When the lockdown started I was pretty worried about how I would be able to stay healthy in light of the fact that I couldn’t go out and exercise, plus I work in a quite a physically demanding job, and not having that worried me in terms of burning calories. I spoke to my great friend and health conscious doctor Mark Swaim MD PhD, to offer me some tips on what I could do. Whilst I initially thought that this would result in Mark offering me some exercise tips, he instead focused on my diet and the importance of keeping that right above everything else.
They say that you can’t work out of a bad diet, so here are some tips on how to ensure that yours is a healthy one.
Calorie Tracker App
Many don’t know where to start when it comes to a healthy diet, and that is why it makes great sense to download an app which will allow you track your calories, and they will also help you to show how much protein, fats, carbs and macronutrients. All of this may seem a little overwhelming but the app actually really helps because it will also give you your goals for the day, so you know how much of everything to eat.
Menu Planning
Eventually you will find that you get to a point where you just know what healthy foods you should be eating every day and you can make your meals on the hop, but at this stage it is far better to invest some time into menu planning. Sit down on a Sunday night and think up some meals which you can have during the week which are healthy, if needed then look online and take recipes from there based on things that you would like. Map out the menu and that way you can buy the things which you need and you can avoid cheating when you are lost for something to eat.
Back on the Horse
Something which so many of us are guilty of is having a cheat day, or perhaps even eating something that we shouldn’t have, and then assume that because you’ve broken the diet that you can go back to eating junk. The key here is strength and if there was a little bit of weakness which lead to you cheating, it is vital that you show strength afterwards and get right back on the horse and back to your diet.
Know Your Snacks
For most of us the diet gets broken when we just need a little something in our stomachs, and convenience food is very rarely healthy. With this being said there are loads of options which you can look at that will give you a quick boost when you are feeling peckish. It will be important that you either make or buy healthy snacks and have them on hand for when hunger hits you.
Stay strong, you’ve got this.
