You'll look and feel better when you focus on what you eat and drink and sweat a little at the gym as you exercise. Living better means feeling better and having a healthier lifestyle. If you don't feel good, how can you enjoy everything life offers? When you sweat in the gym, you won't get dripping wet doing everyday activities or finish drenched in sweat walking with the kids in the park. It means having the endurance to keep up with others your age or younger or outpacing them.
What you eat makes a difference.
You can't out-exercise a bad diet. No matter how much you exercise, you won't be your best if you eat junk. The saying, "You are what you eat," is true. Too much sugar in your diet is linked to metabolic issues, dental carries, high blood pressure, and depression. It causes your skin to age faster and may contribute to acne. It accelerates cognitive decline and adds to the risk of diabetes.
It's not just food with sugar that's a problem.
Highly processed food often contains sugar. It's not healthy for other reasons, too. It lacks nutrients and is high in empty calories. It takes more than avoiding food harmful to you; you also need to eat nutritious food, too. The best way to boost your nutrition is to eat more whole foods. These are foods closest to their natural state, such as vegetables, fruit, lean animal products, and whole grains.
What you drink can affect your health.
Are soft drinks at the top of your list for daily drinks or do you have a few beers or other alcoholic beverages daily? Both may negatively affect your health. Soft drinks are high in sugar and contain phosphoric acid. Some studies show that people who drink soft drinks have a higher incidence of osteoporosis. Soft drinks can expand your waistline. One study shows that diet soft drinks may be the biggest culprit, with people who drink several a day having the biggest waist circumference.
- You can substitute soft drinks with water, green tea, or a cup of coffee. Several studies show that people who drink green tea live longer. Other studies show that drinking coffee before working out makes the session more beneficial.
- The longer you follow an exercise program, the more benefits you'll receive. Studies show benefits for the body and the brain are cumulative. It improves physical and cognitive functioning, plus improves your mood.
- Even if you don't sweat, increasing your daily exercise provides benefits. Adding a half hour to 45 minutes of walking every day offers benefits. You don't have to do it all at once. You can break it down to a ten or fifteen-minute session.
- You'll be surprised at how much better you feel when you eat healthy food for a few weeks. It's hard to give up sugar, but worth the effort since everything will taste better.
For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health & Fitness
