Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not all about gruelling exercise, living frugally and denying yourself your favourite snacks. Being active and eating a balanced diet are indeed important, but this needn’t mean going to extremes. Incorporating exercise into your everyday routine and switching unhealthy processed snacks for more wholesome and nutritious alternatives means that you can lead a healthy lifestyle and enjoy yourself too!
How to maintain a healthy lifestyle
To get you started, we’ve outlined three top tips that should make exercise easy and still let you enjoy your favourite tasty treats.
Count your steps
Many of us will hop in a car or bus to work, sit at a desk all day, and drive or be driven home in the evening. This means that most of us won’t be taking the recommended 10,000 steps a day which researchers say are needed to stay healthy. Walking can help burn excess calories and improve heart health, so invest in a pedometer and make an effort to hit that 10,000 target. Take a walk during your lunch break, and do your best to get fresh air in the morning and afternoon too. If you normally catch the bus, get on and off one stop earlier to increase your walking time.
Look for low-fat
Full-fat dairy products are not a good option if you’re trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. Much of the fat in dairy products is saturated fat, which can raise cholesterol levels and lead to weight gain. However, you can stay healthy and still enjoy milk and yoghurt if you opt for semi-skimmed and low-fat versions. If cheeses are a particular favourite, try to buy strong ones – like extra mature cheddar – as you won’t need to use as much of these to flavour your food. When shopping for low-fat yoghurt, keep an eye on the sugar content, as some food companies up the sugar levels in these products to compensate for the reduced fat.
Freshen up your snack drawer
Many of us have a drawer at the office or at home where we keep those sneaky snacks,such as chocolate bars, biscuits, and crisps,within easy reach.These classic snacking options will quickly undo all your hard work, so empty your drawer of processed, unhealthy snacks and go for tasty, healthier alternatives. Fresh fruit like grapes and apples are great for grazing on, as they don’t require any preparation – perfect for your handbag when you’re off to play bingo with the girls! But remember: fruit still contains sugar, so vary this with fresh veggie snacks too, such as carrot or celery sticks.
With these simple steps you can lead a healthy lifestyle while still enjoying tasty treats; you just need to keep active during the day and be mindful when choosing snacking options. A healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be a restrictive lifestyle, and you can still enjoy all the usual perks that life has to offer – for a happiness-boost and a tasty treat without the guilt-factor, play Tasty Bingo online. Because remember: a healthy body and a healthy mind go hand in hand!
