Think Tank: The Neuro Blog
Why Am I Not Hungry After Fasting?
Fasting is a practice that involves abstaining from food for a certain period of time, which can result in not feeling hungry. Many people are curious about why this happens, despite not having eaten for an extended period of time. In this article, we will explore some reasons why.
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The Benefits of Hanging from a Pull Up Bar
Hanging from a pull up bar offers a range of benefits for your body and overall fitness. It can improve upper body strength, promote good posture, enhance grip strength, and improve cardiovascular health. Additionally, pull ups are a convenient and versatile exercise that can be easily incorporated into any workout routine.
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These Yoga Poses Make You More Powerful Than Ever
Clear your mind of any thoughts. Breathe in, breathe out. Stretch your body but not too much. Focus on your strength and breath. According to Medical News Today, this activity focuses on movement as it teaches people different poses and proper breathing techniques. In addition, its philosophy focuses on the connection between the mind, body, and soul.
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3 Ways Fitness Helps With Mental Health (+ a few tips to help you get started)
When you hear the word “fitness”, what comes to mind first? Abs? Muscles? Weight Loss? Diet? While strong muscles, toned abs, beach body and weight loss are among the commonly known benefits of having a regular fitness routine, being physically fit has benefits that go beyond the obvious. Did you know having a regular fitness routine can also do wonders for your mental health? Seeking professional help is always advisable when it comes to dealing with mental health issues but a great way to complement this is to have a routine that helps you cope and thrive day to day. Here are 3 ways fitness helps boost and improve your mental health: It helps you sleep better 8 hrs of sleep does wonders for your mental health, and having a regular fitness routine increases the likelihood of having a full night’s snooze. Exercising may reduce the amount of time you need to fall asleep and decrease the amount of time you lay awake waiting to fall asleep. Recent research also indicates that exercise helps in realigning your internal body clock and decreases cases of insomnia among patients. Try doing at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercises today and see how it affects your sleep tonight. It leads to increased self-confidence and self-esteem Self-esteem shouldn't be tied with the way you look, rather it should be tied with the way you feel. How are you going to feel confident if you feel sluggish, and have aches and pains all over? If it exhausts you just climbing 2 flights of stairs? Having a regular fitness routine motivates you to set goals relevant to your physical health, and achieving these goals are generally tied to your confidence and sense of self. If you feel good, you’ll look good. If you look good, you’ll feel even better. A regular fitness routine allows you to get to know who you are, what you're capable of and how much you're willing to do to get to your goals. It gives you a sense of community They say “no man is an island” and no matter how much of an introvert you say you are, this can be true for you at certain moments in your life. Isolation and loneliness, according to research, have significant effects on a person’s mental health and will have a negative impact if left unchecked. This is where fitness may come to the rescue; having a regular fitness routine can help you build interpersonal relationships and have a sense of belongingness. Popular YouTube exercise videos encourage you to leave comments, post your workout photos using their hashtags so you can see that you’re not in the journey alone. Other people, who may very well be on the other side of the planet, are doing the same exercise routine as you and are experiencing the same transformation as you. Having a fitness partner, may it be a spouse, a friend, or an entire virtual community will help you be more accountable to yourself and to your goals. If you have a community, the motivation doesn’t just come from your personal resolve, it comes from a group of people who want to see you win. Any exercise routine or activity becomes less like work and more like fun when you share it with someone. Don’t think you can make it work? Sure you can! Try these ultra-easy tips to get started. Start with the basics Having a “fitness routine” doesn’t mean you need a full-on home gym to start. It doesn’t even mean you need to subscribe to a gym. In fact, being fit doesn’t even have to happen inside a gym!If you’re already tired just by watching and reading all these crazy preps and requirements - the equipment, the clothes, the post-workout snacks, etc that the internet is making you do, don’t listen to it. Start with the basics, and move up from there. All you need is your body, and your willingness to move, to get started. Suffering is optional Again, being fit doesn’t only necessarily mean lifting weights, doing crazy pull-ups and push-ups in a gym. If you don’t enjoy that sort of thing, then don’t subject yourself to that kind of suffering! Instead, find something fun and that you enjoy doing. There are a ton of options that are available and it’s absolutely possible that you’ll find something you like. A yoga class, pilates, dance class, sports, or running in the great outdoors are among the popular options! Make the activity something that you like, so your brain can associate it with “fun” instead of “ugggh, here we go again”. Make time Here’s the thing, everyone only has 24 hrs in one day, that’s a fact and there’s nothing you can do about that. If you keep saying “you don’t have time”, then you will never have time. What should you do? Make time! Out of the 24 hrs in your entire day, how much time do you spend in your fitness routine? If you can devote a full hour browsing whatever’s the top story in IG or sifting through tweets or playing another round in your online game, then you can devote 15 mins doing three sets of 1 min planks, 15 squats and 15 lunges. TODAY is better than tomorrow Don’t get caught in the never-ending cycle of “tomorrow, I’ll do it”. Today is yesterday’s tomorrow so you owe it to yourself to get off your butt and move. So what if you can’t do a single push up to save your life? That doesn’t matter! Progress, no matter how small, is always better than perfection. What else are you waiting for? Go on and get moving! Hero Image by Chase Kinney on Unsplash
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Quit Binge Eating With These 6 Tips
It’s half past ten in the evening and for some reason, you just can’t sleep. You tossed and turned for a few more minutes and then finally gave up on the idea of a snooze. You picked up your phone and almost instantaneously, you heard a “ding” - your handy dandy food app just told you that the fastfood a few blocks away can deliver your favorite pizza in a few minutes. What do you do? If you’re one of those people who manages to put down the phone and tries to fall asleep again, then good for you. If you’re not, then you’re probably finished half of the pizza, like the rest of us, and you’re not even hungry to begin with. They say “eat when you’re hungry, not when you’re bored”, but when you’re at the cusp of stuffed crust pizza with lots of melted mozzarella (or whatever food you’re into), how do you even tell which is which? You probably have struggled with binge eating before and you’ve seen and felt the after effects. Shame, guilt, bloating - we’ve all been there and it may sound trivial, but when you’re almost always at the receiving end of these things, it stops being funny. Want to quit those nasty binge eating habits? Try these 6 tips: Know your why and remind yourself of it Why do you want to stop binge eating? The “why” is different for each person because we are motivated by different reasons. “I want to be healthy.” “I want to be able to grow old with my kids.” “I want to travel the world.” Know yours by heart and sit with it. Remember it with every slow breath you take everytime you’re confronted with the temptation to binge eat. It’ll be hard, oh it will be very hard, but your “why” will pull you back. Write it on a piece of paper, stick it on the fridge door, make it a screensaver on your phone, or write it on a post-it-note next to your laptop. Whatever you need to do to see it and be reminded of it, go do it. Your “why” will not only “taste” better than a pizza, it’ll last you a lot longer too than the 30 seconds of glory you’ll have after eating a slice. Don’t deprive yourself In a society where it’s almost always a norm to see people being celebrated for their amazing bodies and 6-pack abs, it’s not difficult to get people to subscribe to whatever diet they see that promises such outcomes. As a result, a plethora of fad diets and programs that promise to give you drastic weight loss results have taken over the world by storm. How many IG influencers in your newsfeed say they’ve done at least one kind of diet? One key component of these diets though, is restriction. If you come to think of it though, as human beings, don’t we always want the one thing we’re told we can’t have? The more you deprive yourself of one thing, the harder your mind tells you you want it, and the more stressful it becomes to keep the cravings and urges under control. Oftentimes, binge eating happens in a state of mindlessness. To counter this, try incorporating mindful eating practices like eating slowly and without distraction and engaging yourself in the full experience of your meal. Simple habits like appreciating your food, and not just gulfing it down, will make you more conscious of what you put in your body. Stay Hydrated Water helps you feel full - simple, effective and cheap. Try carrying a bottle of water with you at all times so you can easily drink when you need to. When you’re full, a slice of even the most mouth watering pizza will be less attractive. You can’t eat what’s not there If you do grocery shopping, then you can dictate what’s going to be in your pantry. As such, buy items that you know will be good for you. You can’t binge eat a gallon of ice cream while watching Netflix on a Sunday night, if it’s not there. If food apps are what’s keeping you awake at night, delete them! Or at least turn off all notifications so you’re tempted to order every single time there’s a new burger joint in town. You can also try meal planning! Hundreds of meal planning tips and templates are available online, each one can be customized according to your preference. Find a fitness routine that works for you A fitness routine is a win-win when it comes to binge eating. Not only will it distract from wanting to eat at a given time, it will also make you burn calories! It is important to find a fitness routine that works for YOU - remember, it is you who’s going to do it so it’s imperative that it fits your lifestyle, your energy level, your time and your capacity to commit. If you have 20 minutes to yourself every morning, why not try yoga and meditation? Or if you have a park or even a road nearby, how about going for a 3km run? Whatever sports or activity that gets you off the couch and moving, even if it’s just for a few minutes a day, is already a step in the right direction. Don’t be scared to get help What happens when “harmless” binge eating habits turn into a far more serious eating disorder? “Binge eating disorder (BED) is a severe, life-threatening, and treatable eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food (often very quickly and to the point of discomfort); a feeling of a loss of control during the binge; experiencing shame, distress or guilt afterwards; and not regularly using unhealthy compensatory measures (e.g., purging) to counter the binge eating.” BED may be severe and life-threatening, but the operative word is “treatable”. There is absolutely no shame in asking for help! Resources are readily available at your disposal. Gone are the days when disorders like these are unrecognized and swept under the rug. The earlier you detect it, the sooner you’ll be on your road to recovery. In conclusion, binge eating may feel gratifying the moment you’re doing it, but like how all bad things that camouflage as good will eventually show their true colors, the feeling isn’t going to last. Eating should be a happy, light and feel-good way of bringing people together. Let’s not confuse it with “overeating”. The next time you’re tempted to binge eat, what are you going to do? Hero Image by Marcel Heil on Unsplash
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Self-Care: 3 Ways Yoga Can Improve Your Mental Health
Yoga is a very popular physical activity that is always known to improve mental health. The combination of breathing, meditation, stretching, and poses are all designed to give anyone that practices it a sense of relief. When it comes to self-care and taking care of mental health, yoga is always recommended. It already has this image that can somehow turn your negative feelings in your surroundings into something positive. But have you ever wondered how yoga makes this possible? And in what ways can it improve your mental health? This article will explain how doing this activity can improve your state of mind in three ways. But before we go there, let us first go deeper into what yoga is. What Is Yoga? Yoga is best described as a full mind and body exercise. So unlike workouts that can make you lose weight or gain muscle, yoga goes beyond by giving your mind the exercise it needs, too. This practice has already existed for thousands of years and was passed on from generation to generation. It was said to be originally a meditation practice only. However, it has been found that as you meditate, you get to recognize parts of your body that need something, and that’s when stretching and the physical aspect were added. Added to that, it even teaches you breathing techniques that help you focus and relax. What’s good about learning these techniques is that you can even apply them any time when you’re stressed out. As you can see, yoga involves two of the main things we need to relax our mind: meditation and breathing. Here are some ways how these two improve our mental health. Yoga Combats Negative Emotions When you’re experiencing a lot of stress, negative emotions flow in your body - anger, anxiety, worry, etc. This is mainly because your body reacts to stress by activating the sympathetic nervous system, which increases our blood pressure and heart rate. It will take a lot of time before you get this down. But with the correct breathing, you can reserve your body’s reaction. As you already know, yoga involves a lot of breathing. Combine this with meditation, and you can learn how to focus on your breathing. This immediately sets you into a relaxed state, lowered heart rate and lowered blood pressure. Now, combine that again with physical exercise, and it will help boost circulation and release of dopamine and other good brain hormones. This is what makes you happier and have a more positive outlook. Yoga Promotes Productivity Yoga also helps you perform better by promoting productivity. Sometimes, you might be unproductive because you’re tired. Your mind might not have gotten enough rest, and this is what yoga can help you achieve. On top of that, it helps reduce stress which prevents you from being your best, creative self. By doing yoga first thing in the morning, you get to set the mood for the day. Again, you’re releasing dopamine, which helps make you happy. And the happier you can perform better than the grumpy, angry version of yourself. Now that you’re in the mood, it also gives you confidence that you can accomplish anything. Yoga can sometimes bring this feeling of empowerment that you start to feel good and believe in yourself. But the best part is, this physical activity stretches out most parts of your body, from your back to your shoulders and neck. It allows you to release any stiffness, which helps make you focus on your work better. Yoga Helps Clear Your Mind Yoga allows you to focus on the present, on your breathing, and on your body. Therefore, whatever problems you have at work or any troubles in the past, yoga pushes that away from your mind. Instead, the practice pushes you to feel and listen to your body at the moment, helping you understand what your body needs. This practice stills your thoughts, so your focus is only on what you’re doing at the moment. Nothing else matters. And this is what puts you in a state of flow. Yoga Poses To Clear Your Mind If you haven’t done yoga yet and want to try, you can start with these five poses: Mountain Pose: Stand up straight, your toes facing forward, your hands together in front of the chest, and you bow your head. Then, hold your breath for 30 seconds when doing the practice. Butterfly Pose: For this one, you need to sit on the floor, your knees out to the side, then bring your bottoms of the feet together. Your hands can hold your feet to ensure they stay together. Then, breathe. Eagle Pose: This requires more concentration. Stand up straight. Cross one leg over the other, sink your hips (it depends how low you want), wrap your one arm to the other, and press your palms together (fingertips should be towards the ceiling). Standing Split: Stand straight, bend down to put your hands on the floor, then lift one foot towards the ceiling. Child’s Pose: Kneel on your mat (knees together or wide apart), bend over, let your forehead touch the mat, and stretch your arms forward. With continuous practice, everything will become natural, and you can improve your concentration a lot by focusing on the moment. It will allow you to finish tasks faster because you’re not thinking about what other things you need to do. Final Say Yoga has always been related to stress relief and improving quality of mind. However, there’s also no denying that familiarizing yourself with the practice is not easy. Significant changes won’t be felt overnight, but yoga can get you in a flow state as long as you do things consistently. You can then supplement with Neuro Gum and Mints, and create a balance between your relaxed and active self. Yoga is best described as a full mind and body exercise. Usual workouts can make you lose weight or gain muscle but not necessarily make your mind healthy. That's why Total Shape emphasized the balance of that with its fitness plans that even include yoga. Yoga goes beyond by giving your mind the exercise it needs, too. Hero Image by kike vega on Unsplash
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Take your Nutrition and Fitness to the Next Level with these 3 Tips. (Part 2 of 6)
2021 is fast approaching and for sure with it will come challenges and changes to different aspects of your life. This second installment of our “Level-Up Series” focuses on an important aspect of your life - your fitness and nutrition. But before discussing the specifics of this, let’s first ask an important question - why are you doing this, anyway? Knowing your “why” In any endeavour, knowing and becoming very clear with your purpose is very important. Having a “why” and understanding it may be one of the most, if not the most important step that you can do to jumpstart the process to a better you. Most people are consumed with the “how” of the process and are eager to do everything all at once. When the heat of the moment dissipates and all the excitement and hype dies down, what are you left with? When things become difficult, because they will at some point, your “why” will ground you and give you perspective. Knowing your “why” will help you be better in handling stress and difficult situations. You’ve decided that you want to take things to the next level in 2021 - the most important question is, why? Take a moment to quiet down your thoughts and zero in on your purpose, write it down and make sure that you take it to heart because it’s going to help you make good progress in your journey up ahead. Now onto the first topic! How can you take your fitness and nutrition to the next level in 2021? Here are 3 very simple and easy tips you can incorporate in your life: Engage in a sport, a physical hobby or a workout routine Most people don’t want to work out because it’s “too much work”. While this may be true especially for very busy individuals, the benefits of being physically active should never be overlooked. There are people who start a program with so much enthusiasm but find their drive tapering down due to difficulties such as injury, schedule problems, lack of motivation, etc. A most common reason behind this is that the workout they’re doing is not suited to them. In order to avoid this, try to find a workout routine that works for you - your body type, activity level, lifestyle, amount of free time and level of commitment. Take a moment to think these aspects through and consider them before you decide which routine works. Failing to do this important step will only set you up to fail, and you don’t want that. One of the most obvious advantages of playing a physical sport is its effect on the body. The best part of playing a sport especially if you do it to unwind or destress is you don’t even realize you’re making an effort to stay active, you just do it because it’s entertaining and fun. It doesn’t even have to be competitive sports, it can be any hobby that will involve you moving and your body making use of energy like biking, walking, dancing and even gardening! Meal planning Meal Planning doesn’t have to be complicated especially if you start with the basics. If anything, it can even take the stress out of thinking over and over “what’s for dinner?”. To begin, you may want to start your planning on a weekly basis just to get the habit started. Obviously, you will have to do your own grocery so you can also make sure to not get food items you’re trying to stay away from. Remember, you can’t eat or drink something that’s not there. However, meal planning doesn’t always mean you have to have every meal a healthy one. Aside from that being overly positive, it might also be frustrating for you if you go “out of plan”. Eating a salad one time won’t make all your health problems go away inasmuch as eating one unhealthy meal doesn’t make you an unhealthy person per se. Include in your plan a day when you can order take out or eat out. This way, you won’t deprive yourself of the experience to the point of going back to square one. Do your research on meal prep guides and tips to make sure you’re getting all the necessary help you need to make your meal planning adventure a success. There’s a ton of resources on the internet on meal planning, take advantage of these meal planning ideas and other free resources to start strong and get better. You’ll definitely notice a change in your dietary habits as well as in your savings. Quit one unhealthy food item for a whole year This is very simple, you just pick one food item that you like eating/drinking and make a commitment to not consume that for the whole of 2021. You don’t have to start with the food item that you most love as that would make it very challenging and might be difficult to sustain. Say for example that three of your most unhealthy favorites are: pizza, soda (carbonated drinks) and fries, in that order. The best bet would be to go for the second one - soda. You have to make a commitment to yourself to not drink carbonated drinks for one whole year. Deciding that you’re going to stop eating something that you absolutely like for 365 days may be difficult, but not impossible. Some people would say that cold turkey is not the best way to go and would only set you up for defeat in the long run. This tip, however, doesn’t encourage you to quit an entire category of anything, for example, “no sugar” or “no carbs” entirely. It’s about breaking one bad habit in terms of the food you consume one at a time. In essence, it’s like the best of both worlds, you quit one unhealthy food cold turkey, yet you take “baby steps” in breaking your bad food habits, one at a time. Say, for example, you choose (or rather, not choose?) soda for 2021, this exercise is meant to desensitize you and lessen your craving for sodas in the years to come. The hope is, you may want a sip every once in a while just for taste, but you won’t go back to craving and looking for it again like you did before. Your nutrition and fitness are among the most important aspects of your life that should always strive to be better at year after year. Your physical body will only be able to perform better if you take care of it, nourish it and give it the proper attention it deserves. That’s it for Part 2. See you in Part 3! Hero Image by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
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4 Body Weight Exercises You Should Start Doing Today
Whether you’re a seasoned athlete with a lot of experience working out, or you’re a couch potato and your definition of “high intensity” is brisk walking from the fridge to the living room, there is a workout that you both can do depending on the “intensity” - bodyweight exercises. What are bodyweight exercises, anyway? Bodyweight exercises are exercise routines that essentially use a person’s own weight as a resistance to gravity. This means you only need yourself to workout, no need to go to the gym or train with fancy equipment. You just need you and your willpower to get moving. You don’t need any membership, no need to buy anything and no need to drive anywhere. It is a type of workout that you can do (almost) everyday, save for recovery days to give your body the chance to rest. In addition, the intensity of the bodyweight workout that you do can be customized according to your fitness level. You don’t even need to have loads of free time to do it! Some bodyweight workouts can be done in as short as 15 minutes. Hopefully, that ticks majority of the items in your “I-can’t-because…” list. Doing bodyweight exercises has a ton of benefits. It helps build strength and endurance so you won’t have to lose your breath everytime you run a single flight of stairs (which you really should do because seriously, do you really want to be with several people in a crammed elevator space? yikes). It also helps balance and mobility, and if you’re consistent, you’re very likely to see results! Pumped-up yet? Here are some bodyweight exercises that you can try: Planks Planks are simple exercises designed to build stability and increase strength. It may look easy, and it may be easy to hold the pose for a few seconds but doing a plank in correct form for a long period may be difficult, especially for beginners. That’s okay! You can always start with shorter versions and increase the time as you go along. Another good thing about plank is, you can do it whenever and wherever! Try doing one for every hour you’re working and you won’t even notice you’ve done 8 minutes worth of planks in a day. If you get tired of doing the usual plank, you can try other varieties to make your routine more interesting and challenging. Push-ups Push-up is a very popular exercise. This is one exercise almost everyone has heard a lot of times in their lifetime. While everything thinks they can do a push-up, not a lot of people execute push-up in the correct form. To be fair, it does require a certain level of strength and can be difficult for the first few times. There are push-up variations that can be done by beginners though, so nope, still no excuses! If done correctly, push-ups can help a great deal in increasing muscle tone and strength, as well as improve cardiovascular health. Who doesn’t love a stronger heart? So drop and do 20! Squat Squats are an amazing exercise that work a lot of your upper and lower body muscles. While some people use squats as punishments, the muscles you develop doing this form of exercise actually helps you and make you stronger as you do normal activities everyday like walking, running, or carrying heavy items. Similar to the suggestions above, squats can be done anywhere and anytime! How about after you do the one minute plank, you add in a one-minute squat as well? Your stronger core and your healthier weight will surely thank you after. Burpees Okay, agreeably, this one might be a tad challenging. But who doesn’t like a good challenge, right? You are not born a quitter, and a burpee shouldn’t make you one! Burpees can be intimidating and can make you want to tap out, but once you know the benefits, you might just have enough energy to do one more rep. Burpees offer a full-body workout, ladies and gentlemen. It makes your muscles stronger and builds endurance in both upper and lower bodies. On top of that, a burpee done right works the muscles in your legs, buttocks, hips, abdomen, arms, shoulders,and chest. A 125lb person who does 20 burpees for 1 minute burns approximately 10 calories. If you add this to the number of calories you burn doing all the above exercises for 1 minute daily, how much do you think that would add up in a week? A lot. Itching to add more bodyweight exercises in your routine? Here are a few more ideas to add to your list. Go ahead and get your body moving and your heart racing with these body weight exercise suggestions. Don’t forget to increase the intensity as you become more pro and used to the beginner levels. Give yourself a little self-love by taking care of yourself more and actually moving. 2021 is just around the corner, don’t you want to leave all those unwanted and nasty bad habits behind and start fresh with better ones? Hero Image by Meghan Holmes on Unsplash.
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5 Simple Ways To Start Eating Healthy
If there’s one good thing that recent events have taught most people, it’s that health is indeed wealth. Pre-pandemic, you’re probably oblivious to the fact that you’re taking the state of your health for granted. You pull work and leisure all-nighters on a regular basis, constantly eat fried and greasy take-out food, and exert very little to zero effort to be physically active. Until about 8 months ago when you had no choice but to be locked down and rethink your choices in life and basically come to terms with how vulnerable humans are against a virus. All of a sudden, a simple cold and sore throat get you all worked up and makes you load up on vitamin C and supplements to boost your immune system. With time in your hands, you found more ways to live a healthier and more active lifestyle. One of the backbones of a healthy lifestyle is eating healthy. Before you get intimidated, don’t take “eating healthy” the wrong way. It doesn’t automatically mean subscribing to a particular type of diet or depriving yourself of one (or more) category of food. It simply means paying close attention to the food and drinks that you consume on a regular basis. It’s about asking yourself every time you’re caught between ordering a side salad or fries, or maybe between a regular fries and large fries - which one is better for me? To prove that eating healthy isn’t time-consuming and complicated, here are simple ways to start (and sustain) a healthy eating lifestyle: Plan your meals and prepare your food We did say “convenient”, right? Firstly, there is nothing inconvenient about meal planning and preparing your own food especially if you know it so much better for you in the long run. Not only are you going to save a ton of dollars from constantly buying take-out food and dining out, you can also be sure that the food you eat is thoughtfully prepared. If you know you’re going to be busy and you might not have enough time to prepare food every day, try cooking in bigger batches and putting them in the fridge for you to eat later. A lot of inexpensive and very easy to prepare meals are out there - all you need is the commitment to try them out. Do a grocery run After you’re done prepping your menu, start a list of the ingredients you’re going to need so you don’t have any excuse not to pursue preparing your food. Don’t forget to read the nutrition labels of food items to make sure they’re as healthy as they’re claiming out to be. Stick with healthier alternatives for food items that you constantly eat, even for snacks. You can’t microwave a bag of popcorn for Netflix night if you don’t have one. Stock up on healthier snack options like raisins, almonds, low-fat string cheese, or edamame. Choose water over sugary drinks According to this article, sugared drinks are probably one of the unhealthiest things you can consume. They’re basically water loaded with a ton of liquid sugar. If consumed regularly and in large quantities, it is linked to numerous serious health issues. Did you know that a 17 oz soda may contain up to 210 calories? If you’re into counting your daily caloric intake, imagine how big a chunk that would take out of your daily allowance. If you’re thinking of drinking an orange juice, try having an actual orange instead. You can even bring a bag home and make your own juice. Again, opt for the healthier alternative if you have the chance. Water, on the other hand, is one of the things you should always make sure you have plenty of. Drinking more of it doesn’t just make you healthy, it lets you look and feel healthier too. Choose wisely As with almost anything in life, you have a choice. It’s true for most things and it’s also true for the food that you put in your body. It is your choice to order that big, fat, juicy hamburger with a side of fries and wash it down with a can of soda. The sad thing is, sometimes some people don’t make informed choices and end up later regretting the consequences of the choices they made. If you’re caught between one thing and another, choose wisely and make sure you make an informed decision. Is there a better option? A healthier alternative perhaps? Develop a “growth mindset” about eating healthy It is a cliche, but anything you put your mind into, your body can achieve. Living a healthier lifestyle and eating healthy are not one-time choices, they’re meant to be integrated into your daily life and in the way you do things. Developing a “growth mindset” allows you to understand that eating healthy and the ways to do it are not inconvenient, but essential steps for you to uncover the best version of yourself. It allows you to frame your thoughts positively and be okay with taking baby steps in the right direction. As the world opens up again and things begin to “go back to normal”, it is a hope that your health doesn’t need to take a back seat anymore. You’ve already made good progress and you shouldn’t have to stop just because you’re more “out and about” now. So, what are you waiting for? Get that grocery list going because eating and being healthy should have started yesterday! Hero Image by rawpixel.com
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