Sunday 22 June 2014

Tips for a Healthy, Happy Life :)

Hello All!
I'm sorry I have not posted for a while but as some of you know I went to Thailand a little while back and I managed to pick up a stomach parasite which has made me very ill lately. As I have been ordered to have lots and lots of rest I thought what better time to share with you all my non negotiable rules to leading a healthier and happier life.



1. Drink Water-   2 litres a day on average. There are so many reasons why drinking water is so beneficial to you (apart from keeping you alive!) it helps improve your skin, it's great for healthy kidneys, also most of the time when you feel hungry you are actually dehydrated…so drink up!



2. Take a Probiotic daily-  Probiotics put the good bacteria into our systems to help fight germs and diseases, I could go on all day about these but they are so important for optimum gut health. Other good supplements to take are Omega3 and a Multivitamin that is high in the B vitamins.



3. Exercise-  Most of us do not need to do 2+ hours a day of intense exercise, in fact for most of us this will just start to burn us out and exhaust our bodies - this can actually have the reverse effect from what we are trying to achieve as our bodies in exhaustion can start to hold on to fat cells meaning they are harder to shift. For most people leading an active lifestyle 4-5 days exercising 45minutes-1 hour and varying your workouts between cardiovascular, weight training and pilates/conditioning is enough!



4. Rest-  This is also very important for our bodies as well as our mind, taking 1-2 days off from exercise each week helps re-boot our systems and stops fatigue and over exhaustion. 1/2 hour of meditation a day is ideal for optimum health, if you don't fancy giving meditation a try why not just take 1/2 hour each day to yourself that means no phones, no checking emails it's just a time to sit and relax.



5. No Technology after 9pm- Ok so this is the one I struggle with the most, many of us go to bed with our phones and are on them or a computer/tablet pretty much  until the moment we go to sleep. I have been suffering from insomnia the past few months and I have found this no technology ban I have given myself the past few days has helped an incredible amount. It really helps you to wind down in an evening and chill out before going to sleep.



6. Sleep -  Again there are SO many reasons to get your 8 hours sleep a night, it improves your mood, your skin, but best of all getting enough sleep regulates your appetite hormone so people who get enough sleep tend to eat less than those that don't get that precious shut eye time.



7. Sunshine-  So many people have a Vitamin D deficiency and the best way to top up your Vitamin D? Get outside in the sun! (obviously we aren't blessed with sunny weather all the time so you can also take Vitamin D supplements or get this from your diet) Research shows just 1/2 hour in the Sun can help with weight loss as low Vitamin D is linked to weight problems - handy tip for you: exposing your stomach to the sun is the best way to do this! Vitamin D also helps the body absorb calcium.



8. Clean Diet-  Eating the right food and the right way is one of the most important things to keeping ourselves healthy as well as happy. I always start the morning with a hot water with lemon and cayenne pepper concoction to help my digestive system wake up and cleanse itself. I also try to eat as "clean" as possible, in short that means trying to avoid processed foods, reducing intake of sugar, dairy and gluten, eating organic food wherever possible -especially meat ( I also try and do one day a week with no meat) and increasing intake of dark green leafy vegetables.



I could go on and on all day about these subjects but I will do some separate posts in more detail on anything you guys find interesting or want to know about, so please let me know!
Have a great weekend.


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