These days, there is plenty of information online about how to improve your diet, live healthier, and what you should and should not be eating. It can be stressful to find out what is real and what misinformation is being spread to boost a person's visibility or credibility online and create an aura of fear around certain foods or ingredients.
And while you can make your own mind up about what type of foods you should and shouldn't eat or what you want to include or omit from your daily diet, there are some things you should bear in mind when it comes to improving your health and wellbeing.
You Shouldn't Avoid Your Favorite Foods
The reality is if you restrict your favorite foods from your diet, chances are you will end up bingeing on them down the line and needing up in a cycle you cannot break off restricting then bingeing. This isn't healthy for anyone. So try to find the right balance of eating more wholesome nutritious foods and fitting in a small portion of your favorite foods to help you satisfy your cravings and keep some enjoyment in your life. A good rule of thumb is to stick to the 20/80 rule. So 80% of your diet is healthy and nutritious foods, and 20% is the foods you love (i.e., on a 2,000kcal calorie intake, 1,600 would be nutritious foods, and 400kcals would be for your favorite foods), be it chips, candy, or including in this delicious scones recipe; it's up to you.
Food Isn't The The Only Thing You Need To Focus On
Good health is about more than what you put into your body; It's about how you care for your body, too. You need to factor in how much sleep you get, how active you are, how much water you drink, and stress levels and mental health, too.
You need at least 7 hours of sleep per night and drink around 8 glasses of water per day to stay adequately hydrated. Reducing your stress levels and staying mentally well are also things you need to pay attention to, as high-stress levels can impact your ability to be mentally and physically healthy.
Your diet is only a part of what makes you healthy, and while it's an important part, you need to get all of the other blocks in place to help you make the changes you need to improve your health and get from where you are now to where you want to be.
You Need To Move More
When people think about getting healthy, they think they need to join a gym to achieve their goal, and this couldn't be further from the truth. Many people improve their health and fitness without ever setting foot in a gym.
It could be getting off the sofa during the ad breaks of your favorite show and walking around more; it could be taking an extra walk in your garden or outside each day or doing a sport or fitness class you enjoy at home or in a group setting to help you move more. If you do want to go to a gym, then this is amazing, but moving more simply means moving your body more. You don't need to sign up for a gym if you don't want to.
