Your day to day choices not only influence your health but your vitality as you age. Try and gradually introduce these tips into your daily routine to create new habits. Choose 5 things you don’t already do and carry them out today. Make the change now and I guarantee you will start to feel better almost instantly! As the days go by, it will only become easier and theses tips will soon become second nature to you!
So here are my top 25 strategies to a better and healthier you –
- Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate – aim for a minimum of 2lts a day.
- Remove processed and packaged foods from your diet as they are low in nutrients and wont keep you satisfied in the long run. These include fruit juices, chocolate, crisps, ice creams, confectionary, low fat, sweetened yoghurts, soft drinks, crackers, biscuits, dried fruit etc.
- Remove refined sugars from your diet.
- Get a good night sleep! Turn all electrical devices off an hour before bed and read a book, meditate or listen to some music.
- Relax and maintain stress– Have a bath full of Epsom salts or magnesium flakes.
- Don’t eat ‘bad’ fats as they increase your bad cholesterol – Stop eating trans fats like deep fried foods and cooking with sunflower oil, vegetable oils, peanut oils, corn and rapeseed oil. Opt for organic and cold pressed varieties of olive oil, coconut oil and flax seed oil. Eat fats high in Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s in moderation!
- Eat breakfast – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it doesn’t mean you have to go big though. If you’re not a big eater in the morning and tend to skip breakfast look at having a piece of fruit with some nuts, yoghurt or some sort of protein (smoke salmon, eggs etc)
- You time – Get outdoors, go to the park and go for a walk. Disconnect from your phone and take some time out.
- Mindful eating – Sit down at your kitchen table and eat, don’t eat in front of your TV, laptop or phone. Eat slowly, chew your food and enjoy it! Wait atleast 20 minutes before going for seconds.
- Eat lots of fruit and vegetable – These are high in vitamins and minerals which is crucial for optimal health. They will help your body to remove any toxins and waste during your detox, weight loss phase. Eat as many green vegetables as possible and avoid high sugar fruits such as bananas, apples, mangoes, grapes and dates for a few weeks while you re-set your system!
- Remove starchy foods/wheat from your diet – Some of these foods include wheat, barley, bread, bagels, pitta, crumpets, rolls, pizza, white rice, pasta, potatoes, breakfast cereals and bars, pastries, croissants etc.
- Get moving – get off the tube a stop earlier and walk to work or better yet walk or ride to work. Walk up the escalators, always try and reach your 10,000 step goal a day on your smart phone.
- Exercise – Aim to get your sweat on 3+ times a week. Go for a run, swim, spin class, go to the park and do a circuit, do some sprints. The higher the intensity the better. The options are endless!
- Eat lots of fibre rich foods to help maintain a healthy bowel movement. Foods high in fibre include lentils, chickpeas, peas, brussel sprouts, artichokes, black beans, avocado, berries, oats.
- Eat probiotic rich foods or take a probiotic supplement to help support your gut microbes and maintain ‘good’ bacteria. Foods such as pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir and good quality Greek yoghurt are great sources of probiotics.
- Meditate – learn to meditate, concentrate on your breathing and sit in silence for at least 10 minutes every day. Make time for it!
- Reduce or remove alcohol from your diet for at least 2 weeks. Give your system a break!
- Eat real foods – Eat how your ancestors would eat. Eat good quality proteins, dairy, fruit and vegetables.
- Eat the rainbow – Try and eat a mixed array of seasonal fruit and vegetables. Try and get as many different vitamins and minerals into your diet as possible. Mix up your food show each week!
- Remove toxins from your body/life – Buy organic proteins and vegetables if or where you can afford to. Use natural beauty and cleaning products. Remove the amount of plastic used in your household.
- Go to the farmers markets – Buy local fresh produce which hasn’t travelled far to get to you and will contain far more nutrients than the supermarket produce from Peru!
- Cut out the crap – Start reading ingredient labels. If you can’t pronounce the ingredient or don’t know what it is then just don’t eat it!
- Eat raw and fresh foods first – Raw foods contain more enzymes in them. Try and eat these foods first throughout the day!
- Stop rewarding yourself with food – Enjoy a manicure, a night at the movies, a pair of new trainers or anything else you may have your eye on!
- Nourish – Eat for nutrients, nourish your body. Think to yourself before eating or buying something – Is this food going to make me feel energized and amazing or sluggish and guilty!
Hope you enjoyed these tips, please let me know your thoughts in the comments box below!
Lucy xx
