Emma Phillips

Maintaining your health just got a lot easier. Sometimes it only takes a simple plan to get us from a world of “Where do I start,” to a lifestyle of healthy and happy. Create your health plan by following 10 simple steps that will lead to a healthier lifestyle.

 

1. Plan Your Meals

What you take in is just as important, if not more important, than what you work off. Find a healthy eating plan that fits you and your lifestyle and plan your meals a week in advance. By determining what your healthy meals will be, you won’t have to resort to fast food meals or junk food snacks. You will have already planned, purchased, and prepared your meals and snacks. Crockpot meals are great for eating healthy and saving you time. You can pre-make your meals and freeze them for another quick meal option later.

 

2. Set Goals

It’s always encouraging to reach a goal or accomplish a new task. Take the time to set fitness goals for yourself, including things like: daily calorie intake, time spent engaging in a physical activity, or ideal body weight by the end of the week. Set your goals based on your current health level to give yourself a safe starting point. You can always increase them later.

 

3. Record Your Exercise Accomplishments

As you work out, track your progress by keeping an exercise log. There are apps that serve as a fitness journal, or you can simply keep a notebook or spreadsheet in order to monitor your achievements. Your log will give you a visual of where you are on your journey as well as what you can improve in the future.

 

4. Reward Success

Whenever you complete one of your goals, reward yourself! Maybe your prize can include something like going to see a movie, buying a new outfit, or throwing a few dollars in a vacation fund. It will be a fun incentive to help keep you on track, and encourage you along the way. Just avoid rewarding yourself with alcohol or other problematic substances.

 

5. Raise Your Standards

Once your goals are met, it’s time to make new ones. Give yourself a slightly more challenging standard like more repetitions of a specific exercise, a longer running distance on the treadmill, or try a new machine at the gym. Give yourself further room to improve without making the new standards too easy, and never stop growing your skills.

 

6. Maintain a Positive Attitude

Attitude is everything. If you have a negative attitude about your progress, you won’t have the motivation to keep up your fitness routine. Grab yourself a couple of motivational quotes to post on your bathroom mirror, leave in your car, or keep somewhere on your smartphone. You can take it one step further by finding a friend who can partner with you to encourage you in your health goals.

 

7. Educate Yourself About New Health Studies

The complexity of the human body is constantly creating new advancements in health studies. Make sure you are doing the best exercises or diets for your body type. Stay up-to-date with the latest health and fitness news, and learn new ways to change up your routine as you go.

 

Now that you have a plan of action, try it out this week. Make your health plan your own, complete with a full set of planned meals, weekly goals, exercise routines, and a positive attitude. Take your next step to living a healthier lifestyle.

Author: Paige Johnson at www.learnfit.org

You maybe following an exercise plan and eating healthier foods but not losing weight. Here are a few reasons why you may not be dropping those pounds.

Relying on exercise alone to lose weight

The best way to lose weight is to cut back on what you eat and increase calorie burning through exercise. Exercising without dieting won’t burn that many calories.  A hour of intense exercise may only burn 400-500 calories but you could be eating a lot more calories than you are burning up, so aim to diet and exercise together for better weight loss results.

Only doing cardio exercise

Building muscles mass will burn more calories so try adding a strength workout 3 times a week such as lifting weights, kettlebells, circuit training or power yoga.

Not drinking enough water

If you don’t drink enough water you are likely to become dehydrated, feel sluggish and can feel more hungry.  Aim to drink 2 litres of water every day and avoid juices, soda and sweetened iced tea’s which are full of calories. Aside from that, sipping water also helps fill up your belly and prevent bloating and constipation.

Skipping Meals

Skipping meals in an attempt to reduce calories can slow down you metabolism and make you feel hungry leading to more calories being consumed throughout the day. Lose weight by eating smaller, healthier, nutrient-rich foods and aim to eat lean protein such as chicken or fish, wholegrain carbohydrates such as oats, whole grain rice or quinoa and some monounsaturated good fats such as salmon, tuna, nuts and seeds.

Contact me for more information on my Diet and Exercise Plans:  ephillips47@gmail.com

SUPERFOODS FOR SPORTS

Adding Super Foods to your diet is an effective way to increase energy, promote good health and aid recovery from hard training. Here are some foods you should include in your diet:

Bananas

Bananas are great as a pre and post workout snack, containing potassium, magnesium and vitamin B6. They contain carbohydrates, help maintain low blood sugar, regulate digestion and re-fuel your body with electrolytes after exercise. Vitamin B6 in bananas acts as an anti-inflammatory agent

Quinoa

Quinoa is high in both carbohydrates and protein. It is great for vegetarians as it contains 10% of your daily iron needs in one serving. Iron is needed for the production of hemoglobin in your red blood cells. Runners tend to lose more iron due to the foot striking the ground (which breaks down red blood cells). If your iron level are low, your running performance is likely to suffer. Quinoa can be used in many dishes, or in salads.

Strawberries

Strawberries contain Vitamin C and anthocyanins – antioxidant flavonoids which help fight inflammation and repair the muscles.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is high in complex carbohydrates, it contains Vitamin B and is rich in minerals and antioxidants. It is a good source of protein and has a low glycemic index, which provides a sustained release of energy into the bloodstream. Oatmeal helps lower cholesterol and keeps you full for longer.

Spirulina

Spirulina is a great multivitamin, it’s natural and increases energy and endurance