As you journey towards a banging body, vibrant life, and healthy living, eating holds the key to that transformation you seek. Not only that, but it also plays a major role in taking you to your desired destination and keeping you there.
But losing sight of your goal becomes very easy as you saunter through a world of contradicting advice and fad diets. As a result, you may pick up or go back to eating habits that may truncate your efforts.
The good thing about adopting a healthy eating habit is that it serves for the long term. Once it sticks, it stays forever. It’s not some gym house training that you lose interest in after three months. So, if your current plan towards a vibrant life isn’t doable for the long term, it is just some diet rather than a lifestyle.
So, let’s explore how a mindful eating approach can immensely transform and reshape your life and health. Let’s go beyond the boundaries of fads and quick fixes and discover a lasting solution to sustain better shape and health. Read on!
Image Credit: healthline
Contents
Intermittent Fasting for Long-Lasting Results
What comes to your mind each time you hear healthy habits? Fad diets and avoiding specific food combos, right? They are less effective and long-lasting than balancing the clock and the plate technique.
Intermittent fasting is an eating habit that involves choosing specific times to eat within 24 hours. You eat at a specific time and fast for the rest of the day. This is quite unlike the conventional weight loss techniques that involve counting calories.
The sound of fasting may be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. There are various ways to go about it based on your level of strength. Each style is based on your goal and how your strength can carry. The different fasting methods include:
- Fasting 12 hours a day or 12:12 fasting
- Fasting 16 hours a day or 16:8 fasting
- Fasting for two days in a week or 5:2 fasting
- Alternate fasting or fasting 24 hours a week
- Fasting 20 hours a week, also known as the warrior diet or 20:4 fasting
While the 12-hour eating window is the easiest for most people, the 16:8 fasting method has proven more effective. People who follow the 16:8 fasting schedule skip meals at night; after all, you will be sleeping. So, it helps reduce the hunger to eat when you should be fasting.
16:8 fasting people have most of their daily caloric intake in the afternoon. For this reason, digestion occurs while they are still active. Research has proven that developing a consistent intermittent fasting habit can significantly impact your transformation journey and get you in better shape and health.
Don’t Eat Just Because You Feel Like
Eating whenever you feel like, otherwise known as emotional eating, renders every effort to get a banging body and a vibrant life futile. Emotional eating involves eating to numb or in response to emotions. This could be tension, anger, anxiety, boredom, or extreme happiness. This can stem from significant life events.
While everyone goes through different emotional phases, some people turn to impulsive eating or binge eating. As such, they consume whatever comes their way and sabotage their weight loss efforts. Most people use food to distract from pain or celebrate happy feelings.
When it comes to eating, the how often supersedes the what. The frequency and time intervals of your meals or snacks have a major impact on your eating habits compared to the specific type of food you choose to eat. You must learn to differentiate between eating just because you feel like it and eating because you’re actually hungry.
While separating hunger cues from emotional cues can be challenging, knowing the difference is vital for a healthy eating habit. You can learn that by paying attention to the reasons for your hunger and the last time you had a meal.
Emotional hunger often comes with the desire for specific “comfort” food, so ask yourself, “Am I just eating because of how tasteful it is? Is this worth it right now? or is it just for enjoyment? Answering these questions will help you separate actual hunger from emotional eating cues.
Eat More Colorful Food
Phytonutrients and phytochemicals are essential for a vibrant life and healthy living. These nutrients are found only in colorful foods like veggies and fruits. They also help to lower the rate of cancer, obesity, and any heart condition or disease.
Eating colorful fruits helps you stay fit and vibrant and fights terminal diseases that may arise later. They are long-term strategies to stay active even in old age. They contain antioxidants that help lower the aging process.
As the colors are different, so are the various health benefits of fruits and veggies. So, the more these fruits you have on your plate, the more fiber and nutrients you get. Some food colors and their benefits include:
- Red: Red-colored fruits like tomatoes and Watermelon contain lycopene. This is a chemical substance that, when activated in the body, fights against cancer and inflammation. They also reduce the risk of diabetes and antioxidants that help against free radicals.
- Green: Some of the healthiest foods you can find are leafy greens. Their health benefits are enormous. They contain vitamins K and C, which are vital for proper bone and blood health and boosting the immune system. Examples of such fruits are green leafy veggies, cucumber, and spinach
- Orange: These fruit colors contain alpha beta carotene, which helps reduce the risk of hypertension and blood pressure. The fruits in this category include carrots and sweet potatoes, among others.
- Blue: Regular consumption of blue-colored foods like blueberries can help you slow down time. They have anti-aging properties, so you stay fresh despite growing old. They also fight hypertension and high blood pressure.
Always Stay Hydrated
When the issue of healthy eating pops up, all attention turns towards food and diet plans. Hence, people are far less concerned about the one more vital strategy to our well-being: staying hydrated. Conversely, most people who try to stay hydrated do so with some calorie-containing beverages. So, they end up with little or no results.
The most essential liquid for healthy living is water intake. It’s not enough to drink water only when it’s hot outside or when you go to the gym. Drinking water all day and every day should be a habit if you want to get in shape or maintain a healthy lifestyle.
One way to develop the habit of constantly drinking water is by having a water bottle at hand, on your desk, or in your travel bag. This goes without saying that you must never wait till you become thirsty before you drink. This is because, by then, you are already dehydrated.
Final Words
Here, we have delved through the intricacies of intermittent fasting and uncovered its powers. You have also explored the benefits of mindful, colorful eating and constant hydration. You’re now at the crossroads of potential and possibility—taking the bold step.
But you must keep in mind that transformation is only a process, so it doesn’t end here. The journey has just begun; hence, you need to put on the armor of patience and consistency. Also, you must nurture the habit of appreciating your little wins on the way. All these will guide you to your destination of better shape and healthier lifestyle. Good luck!
