With all of the “lose weight fast” advertising around us, most of us think that we’ve got this being healthy thing down. The basics are all the same, right? Eat less, exercise more, drink more water…
These might be the prevailing health tips out there, but some of the popular advice might be doing you more harm than good. Want to know how?
Read on for five health tips that will actually help.
1. Eat Slowly
That’s right — how fast you eat might have more of an effect than how much you eat.
Being mindful about how much you’re eating and savoring every bite will help you eat slower instead of inhaling everything on your plate. When you eat slower, your stomach has more time to send your brain the signal that you’re full.
That reduces the risk of overeating and adding too many extra calories to your day.
2. Stop Before You’re Full
Sometimes we don’t realize we’re full until we’ve already eaten too much food. That can leave us feeling uncomfortable and bloated. Plus, it’s not exactly helpful when you’re trying to drop a few pounds!
Check in with yourself once you’re feeling almost full. You might discover that you don’t actually need more food.
3. Go to Sleep
How many hours of sleep do you get each night, on average? If it’s less than seven hours a night, you might want to start hitting the sack a little earlier.
There are a ton of different health benefits to sleep. Getting more rest can help you keep your weight down, stress less, and both look and feel better.
It’s easy in our busy society to feel as though getting less sleep is somehow a sign of how hard you work, but don’t forget to take care of yourself.
4. Allow Yourself Cheat Days
It can seem like there’s no wiggle room in some of the most popular diets out there right now. Here’s the thing — most of us are bound to slip up at some point.
Instead of making your diet super restrictive, build in cheat days. Just make sure you’re cheating with something good. If you’re craving chocolate, for example, eat some good dark chocolate instead of downing an entire pint of chocolate ice cream.
5. Choose Your Booze Wisely
When you drink in moderation, alcohol can have some positive health effects.
For women, drinking less than a pint of beer a day can actually lead to stronger bones, lowering your risk of osteoporosis. If wine is more your jam, reach for the merlot instead of the chardonnay. Drinking red wine can promote healthy blood vessels and blood pressure.
Alcohol comes with its own risks, though, so make sure you know how to recognize alcoholism.
Put Our Health Tips to Good Use
Health looks different for everyone. Start your own journey towards a healthier you by trying out some of the five health tips above.
Don’t stop here — check out the rest of our health and wellness posts to see how else you can improve your lifestyle!
