When aiming to be fitter, thinner, or healthier, it is essential to view and embrace the whole concept of exercising and having a healthy diet as part of your life, as a lifestyle! It does not suffice to do so to lose a few pounds or to participate on that race that you always wanted to be part of. Don’t give me wrong, those goals are commendable and choosing to make a decision to accomplish them is amazing. However, these goals should be viewed as intermediate or subgoals. The main objective should be to live a fit, lean, and healthy life.

It’s a lifestyle!

There are several problems when having short-range goals while dealing with fitness transformations. One of the problems of changing your habits for a short-term range is that, sometimes, when the goal is not met at a desired time, people get discouraged and give up. Another problem is that, other times, people achieve their goal and then revert back to old habits. A more damaging problem is that people may want to reach their objectives fast and put their health at risk.

On the contrary, when you emphasize living a healthy lifestyle, your body weight normalizes and you are able to perform better. Not only that but your health improves and your body is more capable of fighting off diseased states. At the same time, negative emotions, like anxiety and frustration, dissipate. You are no longer under pressure because you know that exercise and eating healthy are part of your routine, just like taking a shower or going to work.

But what does it really mean to live a healthy life?

• You should exercise regularly. You need at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise. This can be split into thirty minutes of cardio a day, five times a week. Additionally, you need to engage into muscle-strengthening activities (such as lifting weights or using resistance bands) that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.

• You should have a clean balanced diet:

  • Your body needs 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. So you should eat at least 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit per day. Try to eat the most nutritious vegetables more often. Have more dark-green vegetables (broccoli, kale, spinach, chard, etc.), red and orange vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, red peppers, etc.), and other vegetables like avocado, cabbage, beets, and mushrooms. You should also eat beans and peas, but have a minimum amount of starchy vegetables (potatoes, plantains, corn, etc.). Keep in mind that the best way to consume them is on their fresh raw form instead of canned. Simultaneously, you should aim to buy organic produce to avoid increasing your internal toxicity.

  • Incorporate healthy fats into your diet [avocado, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, nuts and nut butters, seeds (chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, etc.), fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, etc.), and grass-fed hormone free animal products (meats, butter, ghee, etc.)].

  • Eat protein more protein [eggs, chicken, small fish (salmon, sardines, anchovies, etc.), whey protein, and red meat - occasionally]. Aim for antibiotic-free organic chicken, wild-caught fish, and organic grass-fed red meat. If you are vegetarian, incorporate spirulina, hemp, tempeh, quinoa, legumes, peanuts, nuts, and chia seeds.

• Eliminate the regular consumption of soda, white flour, commercial baked goods, cereal and chips, candy, fried foods, microwave popcorn, vegetable oils, and deli meats.

• Cleanse your body at least once a year to lower your body’s the toxic load.

• Sleep 7-8 hours per night if you can.

• Manage stress in a healthy way.

When you incorporate the above tips, you feel better physically as well as emotionally. At the same time, your immune system works properly, and excess body fat diminishes until your body achieves homeostasis -it’s ideal equilibrium.

Adriana Albritton

http://www.fitnall.com