So you decided to make some changes for a healthier lifestyle? That’s great! But I bet now your thinking, HOW? Well at the beginning of 2010 I was in the exact same place as you are now. I wanted to make a difference to my health but thought that it took too much money. Eventually I realized that wasn’t true. Seven months on I have developed a few tips to make a difference to your health which cost little or no money
Drink more water – I know you have heard this over and over again but the reason is because it’s so necessary. Here’s a few reasons why. Our bodies have a difficult time differentiating between hunger and thirst and we often assume its food we need. If you’re hungry, try having a glass or 2 of water and wait 20 minutes and see if the sensation has passed. This also helps to prevent you overeating. Also many of our every day headaches are often caused by dehydration. Next time you feel a headache coming on try a glass or two of water before you take pain relief. Water is also essential for washing toxins out of our bodies.
Buy your fruit and vegetables seasonally – What I mean by this is buy what is only in season in your country. Before going to do your food shopping, do a little research first – Most of the supermarket store websites have lists of what is in season. There are a few reasons behind this. For one, buying fruits and vegetables which are in season is much cheaper. They are much fresher and haven’t been stored as long. People often don’t realize that food which is sold out of season can be up to 12 months old! The fresher the fruit and vegetables are, the more nutrition you will receive from them. You can take this idea a step further by eating food which is seasonal AND grown locally. This food is even cheaper because the farmers haven’t had to pay for transportation and packaging etc. Also the fruit and vegetables haven’t been bounced around and bruised etc because of this lack of transportation. Get to know where your local farmers market is. I’ve seen buckets of tomatoes for $1 sometimes!
Work out your own exercise plan – You don’t need to rely on a gym or an exercise DVD to get good exercise. Something as simple as a half hour walk is going to leave you feeling great and it won’t cost you a cent. For toning and building muscles use full water bottles as weights. Use your children’s skipping rope for a great high energy aerobic exercise. Do anything that’s going to get you moving because that’s what exercise is all about.
Stop adding sauces to your meals – This is something that made a huge difference for me when it came to weight loss. A lot of us add sauce to meals such as tomato sauce on sausages or sweet chilli sauce to chicken but we forget how much fat and calories this adds even though its only a little at a time. Try adding herbs for flavour during cooking. Instead of using salad dressing try a flavoured vinegar. The main thing to be aware of is that sauces are high calorie so when you add it to your food question yourself about how necessary it is.
Avoid or at least minimize prepackaged food – There is a certain feeling you get when you produce your own foods which are as good, if not better, than foods you buy pre-prepared. For example, you pay around $4 for a bottle of tomato pasta sauce. This pasta sauce most likely is high in salt and preservatives. You can read labels as much as you like but you don’t know the quality of the raw ingredients that went into the sauce. A better and cheaper option is to make it yourself. Try slowly cooking down some tomatoes, onion, bacon and basil. This is one of my favourite pasta sauces. You know exactly what has gone into it. You used good quality ingredients. You can make it for less than the $4 you would have spent on the bottle of sauce and you have enough leftovers to put in the freezer for another night!
These are just a few tips I have worked out while I have been trying to achieve better health for myself and my family. There are many changes you can make to your lifestyle to bring you closer to the health you want and remember good health doesn’t go hand in hand with money.