How to give your body a bit of a boost

Lots of people work on their self development. They read books, attend workshops, participate in seminars and work hard on their mental attitude to boost their careers, self-esteem or relationships. But many don't stop to think about putting the same effort into helping their body perform better. It's difficult to be all fired up and enthusiastic if you don't feed or exercise your body properly. Here are a few tips on how you can give your body a bit of a boost:

- Drink lots of water – for healthy skin, guts and mind. Water is needed for your guts to function properly. Just a small degree of dehydration can lead to brain fog and lack of energy. Keep a large bottle of water on your desk, and make sure you drink it all.

- Your taste buds will change. Remember this, if when you start eating healthily you initially miss fatty foods or the sweet taste of sugar. Keep at it and eventually you will find sweet and fatty food tastes disgusting – we all know of people who have given up sugar in drinks and then found that tea or coffee tastes vile to them with added sugar. It will happen to you too.

- A healthy mental attitude is important as well. It's all part of the "respect your body" idea that is so important. Don't punish your body (and ruin your social life) by opting for faddy mono-diets – their contents (e.g. eggs or grapefruit) are often healthy enough foods in moderation, but your body needs variety and enough energy-giving foods to function well.

  -Make sure you get enough essential vitamins and other nutrients. Many people don't eat enough essential fatty acids – the good fats found in oily fish, nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables. These fats are vital for good brain function, but will also benefit your skin and joints. B vitamins are essential for energy levels, and yet are quickly reduced by factors such as stress.

- Up your intake of fruit, vegetables and fibre-rich foods. You've heard this all before, but it can't be said often enough – fruit, vegetables and wholegrain foods are where the healthy stuff's at. Aim for five portions of fruit and vegetables per day at the very least, more if you can.

- Don't confuse healthy food with weight loss food. Some people feel virtuous when they buy low fat and diet products. Be careful with these – get adept at reading the labels on the back. Despite the hype that's starting to appear on the manufacturers' packaging ("Low fat!" "Good for you!"), they're still full of additives and often too high in fat, salt and sugar. By all means go for low fat – but check what may have been added instead of the fat.

- Take exercise. This is an important part of getting healthy and it will definitely help with your mental attitude, keeping you firm and toned as well as revving up your metabolism. Find something you enjoy, get together with a friend so there's less chance of you ducking out at the last minute, and get that body moving.

 

-Carole Holditch is a motivator, weight management expert and founder of Good Habits. For more information, visit www.goodhabitsuae.com

 

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