Top 10 Tips for Health & Wellness

Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, improving your outlook, and stabilising your mood.

Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain weight, build muscle, become fitter, feel better, feel stronger, feel more energised, run that extra mile or complete that
marathon by next year… Health and fitness will most definitely play a part in your achievements. Keep reading and pick up a few tips to help you achieve the new
improved you!

STEP 1: GOAL SETTING

• Set targets: Find your goal, make the plan and work towards it!
• Baby Steps: To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps—like adding a salad to your diet once a
day—rather than one big drastic change. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices.
• Patience is key: You must be patient and your results will follow
• Manage your time: If you don’t do this well then everything that makes you healthy suffers – you won’t get enough sleep, you won’t have time to prepare
healthy foods, and you won’t find the time to exercise. Book appointments for the gym or some time for yourself in your diary just as you would meetings for
work or the family.

STEP 2: DIET IS KEY

Food is a basic need for the efficient functioning of the human body. The human body needs a specific quantity of different ingredients to function.

• Cut back on regular tea and coffee intake which are high in caffeine. Substituting all-natural green tea is an excellent way to boost your weight loss and your
health. Not only does it have the power to boost your metabolism, but it also contains the highest concentration of catechins, antioxidants found in plants that
have been found to protect against heart disease and even some cancers. Sip on a few cups of green tea throughout the day to get all of its amazing benefits.
• Ditch the white stuff! Switch your white carbs to brown: Wholegrain carbs are full of fibre and goodness, make this switch and watch the difference it makes to
your waistline. Most white foods (bread, rice, pasta, sugar, flour) are primarily made up of refined carbohydrates and empty calories, so cutting them out of
your diet is one of the quickest ways to shed pounds and improve your well-being.
• Food diaries can also help target areas for improvement. For instance, a food diary might make someone realize that he or she is eating 1,000 calories at lunch
and set a goal to trim lunches. Jotting down everything you consume will encourage individuals to eat a healthy diet and be physically active. Diet diaries
are powerful tools to make the individual accountable for the food that they are putting in their bodies and they also increase the awareness of where those
extra calories are coming from.

STEP 3: WATER

Water is a major component of the human body and can make up 45-75% of total body mass. Body water content can vary greatly between individuals. Most of this water is contained inside our cells
• Increase your water consumption.
• A lot of time our brains tell our bodies we are hungry when it is actually just dehydrated and thirsty.
• It would be a good idea to invest in a good quality PBA- free water bottle which you can reuse and keep yourself hydrated throughout the day.
• Our bodies are made up of 60-70% of water.
• Water is not only good at filling you up and slimming you down. It is also extremely beneficial for your skin and teeth.

Drinking water is so important for staying healthy, energised, and even losing weight. There are so many reasons to stay hydrated—hunger is often disguised as
thirst, it boosts your metabolism, and water is the best energy drink available. Maximum activities of human body are dependent on water for their proper
functions. There is no one right answer to how much water you need, as it depends on each person and their lifestyle—you may need to modify your fluid
intake depending on how active you are, where you live, your health, and if you are pregnant and/or breastfeeding. Lack of appropriate quantity of water may cause a lot of disorders, so it is recommended to take a proper quantity of water daily. Drink plenty of water. Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins, yet many people go through life dehydrated—causing tiredness, low energy, and headaches. It’s common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help you make healthier food choices. Individuals who are exercising during the day will require an even greater volume of water intake due to the extra fluid loss during their workout. Athletes can experience up to 3 litres of fluid loss per hour, during intense exercise. We can work out how much extra liquid is required, based on our calorie intake. It is recommended to intake 1ml of water for every calorie of food consumed. e.g. A diet of 2500kcal will require a 2500ml intake of water.

STEP 4: PORTION CONTROL

Do not rush your meals. Eat slowly to allow your body to digest your food. This will allow your body time to register that it is full and prevent you from
overeating.
• Really enjoy your food by paying attention to the taste, texture, aroma etc which will give you more satisfaction from your meal and prevent you from
reaching for unhealthy snacks shortly after meals.
• Focus on how you feel after eating. This will help foster healthy new habits and tastes. The more healthy food you eat, the better you’ll feel after a meal. The
more junk food you eat, the more likely you are to feel uncomfortable, nauseous, or drained of energy.
• Avoid mindless eating. Mindless eating is classified as any other reason other than hunger to eat- sight, smell, stress, taste, texture, boredom, anxiety etc. If
you are not truly hungry distract yourself with a positive activity- walking, reading, painting, talking to a friend etc.
• Use smaller bowls, plates and cups as studies have shown that people serve themselves 20-40% more food when they are using larger plates.

ACTION PLAN
• Think about your food while you are eating it
• Read labels to get to grips with portion size
• Be aware of the calories you are eating
• Avoid hidden calories
• Use a smaller plate (91/2-101/2 inch-24-25cm plate)
• Load the plate with vegetables
• Don’t have unhealthy foods easily accessed
• PLan your situations that you know trigger mindless eating
• Be realistic and aware of stress eating and emotional eating

STEP 5: TREAT YOURSELF

If you stuck to a plan and completed what you aimed for this week reward yourself. Non-food rewards (beyond chocolate). Treat yourself once a week: Whatever your treat meal is, one day a week have whatever you want and enjoy it! This creates balance and longevity. Feeling guilty about that giant ice cream sundae you enjoyed at your niece’s birthday party? Don’t beat yourself up! It takes a lot of calories—3,500—to gain a pound of body fat. So really, that one off day doesn’t usually result in any significant weight gain. It’s about what you do the next day and the day after that’s really important—so don’t stay off-track. So be sure to whittle away at those extra calories over the next day or two, preferably by boosting exercise rather than eating too little. Starvation is not the healthy answer!

STEP 6: FOOD PREPARATION

Make your own healthy treats. Preparation is key. Have plenty of spices, fresh herbs, and lemons at your cooking beck and call. It’s amazing what a little dash of spice, sprinkle of herbs, pinch of lemon zest, or squirt of lime juice can do to liven up a dish—and your diet. The best part: They contain almost no calories. Experiment with your dinner, tonight! Regardless of what you’re doing, preparing yourself in advance gives you the best chance to accomplish your goals. Try preparing your food in advance to ensure that you do not eat unhealthy foods or skip meals. Shop once a week: One day a week, get your food shop done, stock the fridge and you will be amazed how much easier it is to be healthy. Prepare more of your own meals. Cooking more meals at home can help you take charge of what you’re eating and better monitor exactly what goes into your food Read the labels. It’s important to be aware of what’s in your food as manufacturers
often hide large amounts of sugar or unhealthy fats in packaged food, even food claiming to be healthy. Cook at home. You’ll have more control over what you consume, and you know what that food contains, and how much of it you’re eating. That makes for a more detailed entry in your food diary.

STEP 7: MAKE BREAKFAST MANDATORY

You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating: Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day! Skipping the first meal of the day can increase risk for
obesity more than fourfold. If you don’t eat right when you wake up, your body senses a famine is coming and slows your metabolism to compensate. Then, when
your body is presented with food later, it’s ravenous and wants to pack it in, leading to bingeing with a slow metabolism—a recipe for weight gain. Too busy for breakfast? Try a smoothie. Smoothies with an avocado, Greek yogurt or banana are great additives to make any smoothie or juice creamier. Lemon up: Boiling water with lemon is fantastic for your skin, hair and digestion, cheap and effective.

STEP 8: MOVE MORE-CARDIO & STRENGTH TRAINING

To get the best results we need to do a mixture of both Aerobic (Physical exercise that requires oxygen to meet energy demands-cardio training) and Anaerobic
exercise which is more intense training that triggers lactate formation promoting strength and power- resistant training) Have fun: No matter what exercise you do; it has to be fun! If it’s fun you will continue to do it, how many people continue with sports they don’t enjoy? Strength: Build more muscle mass. Once we pass the age of 40 we start to lose muscle mass and it leads to a slower metabolism, middle-aged weight gain and a decline in strength and function. You can build muscle mass by doing strength training exercises. More muscle equals more energy burned. After burn effect- metabolism remains elevated and you keep burning calories long after you have worked out. Women don’t be afraid to strength train. It will not make you look like the hulk-that is a complete myth. Unfortunately, these myths are keeping too many women from experiencing the profound benefits of resistance training. Simply put, women aren’t built the same way as men are and we do not gain muscle mass as easily. Women lack the right balance of hormones, testosterone and growth hormone, to put on muscle mass the way men do.

The huge advantage to weight training is your body’s ability to burn fat during and after exercise. Resistance training causes an increase in energy expenditure hours after you train. Lifting weights can reduce your risk of heart disease. As you age, you are at risk of losing both bone and muscle mass. Postmenopausal
women are at a greater risk for osteoporosis because the body no longer secretes oestrogen. Resistance training is an excellent way to combat loss of bone mass,
and it decreases the risk of osteoporosis. In addition, resistance-training studies on older adults show that moderate intensity weightlifting improves memory and cognitive function. Next time you need to blow off some steam, hit the weights.

Exercise does not have to be performed in the gym. It can be done at home, in the local park, at the beach etc. Whatever type or form of exercise you choose, make sure it does not feel like a chore and that it is enjoyable for you. If time is an issue and you cannot dedicate an hour a day to work out. It is all about small changes. Break it up into 10 minutes of activity- it will all add up. Just make sure you are moving more at every opportunity you get e.g. take the stairs,
do 20 jumping jacks during each commercial break, play with the kids, take the dog for a walk, use 20 minutes from your lunch hour to take a brisk walk. Get off your bus a few stops early and walk the rest of the way home. When you exercise, focus, don’t simply move arms and legs up and down. You need to focus on the muscles. If you actually think about the move you’re doing and squeeze the muscle you’re working while you do it you recruit more muscle fibres and get a faster, more effective result. Exercise in general is a great way to manage stress. Researchers have consistently found that those who regularly strength train tend to manage stress better and experience fewer adverse reactions to stressful situations as those who do not exercise. Our bodies can’t recover as well if we’re not strong, so a balanced workout plan that includes strength, cardio, and flexibility training is recommended.

For beginners- Introducing exercise gradually is the most effective way of making it a long term habit. As you become more comfortable and confident you will be
able to slowly increase your activity level. Break up your workouts. If you dread a long workout, break it into small chunks. “Five minutes here, 5 minutes there — it all adds up, Simply tricks:
Stretch for 10 minutes before your morning shower.
Take a brisk, 20-minute walk at lunch.
Lift weights while you wait for your pasta water to boil.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Park the car a bit further from the shop or at work.
Walk around the block after dinner-make it a habit!

Change your workouts: Bodies react to change, so change your workouts as often as possible to get the best results. Stretch. It makes you more flexible, relieves muscle tension, and improves posture. It also helps you tune in to your body. If you don’t rest, you don’t get the results you desire. Have two rest days a week,
it’s during rest that your body strengthens and grows. Overtraining will also lead to you losing enjoyment in what you’re doing. Sometimes, when life is hectic, you won’t want to work out and you should ask yourself where that comes from: is it an excuse or is your body trying to tell you that it needs more rest?

STEP 9: CONSISTENCY

• Keep yourself motivated. Treat yourself to new sports gear. Buy yourself a comfy pair of runners to walk to work. Make yourself a new music playlist which
you find uplifting and to really get you going.
• Challenge yourself. Step it up. Work out 5 minutes longer. Raise the incline level on your treadmill. Go for a few extra repetitions. It makes a difference. We
should always be pushing ourselves.
• Enjoy the Challenge: By embracing every challenge you face you will see greater improvements both mentally and physically.

STEP 10: SLEEP

The old saying ‘you snooze, you lose’ couldn’t be more accurate when it comes to shedding pounds. Depriving your body of sleep can speed up the aging process
and deter your weight-loss efforts. The brain craves carbohydrates when you’re tired, so you could unknowingly sabotage even the best laid plans. Aim for a good
6-8 hours (minimum) of sleep every night to allow your body to restore and to protect vital organ functions. All human body organs need rest for their normal functions. The human body is like a machine and if this machine is over worked it may lose its balance. Over work, both physical and mental may cause loss of health and much disorder. Continuous work and absence of rest is bad for a healthy body. There is no specific time for taking rest but as much rest as your body feels fresh and comfortable is recommended. It is also recommended for ladies and especially for pregnant ladies to take as much rest as possible because they need it more than a normal person.