Healthy nutrition does not rely on expensive foods, protein powders or vitamin supplements. It does not require a fancy activity or sleep tracker or a questionable glucose monitor. Not even a gym membership. And certainly not you to compare yourself to unqualified, photoshopped wellness influencers selling you dubious meal plans.
For a healthy lifestyle, we should all focus on these basics, which are mostly free:
- Good quality sleep, between 7 and 9 hours a day (women need more sleep – we use our brains more). Yes, sleep comes first.
- Circa 30 minutes of moderate cardio exercise each day. This is when you feel your heart pumping. This can be riding your bike uphill or at speed, a brisk walk, rope jumping etc.
- Ideally 2 weekly sessions of at least 30 minutes of weightlifting.
- Adequate protein intake, especially if you are a woman over 40.
- Getting 30g of fibre each day: this can be a tricky one. Reminder for myself to write an article on this. Legumes, vegetables with skin, seeds and nuts are great sources of fibre.
- Anticipate your calorie intake earlier in the day: fuel your body with a nutritious breakfast, load the proteins for satiety (but the occasional café-croissant is part of a healthy diet too).
- Sufficient and regular hydration – (tap) water is your ally.
- Avoid alcohol and keep caffein to a minimum.
Staying mentally strong is part of a healthy lifestyle, this includes:
- Managing your stress: stress influences hormone levels, impacting your glucose levels, your digestion, blood pressure, immune system etc.
- Set healthy work boundaries,
- Improve or end unhealthy relationships.
- Learn new skills: from the trendy ceramics to dancing, reviewing your A-level maths or learning a new language. Lots of free apps or websites can help you keep your brain sharp.
- Surround yourself with people who make you feel good. Friends you can trust, who will help you grow. Avoid people pleasers.
- Know what you love doing and keep doing it.
When things go wrong, when times are challenging – and this is just life happening – having built these robust foundations will help you stay strong and recover quickly.
Be mindful that we all have unique needs, and that change takes time. I wrote a series about forming new habits.
If you have specific goals, such as improving aspects of your diet, weight loss or else, it is best to work with a trained professional who will understand your needs and provide evidence based, tailored advice.