At this time of the year we start to forget our new year’s resolutions and fall back into old habits. Here are 5 easy tips for making sure that you stay on track for a healthier you in 2010.
Look at what you are buying.
Reading the labels on foods can make all the difference. Making changes in the brand you buy can help to reduce salt and fat intake. Make sure that you look at the weight of the food and calculate the total amount of calories, fat, sugar and salt. Don’t be fooled by some food labels, make sure that the amounts that they are giving you are for the total weight of the food, if not you might have to so some maths to work out exactly how much fat, salt and calories are in the food you are buying.
Change your routine.
If you made some changes to your routine at New Year then the chances are you will have stopped seeing results by now. This does not mean that it’s time to give up – no! It’s just time for a change. If you have been going to the same class at the gym then try a new one, or change your gym routine. Most gyms will have someone available to help you assess and adapt your plan – and normally it’s free of charge!
It’s important to add intensity to your workouts to continue to see results.
Don’t worry if you’ve taken a break.
If you are in the position where your new year’s resolution was history by the end of February, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, sit down and make a new plan – one that you can stick to for the next couple of weeks at least and then repeat the process again in a few weeks time to make sure your plans still suit your lifestyle. Everyone has the odd blip, especially with all the colds and flu around, so just make sure that you get right back on track.
Get someone to help.
It helps to surround yourself with people who can help you achieve your goals. This can simply be family and friends who will keep praising your efforts, it can be a support group, such as a smoking cessation group, an exercise class where you meet the same friendly faces each time or a personal trainer who gives you that boost once a week with motivation and a specifically planned session.
Don’t cut out the good fats.
We need fats in our diet, there are good fats out there as well as the bad and it’s important that we are including them in our daily diets.
What are good fats? Mono-unsaturated fats are found in Nuts, Seeds, Avocado, Rapeseed Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Poly-unsaturated fats are found in salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, pumpkin seeds and dark green vegetables.
