The following are nutrition-related habits of healthy people.
Hopefully, you already have a battery of healthy behaviors in your life; you do group training in Northridge or Encino (with us, of course, or even with someone else!), personal training, follow a nutrition program, manage your stress and get a lot of rejuvenating sleep!
But here are some quick and easy tips you can undertake to improve your health.
1. Drink water – Among other things, water transports nutrients in your body, flushes toxins out and is necessary for digestion. Drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water is thought to be a pretty good daily target. If you’re looking to lose weight, drink a tall glass of water prior to each meal. You’ll feel fuller and be less likely to over-eat.
2. Eat slowly – Make a conscious decision to eat every meal slower. The benefits are better digestion…better hydration…greater satisfaction…plus you’ll likely consume fewer calories each meal. When you eat slowly, your body has time to send signals in regard to how full you are. Two “ slower eating” tips:
a) Put down your utensils between bites;
b) If you’re eating with others around you, look for the slowest eater (if there is one) and mimic them.
3. Eat breakfast – We’ ve all heard this, and for good reason. A 2015 study by the American Friends of Tel Aviv University revealed that people who ate a bigger breakfast and a smaller dinner had significantly lower levels of insulin, glucose, and triglycerides which translates into a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. Not to mention setting your body up for success.
4. Focus in on certain foods – Specifically fruit, vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, milk, total polyunsaturated fatty acids, fish, omega-3s, and dietary fiber.
5. Limit or eliminate unhealthy foods – Such as unprocessed meats, processed meats, sugar, saturated fat, trans fat, dietary cholesterol, and sodium.
6. Have a good knowledge of what’s healthy and what’s not – There’s an entire industry thinking up new ways to lure you into eating their unhealthy food. Educate yourself! Read the nutrition labels religiously. Calculate how much sugar, salt, and fat is contained in each serving. Make sure the servings are within the recommended daily intake level. Read the ingredient list. Make it your mission to know as much about the food you eat as possible.
7. Keep a journal – Each day, in addition to writing down what you ate, how often you ate and when, add in how you were feeling throughout the day. Were you hungry? Stressed? Bored? Tired? At the end of each week, note what you did right, what you did wrong and then identify any eating patterns that needs improving.
Start making small changes today and your approach to your overall food consumption. I guarantee in as little as 30 days, you’ll notice a profound difference in how you look and feel.
Learn More at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArenaFitnessTrainingCenter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/arenafitness
Google + Encino: https://plus.google.com/+ArenaFitnessEncino/about
Google + Northridge: https://plus.google.com/110710834928161501292/about
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/arenafitness/
Jonathan Aluzas is the Membership Director for Arena Fitness, a fitness center that offers group training in Northridge as well as personal training in Encino.