We are heading into summer at full speed, which means it’s travelling time, barbeque time and vacation time! Lets be honest – if possible, most of us tent to pick less healthy options. Whether it’s in a restauraunt, at a barbeque party or even at home. It’s okay to not eat healthy 100% of time. But it doesn’t always have to be like that! Eating healthy will make you feel much better.
Try some of my simple tips to stay on track
There are many things you can do to make sure you eat better besides just your foods. Remember too, that it’s not just about eating healthy, it’s also about how much exercise you get. So, if you know you are going to splurge on your vacation meals, or just on a Friday night, you can ‘undo’ some of the bad side effects by working a little harder. So if you normally spend 30 minutes in the gym, you may want to do a little extra – add 15 more minutes. It may seem that it’s not a lot, but it makes a huge difference!
Check out our article ‘Exercise to Relieve Stress & Lose Weight’!
Another great strategy is to simply get right back up on the wagon if you fall off. Every day is a new beginning to your weight loss efforts. One day here and one day there isn’t going to completely undo all your hard work, as long as those ‘slips’ do not happen too often.
So, what should you eat?
Well, to a degree that will depend on you and your overall health and whether or not you have any underlying health concerns. If you do, you may want to talk to your doctor to help you set up a healthy diet plan.
For the most part, though, a healthy diet will consist of eating mostly natural foods.
Try to stay away from eating too many processed foods. Many people will go to the store and pick up a bunch of frozen ‘diet’ dinners. This isn’t really all bad except that prepared foods usually contain a lot of preservatives and sodium. It is always better to make your dinner from scratch using only fresh ingredients.
Here are some great cookbooks which will give you hundreds of lunch & dinner ideas!
When you eat foods like rice, pasta or bread stay away from the ‘white stuff’. White bread, white rice and regular pasta do not add anything to your diet but they can add a lot to your hips. Instead eat whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and brown rice.
Do not underestimate the number of calories that are in fruit juices either. Many people will think that they are getting some helpful fruit into their diet by drinking fruit juices, but in many cases they are adding hundreds of extra calories a day.
One last tip, drink enough water. Most people in this country are actually dehydrated. A good rule of thumb is to remember that by the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. It is recommended that you drink half your body weight in ounces of water everyday.
What helps me to stay hydrated, especially during these hot summer days is this great BPA free water bottle with a time marker. I carry it with me everywhere. All around the house, to the gym and even to the grocery store.
