You pledge to follow a strict cardio routine every morning but soon, you’re eating cupcakes at the office.
You had a great day- worked hard in the gym, ate healthy meals and bam! you are awake all night munching on trash food.
You lost significant weight in a week by spending every waking minute in the gym and then few weeks into it, you lost your motivation, energy by working too much and start to gaining weight.
It’s a familiar story- A lot of us have a strong will to lose weight but we often go wrong with the little things that hinder a lasting weight loss. Those little things are nothing but “habits”. Working on having good habits is the first step towards a healthy lifestyle.
Rather on focusing on fad diets and excessive workouts that will give you faster yet temporary results, focus on making small changes in your lifestyle that you can live with forever.
I have no shame to accept that I gained around 15 pounds in last 3 months even after decent workout schedule. It was not my workouts but my habits that made me gain weight. So, here are my top 11 habits that I am inhabiting this month and taking my first step towards a healthy lifestyle.
1. Cook your own meal
People who cook their meals tend to opt for healthy choices as they have control over the ingredients they are putting and the quantity they are preparing.
Restaurant and packed food are less in nutrition and more in calories than compared to home cooked food prepared with fresh ingredients.
2. Start your day with breakfast
Starting your day with breakfast helps you to boost your metabolism and reduce overeating during the day. Your Breakfast should include food that is rich in lean protein and fiber.
My go-to breakfast includes- Chia pudding or oatmeal and 2 egg whites, a glass of warm water with Apple cider vinegar and lemon.
Eating oatmeal has endless advantages, one of which is- it is rich in fiber and healthy carbs. Both oats and ACV stimulate weight loss.
3. Don’t stay up late
Staying up late catching on your favorite TV show or working late does a lot of damage to your health both physically and mentally. It also affects your weight loss as it lets you indulge in wrong food.
When you are sleep deprived, your body releases stress hormone ‘cortisol’ which is a fat generating hormone (esp belly fat)
Try to avoid eating anything post dinner.
4. Eat small and often
Eating after every 3/4 hours in small portions keeps you full and reduce the chances of overeating at once. Try to add a variety of food from each food group for each meal.
One of the better ways to portion control is going for smaller dinnerware. Smaller bowls or plates trick you by making the food portions look bigger.
You can also indulge in your cravings by controlling the quantity of intake.
5. Drink lots of water every day
One of the tricks I’ve learned is drinking water before every meal. Water makes you feel full sooner, so you eat less which in turn helps you lose weight faster. Drinking water also improves digestion, makes you look younger and improves overall health.
In general, you should drink an ounce of water for each pound you weigh. If you weigh 130 pounds (58 kg) you should drink 120 ounces (3.5 liters) of water.
6. Don’t stock up on wrong food in the house
The best way to avoid indulging in trash diet food is by not buying and bringing home.
Leave cake, donuts, cupcakes, potato chips and high-calorie food for occasional indulges only. Don’t stock them at home as you will end up eating all at once.
7. Eat only when you are hungry not when you are bored, angry or sad
Emotional eating is the worst way to treat your body. Trust me I always do that and end up feeling sadder.
The best way to avoid unnecessary munching is by drinking water constantly or consuming fruits high in water. It will fill your stomach fast and not allow you to eat anything else.
The best way to overcome any emotional trauma is eating good food and by working out.
8. Involve in some kind of activity every day
Not everyone has time in the world to hit the gym every day. Try adding some kind of activity to your routine that involves body movement.
Any movement in your body is an exercise if you ask him. Make simple changes in your lifestyle like taking stairs to your apartment, parking at a further lot, stretching while cooking, taking the longest route to restrooms at work.
9. Eat more vegetables
Vegetables are the best natural source of vitamins and minerals. They are low in fat and calories, a good source of dietary fiber.
Being low in calories enables you to eat lots of vegetables without consuming excess fat, the high fiber content helps fill the stomach faster. Vitamin and minerals in the vegetable supply body with nutrition
The nutrition helps to build muscles and boost energy.
10. Eat Healthier over weekends
There was a time when I ate healthy food all week but went on food splurge over weekends.
The best way to control excessive food intake over weekends is by working out at least one day on the weekend. This will help you to maintain your routine and have control over your food consumption
11. Avoid white food (poison)
Avoid taking more white food like salt, sugar, all-purpose flour (maida), butter, etc.
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