5 Basic Tips To Starting a Healthier Lifestyle

This blog is about healthy living, therefore this post was bond to be posted! Not that I think I have mastered this way of life (soon I'll be dressed like Buddha and constantly have my legs crossed with a humming sound ringing through my head✌) not at all, but some little tips and advice I have learnt or been given to me that has helped embrace and absolutely love the way I live. I feel like an open book today *zen Martha today* and breathheee.......

Starting a healthier lifestyle may sound either really boring or a lot of hard work. And I bet you're thinking that you won't be able to enjoy life anymore and only have carrots sticks and hummus.... THIS IS NOT THE CASE!!!🙅

First off I would like the say, to honestly get a healthy or healthier lifestyle to what you have you must remember to

1) do it for you! Don't bother trying the change your life for someone else, because that kind of mentality isn't healthy and really won't be sustainable in the long run, which leads on to my next point.

2) this is a LIFESTYLE, not a fad, not a diet, not for 'the summer'. To really see results, whether that to physically tone up, improve mental health (also really important too!) or to improve your nutrition. To keep anything up you must fully commit. That doesn't mean you have to do it all in one go either, take little baby steps and it will feel much easier to do. As my mom always says.... How do you eat an elephant? In bit sized pieces! (although if the elephant was made of banana and chocolate, I prefer that in one mouthful, who's with me?🙆)

Does this mean you have to cut out everything you love? Pizza? Cake? Cheese? Chips? NO NO NO! Making people miserable and unhappy because they can't have chocolate or cheese (not together, eww, gross. I mean unless you're into that, then GO YOU!😂) is the last thing about having a healthy life. Being healthy is both physically and mentally, both are equal, and if chocolate or chips make you happy (they make me!!!😍) then I am not going to get rid of them. However I just learn to portion control and have them as treats! Because at the end of the day, life is too short to have the things you enjoy cut out because they are deemed as 'unheathy' (this is something that took me a while to learn, but fully embrace this mindset, and it is much healthier then denying myself of food I like). Through this blog you'll hopefully learn that there aren't 'unhealthy' and 'healthy' foods, but there are foods you need to have more of, and less of others.

anyway, I loveeee a good ramble but let's get into the 5 basic ways to start a healthier lifestyle.....

1- PLS PLS PLS, DRINK SOME WATER!💦💧💦

Honestly drink so much water that you physically need the loo every 10 minutes (lol, pls don't!) but seriously. The average adult needs to drink 2-4 litres a day to stay at a healthy hydrated state (the average Briton drinks less than one glass- (Re-Nourish: The Definitive Guide to Optimum Nutrition). I know it does sound like a lot, but it can be simple! My advice- I carry a water bottle with me everywhere, I literally mean EVERYWHERE!!! One thing that is with me more than my phone is a bottle of water, and as soon as I have finished it I go an refill it. Does it mean I visit the toilet a lot? OOHH YESS! *Churchill nodding dog voice insert here* It's unbelievable the amount of people I know that have less than a glass of water each day?!?!?!?!? I don't know how they survive. I'm like a camel when it comes to water, I also feel empty without my water bottle by my side (proclaiming my love for my water bottle, when I'm older I won't even be surprised if I'm walking down the aisle at my wedding with one hand a bouquet of flowers and the other my water bottle😂 yes I'm weird, did you not already know this?) My advice if you really do struggle to drink water (this is from the Body Coach (google him!)) add some fruit for a natural flavouring this way it's still water you're drinking, but just adds a little bit of flavour if you really can't have just plain water.

2- MOVE YOUR BODY! (with walking)

also if you started singing the Sia song, major love being sent to you rn👏 But when I say move your body, find different ways to keep moving within the day. Really simple ways like parking your car further down the street so you have to walk more, get off the bus a few stops easier then you need, again, so you walk further. Walking may seem like such an easy way to get more steps in your day, BUT IT IS!! Walking shouldn't be laughed at, I find it not only healthy for you physically (it's low impact therefore easy on the joints! thinking about you oldies too😉) but it's so therapeutic (please can I get some praise for spelling this word right) adding just a 15 minute walk with some headphones (or non and go solo) makes me feel so good. I honestly feel so damn sassy listening to some Stevie Wonder whilst on a walk. It just makes me feel too gooooood #signedsealeddelieved

Advice- If you don't fancy a walk on your own, take mom, dad, sister, brother, girlfriend, boyfriend etc with you. Instead of having the family catch up, asking how their day was,

round the kitchen table why not put some trainers on a do a loop walk and chat. My mom and I have some of the best chats whilst walking (mostly involving how we are going to conquer the world! *plans for this will happen in 2030 -you're safe for now😏*) don't forget your water bottle too!💧

3- Do what you love💛

Sounds so cliche but if you love what you do, then for goodeness sake DO IT! This is a healthy lifestyle tip because your mental health is just as important as your physical health too! (an important message that is close to my heart💗)

Again I know so many people that have joined the gym and lift weights and hate it? Call me crazy but why? Why would you do something you hate just because you feel you ought to? This doesn't help set you out to having a good mentality for healthy living, therefore will not make your choices unsustainable if you don't like it, right? (Neardy Martha😎) I know cardio is something that is widely hated in the fitness community, but does that stop me from doing it and hell yes, loving it? NO WAY! first rule (if you can remember all the way back then) do it for you. Me💁 I love running, so I do it! I hate swimming, so I don't do it. I know right, it's that simple (*lil eyeroll*) I don't mean to sound condescending or simplistic but you really don't need to force yourself to lift weights if you hate it or be a cardio bunny if you don't like it. However my advice to you is try everything, and see what you like, don't knock something till you have tried it (and give it a good effort, don't just go running for 2 minutes and give up!! thats not really giving it a chance now😒). I am a cardio queen at heart👸 have always been cardio focused doing dance and running, so when I tried weight lifting I didn't think I would like it, but i actually ❤ it! Therefore try everything- yoga, weights, spin, HIIT, running, swimming (the list could go on, but I'm already rambling enough!😅)

4- Get your specs on.....

Personally, something I have found so insitful and interesting whilst having this lifestyle is the food choices I have made. I mean I love food so much I'm doing a whole degree on it #foodieforlyfe. But most importantly, I READ my food! I'm going to do a more in-depth post on this as it's such a huge topic (and I've already gone on for long enough!) but knowing what's in your food and being able to actually understand what you're eating makes you look at food in a whole different but much much healthier way. Advice- Simply using the 'traffic light system' (red colour = high content, orange colour= medium content and green colour= low content) on food packages when putting items in your shopping bag and maybe be more mindful in how much content is in macro. (Again, don't worry if that didn't mean much to you, more detailed post to follow about macro counting etc to come!!) However, don't be lazy! I know not all packaging doesn't provide a colour code system (*major angry face*) therefore this is when you're going to have to get your reading glasses on and compare a like-for-like comparison. On the back of the packaging there will be a nutritional information section (often comparing it between 100g and the serving size suggestion of that product) this is when you will need to compare both products you are looking at and do a 'top trumps' compare. You'll honestly be so surprised whats actually in your food when you read it!!👀

5- Don't cut out food! however.... (last one, finally!)

So not going to lie, a few months ago I was cutting out some major food groups and foods thinking 'oh I can't have carbs or fats because they'll make me fat and they're unhealthy' oh Martha- what an idiot🙈 seriously, pls no one else make the same foolish mistakes and have a tragic mindset as me back then (Completely different perspective on food as I did a few months ago!, more in-depth post to come....). Carbs and fats, I promise to stop shamming you! (because in the right amounts, you're actually kinda great!). Every single food group has a reason as to why they're part of a healthy diet. Fats, carbs and protein all have an extremely important place within our diet, and to single one out is frankly stupid (and mean to them, because yeah they have feelings too😯) As I said before I'm going to do a massive post all about food, but one piece of advice I will leave for this tip is...... try something new. Not saying you have to pick up a celery stick and think 'wooweee I'm in love' because honestly- celery sucks! However, ever tried sweet potato brownies? or wrap pizza? Courgette Spaghetti? Finding healthy alternatives will make such a huge different (again you don't have to completely cut out pizza or brownies) but just to change it up every now and again from them, try something new. Personally sweet potato brownies are incredible and I am having mega feels for them now😻

PHEWWWWWW ARE WE DONE YET?

Sorry for such a long post, tbh I still have lots to say on the matter and will write more about all of this again in further posts, but to give you a basic idea of how maybe eating a lettuce leaf isn't the only way to become healthy! (letsbereal, eating lettuce isn't much fun sometimes).

Until next time....

Simply Martha x

(writes this all with her water bottle by her side and needing a toilet break every 5 minutes- you gotta love it😂)