diving all in and quiting before you realize the potential you have within your own body. Take it slow and find a love for bettering yourself, rather than hating having to take time out your day to exercise. Life doesn’t wait but there is a way to fit everything in without making life too complicated. We just need to think outside the box and stop letting the excuses and external pressures stop you from achieving your goal, no matter what that is. With the little time you take out to get a bit of activity in, your body will feel more energized and you will see better results in your daily routine. A healthy body produces a healthy mind, so don’t let the demons of today stop you from the possibilities that tomorrow holds.
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