5 Top Tips for Creating a Healthier Lifestyle

Want to get healthy but feeling a little overwhelmed on where to start? Here are my five top tips for creating a healthier lifestyle:

1. Stick to whole foods and remove the crap. When at the supermarket try and shop in the outside edges or better yet shop at your local farmers markets. This will automatically introduce a tonne of fruit and vegetables to your diet, which the more you have the better. Also detox your pantry of all processed packaged foods that contain nasty ingredients. My general rule of thumb if you can’t pronounce the ingredient or it has a number next to it, it’s probably not good for your body. Doing this also gets you in the habit of reading food labels. You’ll be surprised at how much sugar, fillers and bad additives can be in foods that were weren’t aware of. If you don’t know an ingredient google it and actually take note of what you are putting in your body. Adding in vitamins is a great way to ensure you get enough into your diet, for more information on what supplements to buy check out your online chemist.

2. Plan your week ahead, especially when it comes to cooking and grocery shopping. One of the biggest culprits of unhealthy eating is from poor planning and having no healthy food on hand. If you know you are going to be too busy to cook dinner, then make extra the night before. Or better yet, spend a few hours in the kitchen preparing a few meals and you are set for healthy lunches and dinners throughout the week. By planning my week I can also see what nights I might be going out for an indulgent dinner or wine evening. On those days I’ll ensure I have a green smoothie, super light lunch and perhaps an extra strong workout at the gym. Keeping it balanced is important.

3. Get moving and find exercise you enjoy. There is no point slogging it out at the gym if it’s something you truly hate. Yes you may have a few committed months but eventually those excuses will creep in and that expensive gym membership will go to waste. Instead if the gym isn’t your thing, think of a sport or active hobby you could take up that would be fun. Perhaps you want to learn to surf, or you can join a social sports team. The moment you make exercise fun, it automatically becomes part of your healthy living routine.

4. Learn to unplug at least once a day. Being healthy isn’t just about your exercise and what you eat, but also taking time out for yourself and nourishing the relationships around you. We too often get caught up with what is going on in our inbox or on our phone and forget to stop and enjoy life’s precious moments. So commit to unplugging the phone, laptop, tablet or whatever other electronic device you may have at least once a day and watch your stress levels decrease and your relationships flourish.

5. Create a healthy mindset for yourself, as you can’t get a healthy body if the mind isn’t there also. My favourite thing to do at the end of each day is write down one to three things I am grateful for that day. The impact of keeping a positive attitude has huge benefits towards your health and overall well being.