You can achieve your goal of staying healthy by changing your eating and physical activity habits. True "health buffs" typically follow a drastic version of a healthy diet, often cutting out dairy, some meats, and all processed products. Usually, they combine a rigorous training regimen with an equally strict diet. As always, before making any major changes to your diet or physical activity, consult a doctor. Becoming a health fanatic is not a path for everyone, but if you decide to take this path, be prepared to work hard!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Eating Healthy
Step 1. Make a meal plan
Think about your current diet and how you want to change it. It is always useful to leave gradually, you cannot change your habits overnight. You should also proceed with a family member or friend (or with the whole family); It is very useful to have someone to talk to and to help you respect the commitment.
Step 2. Eat fruits and vegetables
You should consume 7-9 servings a day, choose the products you like and take the opportunity to try new flavors; look for some recipes and preparations that inspire you. To consume more fruit, when you don't know how to do it, make a smoothie. If you don't want to eat raw vegetables, keep in mind that you can roast most of them in the oven at high temperatures. Here are some of the freshest products:
- Dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, chard);
- Beet;
- Red peppers;
- Sweet potatoes;
- Berries;
- Apples;
- Kiwi;
- Grape;
- Papaya.
Step 3. Choose whole grains that contain bran, germ and endosperm
Among the most common are barley, oats, quinoa, brown rice and Venus, wheats such as spelled and kamut and so on; these foods are high in carbohydrates, but in their healthiest form. Remember that there are many types of pasta and a wide range of breads, all wholemeal and delicious.
Step 4. Eat lean meats
To be defined as such, they must contain less than 10g of fat in a 150g cut. Turkey and chicken are lean meats, but there are some red ones that are just as low in fat, such as tenderloin and staple. Fish and lean meats are excellent sources of protein, but they should not be the foods you consume in greater quantities; you have to eat more fruits and vegetables than meat.
Step 5. Drink the water
It is the healthiest drink ever and offers many health benefits. Aim to consume 6-8 8-ounce glasses per day. Black coffee and tea are low in calories and can be part of your daily fluid intake if you can't stop drinking caffeine.
Step 6. Avoid industrially processed foods
They are often too sweet or salty and are poor in nutritional values; this means you shouldn't eat those that contain:
- High fructose corn syrup;
- Artificial flavors and dyes;
- Monosodium glutamate (a flavor enhancer).
Step 7. Consider minimizing dairy and meat
Many healthists believe that both products, taken in large quantities, are harmful to humans; they believe the diet should be essentially vegan (no animal products), which includes large amounts of whole grains as well as fruits and vegetables. Consuming some meat and dairy products on an occasional basis is allowed, but they shouldn't be the mainstay of your diet.
Part 2 of 3: Taking on New Habits
Step 1. Check the power supply
If you are used to eating often at restaurants, consider cooking your meals at home to have more control over the food you consume. Check out cookbooks and online sites where you can find new and mouth-watering recipes. Part of the path to becoming a health foodie is to change your eating habits, and new dishes can become a component of that evolution. Cooking the usual dishes and reducing the portions may prove to be more difficult than preparing a low-calorie dish without altering the quantities.
Step 2. Eat home cooked meals
Bring lunch to work or school. For some people, this simple trick allows them to eat healthier and more consciously. Homemade dishes are better in terms of quality than the vast majority of those cooked in restaurants, as they do not contain the same preservatives or high doses of sodium.
Step 3. Go grocery shopping with a whole new list
Buy the foods you need to stick to healthier new habits. Buy ingredients and not pre-cooked or ready-made products, because they are usually rich in sodium and preservatives, just like those in the restaurant. Even if you think it will take a long time to get used to cooking, remember that your dishes are better and healthier.
Step 4. Go to the kitchen
Identify the products in the pantry and in the refrigerator that you want to eliminate from the diet; pay particular attention to industrial and packaged food because it is often rich in chemicals and additives, as well as salt.
Throw out anything that contains trans fats. If an ingredient is a "partially hydrogenated oil", remember that it is just a different name for trans fats, the main culprits of heart attack and stroke. If not immediately, you will eventually have to throw away any products that have this on the ingredient list
Part 3 of 3: Be Active Every Day
Step 1. Get regular physical activity
Evaluate the current level of exercise; if you are training little, you have many solutions to consider to become healthier. If you are already active, think about how you can increase the intensity of the exercises you do. You can sign up for a new course that entices you to train more.
Step 2. Start a new program
If you train little, half an hour a day of moderate activity six days a week is all you need to increase the level. Remember that you don't have to become a marathon runner overnight, just commit to a ten minute session in the morning and maybe another twenty minutes during the day.
Step 3. Make training fun
Don't repeat the same routine every day (unless you really like it). Take a walk one day, take a yoga class the next, and try new activities. Go to the gym or the municipal club to find out if there are particularly stimulating classes. If you try and do a new exercise every week or so, you are more likely to be able to organize your new favorite routine.
Step 4. Increase the intensity
If you really want to be a health fanatic, you need to train seriously and moderate intensity walks may not be enough. Evaluate the sport or type of training you enjoy. You should practice it during most of the week and with enough effort that allows your heart rate to reach high levels for 20-30 minutes at a time. You should also vary the program and supplement it with weight lifting. Here are some examples of cardiovascular activity:
- I swim;
- Tennis;
- Cross-training in the gym;
- Military-like training.
