information is not knowledge
When it comes to health and fitness there must be Billions of articles, workout plans, eating plans, pills and potions and gadgets all with the aim to get you into your “ideal” shape. If you google Healthy eating plan you get 8100000 results, if you google Workout plan you get a staggering 84300000 results so how do you know which is the best to do, what works and more importantly what to avoid?
For the majority of people just constantly sticking to the basics works very well and means we have a happy balance between exercising, eating healthy and enjoying life, it’s only when we try to unnecessarily complicate things do they generally go wrong so what are the basics?
First you need a goal – this has to be specific to you and you only, create a goal using the S M A R T principle, specific-measurable-achievable-realistic-time bound, then ask yourself honestly, WHY – if you don't have a clear reason why you are doing it and it doesn't REALLY mean something to you, then it's not your goal, bin it and start again and be honest with yourself this time. Make sure that goal is realistically achievable, if not you WILL fail and continue to YO-YO between setting a new goal and not achieving that goal for years to come….. Sounds familiar!
It’s impossible to give advice on how to achieve that goal in this article as I don’t know you, your story, your history or the goal you’ve set but there are some basics that I mentioned in the first paragraph will help most people to start somewhere, here they are:
Getting enough sleep – between 7-9 hours is a great start.
Drinking enough water – around 2.5-3.5 litres per day is a good start.
Eat protein at each meal – Meat/Fish/Eggs/Beans/Pulses/Cottage cheese etc.
Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit – Have as much variety as possible.
Don't neglect carbohydrates (unless you have an intolerance) – Potato/pasta/rice/grains/oats are all good.
Get enough exercise or activity in your week – 2-5 times per week should be enough.
Try to reduce stress as much as possible.
Treat yourself to something you want occasionally and don't feel guilty for having it.
That’s it, that’s the basics and if you were to implement the above points consistently you would never have to try any crazy “fads” again… ever!
I hope this helps you find a happy balance in your life and see some amazing positive changes but if you need extra help, there are some great coaches out there, just remember to look for someone reputable who has a long history of helping people like yourself achieve their goals.