What Are the Healthiest and Most Sustainable Ways To Stay Fit? -

Atkins, Juice cleanse, Paleo, Dukan. You may have tried one, you may have tried them all!

While wanting to shift the pounds and stay fit is something that many desire, countless people fall victim to putting the weight back on, even if they have lost a large amount.

Why is this so very often the case? It is because these ways of living are unsustainable. They at times demonize food, are easy to quit, and don’t get to the core of why we struggle to stay fit and healthy.

So what should you do if you want to lose weight and keep it off?

The best thing is to make lifestyle changes that although small, all add up to your body working with you reaching your goal, every day. Let us now consider some of the easy tweaks that you can make to get rid of the pounds and keep it that way!

Try Fasting

Losing weight on a basic level comes down to reducing your caloric intake. All the fad diets that were mentioned previously do this to some degree, however, due to ins and outs of each particular diet, sustaining the lifestyle connected to it is untenable for many.

This is why fasting is so effective. When you fast you restrict all your eating to certain hours in the day. Often for beginners, this starts with a 16-hour fast and an 8-hour eating window. By not snacking constantly, one of the main ways of gradual weight gain, you automatically reduce your caloric intake, while not having to restrict your diet in such a drastic manner.

Over time the concerns you may have at the beginning about feeling hungry go away as you will notice a great reduction in your appetite.

There are many reported additional benefits to fasting, one of which is that your body can go into ketosis, the goal behind the much-lauded Keto diet. Because fuel via glucose in our food isn’t so readily available, our bodies adapt by using fat stores in our cells to give us energy.

Keep in mind that if you want to get the best out of fasting, avoid fatty unhealthy foods during your eating windows. Doing so will help you keep the weight off long term.

Sleep: The Easiest Diet Aid

Can you imagine sleeping yourself thin? Well although that may sound too easy, there is a direct correlation between losing weight and sleep.

Sleep is a secret weapon for those aiming to stay fit. One study demonstrated that a group on the same diet was able to lose far more than another, just because they were able to sleep three hours more over two weeks.

Sleep benefits us on a chemical level. Two particular hormones signal to our brains that we either can’t eat anymore or we desperately need another mouthful. Leptin does the job of lessening our appetite whereas when Ghrelin increases hunger.

Studies have shown that the less sleep we have, the more ghrelin is produced and less leptin is found in our systems. Also, sleep deprivation can counteract your efforts to stay fit, as our need for rewards of the calorific variety is increased when we are sleep deprived.

With this in mind, a simple and sustainable way to stay fit is to give priority to shut-eye and not scrimping on sleep. If you make an effort to have a regular bedtime, cut down on digital distractions before bed, and make your room a relaxing environment, then you should reap the benefits of this most enjoyable weight loss program.

Make Exercise a Way of Life

Our bodies were meant to move. This is seen by how easy it is to put on weight whenever you change your routine by being more stationary than usual, as been the case for many over the last year due to the pandemic.

Yet while we all may have dreams of hitting the gym three times a week and going for a run every weekend, for many that simply isn’t sustainable. Giving ourselves unrealistic goals to stay fit can have a negative knock-on effect on our morale.

So what are some of the most effective ways of exercising regularly that can help you to stay fit?

One simple but highly effective thing form of exercising outdoors that you can do every day is walk. By taking the stairs instead of the elevator and other small changes, you not only gain the benefits of countering what for many is an ever-increasing sedentary lifestyle, but it also can serve to reduce calories steadily and continuously. So how long should you walk for it to be effective?

To see real benefits, set aside time to walk at a steady pace for at least 30 minutes every day.

Another way that we can use exercise to help us to stay fit without losing willpower over time is through sport. If the idea of going for a run doesn’t appeal to you, switch your focus to having fun with a friend by playing a game that you enjoy like soccer or basketball. Finding a sport that you enjoy will mean that you look forward to it instead of it feeling like a chore.

Choose Food and Drink That Help

Changing your eating habits is a given if you wish to keep the pounds off. But knowing what tasty food can help you stay fit without turning the joy of eating into something you don’t look forward to is vital.

A simple thing to incorporate into your diet is increasing your water intake. It is easy to buildup unnecessary calories by drinking sugary drinks, but by replacing them with water you can suppress hunger, increase your metabolism and help your body’s ability to burn fat.

One last way to make changes to your diet that won’t feel so drastic is by increasing your protein intake as well as the plant-based foods into your regular eating plan. Lean meat, nuts, and eggs all help you to feel fuller longer, whereas recent studies have shown that plant-based diets not only result in you eating fewer calories but may boost your metabolism.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Hard Work to Stay Fit

In an ever-busier world, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that we should take care of our health. But in your quest to stay fit remember that incorporating sustainable habits is always better than a quick fix.

For even more guidance on healthy habits that you should start doing today check out our blog, and if you have to take regular medication to keep you healthy don’t hesitate to contact us.