Leading a healthy lifestyle
Leading a healthy lifestyle is a long-term commitment, with good nutrition and regular exercise being vital for health and wellbeing. It can often be difficult to know where to begin on your health journey, but there are many resources out there to help and advise.
Being well nourished with healthy foods ensures your body has the fuel it needs to get through the day. A healthy diet, rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low-fat dairy helps maintain blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reducing your risk of heart disease and other diseases.
Exercising often keeps your body from gaining fat, while reducing the risk of major diseases such as coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke and type 2 diabetes. It also increases dopamine; the feel-good chemical that lifts your mood.
Tips for healthy eating
- Aim to eat at least 5 different portions of fruit or vegetables per day. You can begin by blending fresh fruit and vegetables into smoothies if you are finding this difficult.
- You should incorporate all of the different food groups, with an average meal consisting of 1/3 starchy foods, such as wholewheat pasta and brown rice, plus 2/3 dairy, protein and a small amount of oil or fat.
- Fatty, sugary or unhealthy foods can be enjoyed in moderation. Cutting out these foods completely can be counter-productive due to cravings and subsequent binge eating.
- You should aim to drink between 6-8 glasses of water per day, avoiding excess caffeine, high sugar fruit juices and soft drinks as much as possible.
Tips for exercising
- You should aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes over 3 days a week, eventually increasing to the recommended 150 minutes per week. This can be as simple as taking short walks to start with.
- For any exercise to benefit your health, you need to be moving around enough to raise your heart rate, while increasing your breathing.
- If you work from home or in front of a computer for long periods of time, ensure that you take regular breaks to move around and stretch.