5 Healthy Eating Habits Of A Fitness Freak

‘’Just this last piece of cake and then I promise no more…’’ Does that sound familiar? Well, it certainly is with health conscious people who want to get into that perfect shape and who make such volatile commitments of not having any more junk after that last piece of chunk. However, if you’re a fitness trainer, you’ll need to be even more considerate about your fitness, since you set an example for others to follow. Fitness counts on both regular workout and a balanced healthy diet. This article is going to focus on the latter. A balanced diet in simple terms would mean ‘’healthy good food that contains the appropriate amount of nutrients required to provide you with energy’’. Most often, we get discouraged when our attempts to stay healthy and lose weight fail despite following a diet plan. The question that we need to ask ourselves is whether the diet plan charted out is appropriate. You have to remember that a diet plan doesn’t necessarily deprive you of the pleasure of eating something you like. Rather a diet plan that is not based on the required nutrient intake will make you feel lethargic and not help you reach your fitness goals. On the contrary, we must be aware of the fact that to maintain a healthy and fit body we must maintain a balance between the calorie that is used in our bodily functions and that which is provided by the food we eat. To make the above equation work, we must cultivate a healthy eating lifestyle.

Study your existing eating habits and set yourself up slow for a healthy change

Be honest to yourself and try writing down the food habits that you follow on a routine basis. If you munch more on crisps and biscuits rather than fresh veggies and fruits, ensure to make a note of it. You already know, as a health literate person, what good food is and what is not. Junk food laden with carbs and fat is no good while you can certainly nod your head towards a diet of veggies and fruits. Once you learn about your own food habits and are aware of the distinction between healthy and junk food, you can gradually start making changes to your food habits to bring it to the healthy track. You cannot make drastic changes to your food habits overnight; it’ll be unrealistic to do so. Start slow and set a time limit. For instance, if you don’t eat greens, try including them in salads once in a day maybe for lunch. Likewise, if you like to have bread with salted butter, try using unsalted butter or try low calorie spreads. If you’re a busy person and always use ready – to – eat or packaged food, try curtailing this habit slowly and steadily. Start cooking food yourself from fresh vegetables with less salt and sugar and less oil once in a week and, going forward, make it a habit to do so almost every day.

Watch how you eat

More than just thinking about what to eat, also focus on how to eat. In our hectic schedules we just think of food as something that we need to gobble upon when we’re hunger that we seldom relish the taste. Try to enjoy your food by chewing it properly. Proper chewing enhances the process of digestion too and the food is digested well. Eating together with two or people is also effective in encouraging the idea of healthy eating. Don’t skip your breakfast; try having a heavy breakfast and 3 to 4 small portions of meals in between followed by a light and early dinner, rather than following the heavy 3 meals per day program. This’ll ensure proper metabolism and make you feel energetic throughout.

well-balanced-diet

What should my healthy plate contain?

Try to include the following food groups in your regular meal chart:

• 5 different kinds of vegetables and fruits.Include foods that provide you with fibre for roughage such as wholegrain varieties and fibrous fruits.
• Include 1/3 portion of starchy foods like potatoes, cereals, bread, pasta.
• Don’t forget to include limited dairy products like low skimmed milk, cheese and yogurt to provide with the calcium you require.
• If you’re a fish eater, try including at least two portions per week, as fish are rich in vitamins, proteins and omega 3 fatty acids that help prevent cardiac problems. Vegetarians can include lentils and leguminous food such as sprouts to get their proteins.Avoid using or consuming too much of salt and sugar in food.
• Avoid too much consumption of saturated fats like butter, meat as they increase the risk of heart problems. Try including unsaturated fats such as vegetable oil, sunflower oil.

The above is just a limited list; there are many more that can be explored under the advice and guidance of an experienced nutritionist and dietitian.

Is the amount of water consumed enough?

Ensure that you consume 8 to 10 glasses of water each day. As we know, water is required for the digestion and absorption of nutrients from food and also for transportation of nutrients throughout the body which makes it a very important component of our body.

Study your new eating habits

The above listed plan can go on but for a beginner this is a basic list. Try following the above eating habits for a couple of months and note down the difference.  Study how your body reacts to this new lifestyle and watch out if it helps you to maintain a healthy and fit body.

Based on the above plan, weigh the advantages and disadvantages and, under appropriate advice and guidance, try incorporating a diet plan that best suits your body to help you stay fit.

Going forward

The key success to maintaining a physically fit and healthy body doesn’t only rely on the workout that you follow but more on the food that you eat. A healthy eating habit will provide you with all the energy required to follow your fitness goal. A little bit of healthy twist in your regular food plan under proper advice and guidance will help you decide a healthy eating lifestyle, which can sustain in the long run. So good luck with your healthy eating plan!!!