Simple Ways To Improve Your Health - Changing Your Diet & Exercising

Here's a simple guide to transforming your health the right way without the diet pills and fads. A healthy diet combined with the right amount of exercise can not only help you feel healthier, but help you live a happier and longer life.

How many times have you looked in the mirror and failed to appreciate yourself?

Are you tired of feeling unhealthy and lacking energy?

Do you frequently indulge in fast food?

Do you wish you had a different body?

If you've answered yes to any these questions, it's time to act now and change your life. Say goodbye to the unhappiness in your life. Get fit, be healthy get in shape, and feel alive!

Here's a few simple steps that YOU can do to lose weight and feel happier about yourself. Swap the bad for the good - it's that easy!

Step 1: Remove the following food and drink items from your diet

• White Pasta (Swap for wholemeal pasta)

• Fast Food/Burgers/Pizza (Swap for salads and wholemeal sandwiches)

• Processed Meats (Swap for lean meat)

• Potato Chips/Fries (Swap for healthier fruit)

• Sodas/Soft Drinks/Juices (Swap for water & natural fruit)

• White Bread (Swap for wholemeal or wholegrain bread)

• Salted Nuts (Swap for unsalted nuts)

• Diet Pills (Swap for exercise)

• Energy Drinks (Swap for water & natural fruit)

• Excess Salt (Swap for reduced salt products)

• Confectionery (Swap for natural fruit)

All of these are popular food and drinks items which are common causes of obesity and unhealthy diets. Although they may have nutrition in them, the majority of these items will only damage your body.

Step 2: Add the following foods to your diet:

• Unsalted Nuts & Legumes

• Increase Your Fruit & Vegetable Intake

• Supplement Sugar Based Drinks With Water

• Lean Meat (Including Chicken, Turkey & Fish)

• Wholemeal/Wholegrain Bread (as opposed to white bread)

• Natural Fruit Juice (as opposed to concentrated fruit juice varieties)

Adding these ingredients to your diet and swapping the bad for the good can mean all the difference when it comes to your health. Some simple examples are swapping white breads for wholemeal or whole grain bead varieties. When cooking fruit and vegetables, try boiling or steaming them as opposed to deep frying them. When frying your meals, use healthier oils such as extra virgin olive oils as opposed to vegetable oils.

Make sure your meals contain about 50-75% fruit and vegetables to ensure a healthy and well-balanced diet. When preparing your meals ensure there is a range of colours and flavours. It may sound silly, but adding a range of different vegetables including broccoli, capsicums, onions, carrots and asparagus to your meal will not only add colour, but also tonnes of healthy nutrients which are guaranteed to prolong your life and make you feel healthier.

Step 3: Regular Exercise

Watching what you eat is important, but doing regular exercise is equally important. Ensure you go for a jog or a run at least 3-5 times a week. This will increase your health and reduce your risk of cardiovascular and heart disease. Ensure you also do physical strength exercises involving weights. This does not mean you have to spend hundreds of dollars on gym equipment. Some common cost-free muscle building exercises includes sit-ups, chin-ups and push-ups. By simply using metal bars, rocks or other heavy objects around the house, you'll generally be able to find something heavy enough to work your muscles and perform weight routines.

Step 4: Set Goals & Work On Improving Them

Set some goals, plan out your meals, and work on a target. When you've achieved your target, set it higher and higher. Tell yourself how much weight you want to lose or gain then write it down some where that you can see it every morning when you wake up and when you go to bed at night. Work on your goals and keep at it. Achieve the impossible and you'll be impressed. Don't set yourself back - failure is not an option.

Each time you've achieved one of your goals, tick it off the list. To make it interesting, be creative. Achieve your goals and make it fun. Reminding yourself of your goals on a daily basis will help motivate you to work harder and for longer.

Step 5: Enjoy What You're Doing & You'll See The Difference

Make life fun. Don't get up in the morning feeling obligated to have a healthy meal or the need to run outside in the rain. Tell yourself that you want to change, that you want to be fit, healthy and feel alive.

Find a committed partner to join you when you go for a run in the morning or evening. Having a committed exercise buddy will mean that you will not only be accountable for your own life, but for theirs as well. If you don't get up early enough in the morning to go for a job with them before work, they'll be the one constantly calling you or pressing the door bell to wake you up and get out of bed.

Don't do the same routines each and every day. If you're looking to go for a run, why not try running in different environments, even if it means driving to a different suburb or park. Try a bush walk instead of always walking on the street. A change in the environment will help you stay interested and committed.

For a list of outdoor exercise ideas and sporting activities and exercises click this link.

By taking these simple steps, you'll not only improve the way you feel on the inside but also the way you look on the outside.

Always remember it's up to you to change your actions.

It's your life. No one will change it for you. If you want to change, take action and stay committed.