Advice on how to get fit and healthy for the new school year
The beginning of a new school year is always a good chance to work on your health and improve your appearance. When school is about to start, we always want to look the best we can but sometimes summer leaves behind some unwanted side-effects in our body from eating excessive food and lack of physical activity. I will share with you some effective tips to get in shape and feel healthier when you’re back to school and during the rest of the year.
Also read: Don’t Let Your Diet Eat Your Wallet
1. Start a detox program: Detoxing could be as simple as eliminating dairy from your diet or cutting out sugar in your drinks. Detox programs act as an excellent kickoff for a healthier lifestyle and for eliminating the toxins you may have built-up during the holidays. They help clean your organism, boost your energy, make your skin look better and also help you to lose weight in short term.
2. Start consuming diuretic drinks: Sometimes the reason of our extra weight is fluid retention, so the best way to avoid and offset its effects is drinking diuretic teas or infusions every day to stimulate the production of urine. Experts recommend them before breakfast as this help your body to start the day off better. The most recommended are green tea, lemons, watermelon, cucumber and pineapple juices. Believe it or not this could even help you lose some of those pesky pounds. These drinks are also a big source of vitamin A, C and E which benefit your overall health whilst promoting healthy looking skin.
3. Minimize simple carbs intake: Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in any diet and when you quit them, your body is forced to transform their fat reserves in to energy. Even so, you should know there are two types of carbs: Simple carbs are those composed of fiber, starch and sugar (e.g. baked goods, pie, cookies and white bread) while complex carbs are basically fiber and starch (e.g. broccoli, quinoa, apples, carrots and whole wheat bread). If your goal is to lose and control your weight, you must reduce simple carbs or substitute them for complex carbs. This will help your body burn fat, feel fuller for longer and will make your belly appear flatter.
4. Sleep: This is essential if you want to feel and look better. Numerous studies have proven the correlation between good sleep habits and weight control. People who sleep at least eight hours per day are more likely to see better result in their weight-loss programs. Additionally, you will look more radiant, relaxed and have more energy during the day. When college begins, your sleep habits might be affected due to the expected increase in academic activities, so try to adjust your schedule in order to enjoy the hours of sleep you need.
5. Start doing some physical activity: In case you don’t workout frequently, this is a great opportunity to become more active, so choose a sport club or activity to join in this new academic year. Take advantage of the last days of summer to start walking, running or swimming—even when it could be hard at the beginning, a few days into your routine will see your body demanding more rigorous workouts and you’ll start seeing results.
6. Drink water: Drinking a substantial amount of water daily has well-known benefits for healthy insides and for the appearance of your skin. This can be a tricky habit to kick-start and maintain if you don’t already do it, so start off by taking a bottle of water with you everywhere and sip constantly during the day. If you have problems reminding yourself to do it, set some alarms or mark your bottle with the hours at which you must drink. After doing this for few days, drinking water will become a good habit.
7. Stop drinking sodas: A common mistake made with people trying to lose weight is that while they reduce their consumption of carbs and sugars, they continue to drink sodas. For people who like to consume sodas, this could be hard to quit and a common misconceived resolution is to swap over to diet soda. This comes from the belief that diet sodas have less sugar and help us to control our weight. The truth is, they contain sweeteners like aspartame which can be even worse for our health, don’t have any nutritional value and is closely related to the risk of obesity, depression and diabetes.
8. Change your meals: Experts recommend eating five little meals during the day, this could be hard if you are busy doing any activity. So, instead of having five little meals, try to schedule two healthy snacks for both mid-morning and evening. The key is to choose the right food depending on the time. During the morning, it is good to choose fruits due to their high fiber content, while in the evening, the best options are nuts, pumpkin seeds or protein bars since they help balance your blood sugar level at a time when we usually feel tired and sleepy, giving an immediate energy boost.
9. Have breakfast early: It is proven that having breakfast shortly after you wake up boosts your metabolism, makes you feel more energized and regulates your blood-sugar level. The best option is to include a big source of protein such as meal or eggs plus a complex carb like whole wheat bread or oats. This will give you the nutrients you need to start your day off with energy and at the same time will make you feel less hungry during the rest of the morning.
10. Get a general medical check: Before you start school, be sure to schedule a visit with your doctor and get a general evaluation. As they say, “health is beauty”, so the best way to look good is to have excellent health. Experts recommend to commit to at least one annual medical check. Take advantage of the last days of summer to do this and start the new year being sure that your health is in optimal condition.
