5 Simple Steps to a Healthier Lifestyle 

Too many people are discouraged from trying to improve their health because they believe it’s unattainable. They imagine hours spent training in gyms, 6am runs and a diet of salad and grilled chicken. The truth is that healthier living can be achieved with much smaller steps. By making small changes to different aspects of your life, you can start to establish new habits; these habits add up to a healthier person. There are 2 main aspects to healthy living which must be addressed: diet and exercise. However, improving these areas of your life can be much simpler than you might imagine.

1. Move More

Try to move your body every day at work and at home. This could be by taking up a sport or taking an exercise class, but it can be much more low-key. There are lots of ways to get more exercise into your everyday activity. If you usually take the bus, could you try walking instead? If you need to talk to someone at work, get up and walk over to them rather than sending an email. Take the stairs, walk the dog or park further away from the store. All are simple ways to burn a few more calories each day.

2. Stand Up More

Another easy way to burn more calories is to stand up. We sit to watch the TV, to drive a car and at our desks. Standing up for just 10 minutes each hour will add up to make a real difference. 

3. Eat More Healthy Foods

Healthy eating is a huge and potentially confusing topic, and it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the different advice out there. A simple place to start is in trying to eat more whole foods (i.e. not processed) and lower our sugar intake. It’s hard to get away from sugary foods as so many of our products are loaded with them unnecessarily. Avoiding sugary drinks is a great way to lose a lot of sugar from your diet.

4. Eat Smaller Portions

The size of our portions has continued to grow over time, and we now have quite a distorted view of what our bodies need. There are some simple ways to reduce your portion size including eating your meals off a small plate, dishing out in the kitchen so serving dishes aren’t in easy reach when you’re tempted to have a second helping and eating smaller meals regularly throughout the day. No matter where you are, there are some companies offering diet meals delivered UK wide which are pre-portioned and balanced to give you the optimum number of calories for sustainable weight loss.

5. Quit Smoking

One of the best changes you can make to improve your health is to stop smoking. Smoking damages our internal organs and increases our risk of life-threatening health problems such as cancer, strokes and heart disease. Tobacco smoking can also give you wrinkles, stain your teeth and fingers and give skin a dull appearance. It’s not easy to quit smoking, but the effort is well worth it.