Spring Clean Yourself

Image

Sorry guys for the lack of posts recently. I've been bogged down with uni work and so this is my first post in a month! 


I don't know about you but now the weather is turning nicer and is warmer, I feel a lot happier and feel like I want to have a clear out and start fresh. By this I'm talking in terms of my health! The past few months have been full of dreary weather which has made me turn to the comforting foods which are easy to make and now I feel bloated and fat. So that's why I've finally decided to kick myself up the backside and get motivated to eat healthily and exercise more. 


Do you feel like that sometimes? If you do, here are a few things which I do to try and kick start myself back into a healthy lifestyle which does sag sometimes, but hey - nobody is perfect.


1. Join the gym.


Exercising has been proven to lift your mood as when you exercise your body releases chemicals which make you feel happier. Although sometimes I feel the gym is like a chore, the benefits are felt afterwards and I always feel good knowing I've been. Normally I only go for about 45 minutes every 3 to 4 days as this is recommended for women to get the most out of the gym. Also, try keeping to goals as these will motivate you to work harder rather than you ending up wandering aimlessly looking at all the machines and wondering what to do. 


If the gym you go to provide personal trainers, definitely take advantage of this. As I stated above, setting yourself goals helps a lot and so a personal trainer will motivate you and show you what will work best for the areas you want to work on. Just be careful not to go to the gym too much as your body will start to hold on to the fat and so will slow weight loss (if this is your aim).


If you don't fancy joining the gym, you could starting biking it to places which you might have driven to before. Or, offer to take your families pets for walks around the local park. This way not only do the pets get exercise and fresh air, you do too.


2. Plan a healthy diet.


Eating healthily is the key to detoxing and getting rid of the junk food you might be eating now. Remember to include fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, whole grains and rices. These all help create a balanced diet. I have found a really good website to use for reference is Weight Loss Resources. Not only does it uncover the secrets to the fad diets out there and how bad they are, but it also suggests unique ones that you can try based on how many calories you want to intake. There's also a food database to look up calorie content for most foods - definitely one website to take a look at. 


3. Reduce portion sizes/eating sensibly.


We have all done it - pile a plate full of food and finished the lot because it was so nice, and I don't know about you but I was brought up to eat everything on my plate. But there are ways of overcoming this without leaving tonnes on the plate to go to waste. 


Rather than filling the whole plate, use the inner boundary of the plate and don't go over. This stops you from eating extra than you need without it being completely bare.


Also, when you feel full, stop right away. A lot of us eat and eat without recognising that we are actually full and it takes a while before your stomach to let you know. Therefore, stopping when you feel full makes sense! 


Another idea would be to only eat half of what is on your plate. Although this sounds like a drastic step, sometimes it really helps you control what you're eating but without looking completely rude. My mum ALWAYS filled my plate full of food and so I've found if I eat approx. half of what's on there I still feel satisfied. Also, I've found I tend to pile the plate up with food but this is definitely a habit to get out of.


Eat slower. As I mentioned above, your stomach only recognises that it's full after about 10 minutes of eating and so you won't initially realise you are full. By eating slower and chewing everything a little longer, it gives your stomach a chance to tell you when you are actually full. And remember - your stomach doesn't have teeth so help it out by chewing things properly!




I hope these tips have helped you, So far I've joined the gym and am on the way to eating healthier ready for that all important holiday in the summer! Let me know what you guys think.