Whether you’re looking to achieve weight-loss which you can maintain, or you’d like to maintain your current weight, here are some healthy living tips that can help improve your success. Remember, it isn’t enough to simply eat right, you also need exercise to create a healthy lifestyle.
Lower your fat intake
Successful dieters found that eating a diet of only 20% fat improved their success and helped create an aversion to higher-fat foods they used to prefer.
The most important meal of the day
Not only does eating breakfast give you the energy you need to have a healthy, happy day, it is also a key element to dieting success. In fact, nearly 80% of successful dieters eat a healthy breakfast – every day.
For a healthy breakfast idea that will help you Start Out Smart – even when you’re in a hurry remember that in every 250 mL glass of Minute Maid® Fruit Solutions® you’ll find two of the five to ten servings of fruit and vegetables recommended by Canada’s Food Guide, six essential nutrients and 3 g of protein.
Track Your Progress
Monitor your weight frequently. Seeing results will motivate you to keep up your healthy living diet. You’ll also have a good indicator of what works and what doesn’t.
Exercise
It’s the frequency and duration of physical activity, more than intensity that counts. Studies show that 75% of successful dieters walk, while only 11% run. Canada’s Physical Activity Guide advises adults to participate in 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day to maintain their weight, and over 60 minutes if you’re looking to lose weight.
Physical activity not only improves your overall health, it can also reduce the risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes among others.
Here are some tips for adding activity into your day.
- Add a little bit of time every day until you reach your daily activity goals.
- Keep track of how it’s affecting your health, well-being and weight.
- Try multiple shorter periods of activity rather than one long period.
- Remember that for every 100 calories you eat, it takes 20 minutes of exercise to burn them off.
While exercising, look for warning signs of dehydration, like headache, dizziness, fatigue, weakness, irritability, heat flush, nausea, muscle and abdominal cramps. If you feel any of these signs coming on, take a break to refresh.
