We all know we need to eat fruit every day, a minimum if 5 pieces a day but, what are the real benefits of our ‘5 a day’?
Fruit is high in important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants. Eat many different types to get the most benefits.
Eating whole fruit may help you consume fewer calories and lose weight over time. However, drinking fruit juice may have the opposite effect.
There are many studies indicating that fruit intake is associated with a lower risk of many serious diseases, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Fruit does contain sugar, but its fibre and polyphenols may actually improve long-term blood sugar control and protect against type 2 diabetes.
Fruit can be a healthy part of a low-carb diet. However, people who follow a very low-carb ketogenic diet may want to avoid fruit.
For the average person, fruit is safe in almost any amount. Unless you have an intolerance or are following a very low-carb or ketogenic diet, there really is no reason to limit your intake.
Most studies show health benefits with two to five servings of fruit per day. However, there seems to be no harm in eating more than that.
Summary. Eating fruit every day can reduce the risk of disease, help you lose weight, boost your energy levels and mood and is a much far tastier and satisfying snack. As long as you have a variety and not just stick to one there is no reason why you cannot indulge in some natural sweetness.
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We already know that there are many reasons why we should exercise and the benefits such as – increase energy, improving mood, sleep, anxiety, stress and depression as well as losing weight and we can all access a variety of online work-outs but, none of these things are any good to us if we do not have the motivational and right mind set to introduce a daily exercise routine into our hectic lives. So, how do we start?
Firstly, we need to ditch the ‘all-or-nothing’ attitude.
Exercise should form part of a routine whether you exercise ever day or 3 times a week. Plan when you will exercise, make the time and after a few week’s you will see it becomes part of the ‘norm’ to your routine making it easier to stick to longer term.
Be kind to yourself
If you miss a day or if you don’t run as far as you did last time do not beat yourself up about it. The fact you have got off the sofa and had some form of exercise is great. We all have days when we don’t do as much as we’d like or planned to so don’t worry to much an don’t let it impact your new exercise routine.
Know your expectations
Well done on that 5k run last night you did amazingly so why do you feel so low today? Well, if you haven’t accessed your expectations you may feel deflated. Remember you will not see the results, weight loss overnight. Exercise needs to form part of a new healthy lifestyle. Lifestyle so not a diet programme, not a quick fix for that beach body we dream off. A lifestyle is just that a life so, think every time you go for that run you are helping your future self.
How hard do you need to exercise?
Exercise comes in all varieties for all ages and physical fitness.
Whether an activity is low, moderate, or vigorous intensity varies according to your personal fitness level. As a general guideline, though:
For most people, aiming for moderate intensity exercise is enough to improve your overall health. You should breathe a little heavier than normal, but not be out of breath.
How to get started
Listen to your body – do not overdo it start small so before that 5k run maybe walk 5k first for a couple of weeks gradually increasing the distance.
Always warm up and cool down – make sure you stretch before and after your exercise
Drink plenty of water – your body will lose water even if you do not sweat so make sure you keep that water intake topped up.
Schedule- plan when and what you will be doing and stick to it. Having a plan or schedule increases the motivation to complete your workout.
Hold yourself accountable – Commit to another person so by joining up with a friend or family member will make you more motivated to complete your workout.
have FUN!!- Exercise should not be a chore it should be a social and fun thing to do so have fun with it.
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Let’s start with how much water should we be drinking each day.
Consuming 6-8 glasses or cups a day, and it also includes lower fat milks, and low sugar or sugar-free drinks, tea and coffee within this intake. But always where possible avoid sugary drinking and cordials to achieve a healthier lifestyle.
Tip- Buy a water bottle which is marked with hourly markers so you can keep an eye on how much water you are drinking in the day and use this on top of your normal daily intake of liquids.
So, what are the real benefits of drinking water each day?
1, Improve overall mood and memory.
2, Helps with food cravings and aids weight loss as you feel fuller for longer
3, Improves exercise performance giving you a little energy boost.
4, Reduces headaches and migraines.
5, Prevents constipation.
6, May help prevent Kidney stones
7, Reduces the risk of bladder infections.
8, Helps manage anxiety and stress.
Just by introducing and increasing your daily water intake can help you on your healthy lifestyle journey. 1 simple change can make all the difference.
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