Health and Fitness

by DONNIE LEWIS

Mediterranean diets claim that they’ll keep you fit and healthy, and they’ve got centuries of evidence backing them up.
Whether you prefer Spanish or Greek cuisine, this is one approach to eating healthy for life. Read on to discover the major benefits of eating like a Mediterranean, ways to get started, and tips for incorporating more of their healthy lifestyle into your life.

Major Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet

1. Lower your risk for heart disease and diabetes. Like any healthy living plan, a Mediterranean diet helps fights metabolic syndrome. You’ll lower your odds for developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other serious conditions.
2. Improve your emotional well being. Civilizations around the Mediterranean basin have helped teach the world the importance of eating together to maintain social connections. They also demonstrate a constructive balance of physical activity and rest.
3. Enjoy delicious foods. What’s better than a diet that lets you indulge in a wide variety of your favorite foods? Dine on grilled fish year round. Sip lentil soup on a winter afternoon and serve hummus for an easy summer lunch.

How to Eat Like a Mediterranean

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Get most of your calories from fresh produce. Aim for at least five to six servings a day. You’ll get the vital nutrients you need and the fiber will help you feel full while eating less.
2. Choose healthy fats. Stock up on extra virgin olive oil and use it instead of butter or margarine. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are better for your heart than saturated fats.
3. Substitute fish for meat. Fish is a great source for lean protein and it really is brain food. The high levels of vitamin D in oily fish like salmon and tuna improve cognitive functions. Serve fish at least twice a week.
4. Stick to low fat dairy products. Liven up your old breakfast cereal by mixing it into low fat Greek yogurt. Buy skim or low fat milk. Careful portion control lets you enjoy cheese responsibly.
5. Snack on nuts. Ditch the processed cookies and crackers in favor of nuts and legumes. They’ll keep you satisfied and make it easier to resist donuts.

Other Lifestyle Practices

1. Adjust your grocery budget. A Mediterranean diet can get a little pricey. Shop for seasonal produce bargains. Start your own vegetable garden. Master home recipes for hummus.
2. Schedule family dinners. Eat together as a family as often as possible. You’ll model good eating habits for your kids and make it easier for them to talk with you. Studies show they’ll even bring home better grades.
3. Sit down to eat. Whenever possible, pull up a chair to eat. You’ll be more conscious of the calories you consume and you’ll digest your food better.
4. Drink in moderation. It’s okay to be a teetotaler. On the other hand, small quantities of red wine taken with meals may be good for your heart. The general rule is no more than one glass a day for women and two for men.
5. Exercise regularly. Pick activities you like and incorporate them into your daily routine. A 30 minute walk each day with a few weekly sessions of strength training and stretching may be all you need. Increase that to 60 minutes if you want to lose weight.
6. Manage stress. Find relaxation techniques that are comfortable for you. Listen to instrumental music, talk to your dog, or meditate.

Source>> https://www.amazines.com/Fitness/article_detail.cfm/6262863?articleid=6262863

by PARAMJIT SINGH

A healthy life and a healthy diet seem to be an understatement until a person suffers from a physical illness that dries them off the energy and disturbs their normal living.
A healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle both are beneficial in the long term as well as short term. In the long term, they help one to avoid various serious and tragic diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart problems, etc. In short term, they keep one in their best shape, keep them energized, active, and fit.

Ways to improve habits and lifestyle

• Little habits can make a huge difference in one’s habits and lifestyle. Switching to a balanced and healthy diet, free from excessive junk and oily food can be very helpful in keeping one fit. Eggs, cereals, vegetables, etc can be used.
• Inculcating a habit of physical exercise or workout for at least 30 mins or more can also make a huge difference and help a person to be in shape.
• One needs to avoid smoking and drinking to avoid various fatal diseases. One must take care of one’s body and weight.
• Excessive exposure to the sun can be avoided since it can cause various skin problems. Water is the ultimate solution to all problems. A huge amount of water and fluids intake should be there. Water is very essential for everyone; it cleanses the body from inside.
• Proper scheduling of sleep patterns is also very important for keeping one fresh and energized.

Why is it important to improve your habits?

• Having a healthy diet and routine comes with many advantages.
• They keep a person fit, in shape, and active. They build the immune system of the body to fight against problems, if any occur in the future.
• It helps to maintain the weight of a person and makes them look good.
• It helps it combat various fatal diseases that may arise as one grows old like heart diseases, lung or liver diseases, etc. A healthy diet keeps in check the cholesterol and sugar levels in the body.
• A healthy body helps in keeping the mood good. A tired or weak body would disturb one’s mood and make one irritable. Insufficient sleep too can irritate and makes one angry. So good and sound sleep is a must. It boosts the life span of a person and grants them the gift of longevity.

What are people doing to achieve good health and fitness?

• People have grown out to be more concerned and responsible when it comes to their fitness.
• A trend has emerged where people now do things to take care of their bodies. They are no longer careless about their health. More and more people are joining gyms, yoga classes, marathons, health clubs, etc.
• Parents now inculcate the habits of physical exercise from childhood only. They ensure that their children spend less time on phones.
• Elderly people also try to regularly go for walks and try to eat healthy as much as possible. If everyone makes an effort, it would be easy to have a healthy lifestyle with healthy people around them. So, one should, no matter what age, start the exercise, and be concerned about their health.
• There are no double thoughts as to how necessary and essential a balanced diet and healthy life is. It is not at all difficult to add the same healthy habits in the routine considering how beneficial they are.

Source>> https://www.amazines.com/Fitness/article_detail.cfm/6262893?articleid=6262893