2009 New Year's Resolution: Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

So you have pledged to eat healthier and to exercise more in the upcoming year. More than likely you have no idea how to go about that, or if you think you do, most of your information is probably incorrect. Everyone wants to be fit. Despite what you might have previously read or heard, eating healthy and staying fit is not actually that hard. In fact, in can actually be easier to maintain, as well as being easier on your wallet, than eating un-healthy.

First off, eating healthy and exercise is not about strict diets or exercising regiments, nor is it about depriving yourself of foods that you love the most. It is about keeping your body feeling youthful and providing you with plenty of energy to help you get about your busy life. By learning some of the basics of nutrition and exercising regularly, you can easily maintain a healthy lifestyle with relative ease.

Eating Healthy

Every single person, at some point in their lives, makes a decision to try to eat healthier foods. The majority of these people do not stick with it, either because they lack the motivation to do so, or the methods they are using to do so are the opposite of what they are supposed to be doing, and they do not receive the results they want, so they quit. Eating healthy is not some mythical skill that has to be granted to you by some divine power. Eating healthy is a choice that requires some self-sacrifice and smart decision making, coupled with a bit of determination. Once you and your body become in sync with this new lifestyle, you will find that it is much easier, cheaper, and generally much more accommodating than taking the other road.

1) Cut It Out

If you want to eat healthier and stay fit you first have to cut out all of the bad foods you are ingesting. This means cutting out, or greatly reducing, the intake of the following foods:

Soda

This is the worst of the worst. "Parents and health officials need to recognize soft drinks for what they are; liquid candy, and do everything they can to return those beverages to their former role as an occasional treat," says the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). This is 100% true. Soda is liquid candy. Soda has tons of sugar, lots of calories, caffeine, and artificial colors and flavoring. Diet sodas are worse than regular sodas because they may contain Aspartame and other harmful artificial sweeteners.

Fast Food

This is the biggest trap people fall into. Fast food is quick and simple. It provides exactly what it offers; fast food. But it doesn't provide any of the nutrients your body actually needs to stay fit. If you have a busy work schedule, or are a college student with a heavy curriculum, chances are you have eaten a lot of fast food. The average fast food burger contains almost 500 calories and 30 grams of fat, including 10 to 20 grams of saturated and Trans fats, and around 60 to 70 grams of carbohydrates. Fast food enterprises also encourage consumers to "super-size" their meals. What you are actually doing is buying a "more calories than I should ever consume in one sitting" meal.

Salt

Foods like cheeseburgers, butter, potato chips, French fries, cream, bagels, pretzels, etc. are all high in salt and should be avoided at all costs.

Sugar

Foods like chocolate, cake, doughnuts, soda, potato chips, candies (M&M's, skittles, etc.), caramel, honey, fudge, ice cream, etc. are all high in sugar and should be avoided at all costs, especially foods with artificial sweeteners.

Saturated fats, Trans Fats, and Cholesterol

The big key to eliminating weight gain is to cut out, or greatly reduce, the intake of saturated and Trans fats, as well as foods high in cholesterol. Foods high in these big three include: cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, etc. animal products, margarine, fried potatoes, potato chips, corn chips, popcorn, and salad dressing.

Go through your kitchen or pantry immediately and remove any foods that are high in salt, sugar, saturated fats, Trans fats, cholesterol, carbohydrates, or contain artificial sweeteners or caffeine.

2) Switch It Up

If you are eating unhealthy, chances are the foods above take up the majority of your diet. What we are aiming for now is a diet that is high in Omega-3 acids, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and anti-oxidants.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to human health, but cannot be manufactured by the body, and must be obtained from foods. Omega-3 Fatty Acids have been proven to help lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and treat and prevent heart disease.

Fiber

You've probably heard that at some point in your life that you need more fiber in your diet. In most cases, this is probably true. Fiber is essential for a healthy lifestyle because it slows the rate that sugar is adsorbed into the bloodstream. This keeps your blood glucose levels from rising too fast, which causes you to be hungry soon after eating. This leads to people feeling hungry even though they have just eaten and leads to overeating.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals help the immune system work more efficiently, helps support normal growth and development (essential for kids to grow up big and strong), and helps cells and organs do their jobs correctly and prevent them from breaking down. The most essential vitamins are A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K.

Anti-Oxidants

Antioxidants protect you from cellular damage, which can lead to cancer, aging, and a variety of diseases. Antioxidants protect your cells against the adverse effects of free radicals. Free radicals are the molecules that are produced when your body breaks down food. Other free radicals include environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals can often damage cells, and play major role in development of heart disease, cancer and other illnesses.

The next time you have the need to go to the grocery store to buy food, use this as your list instead. The following is a list of healthy foods that contain the essential omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, anti-oxidants, and other vitamins and minerals that will keep your body healthy and energized.

Fruits

Apples, Apricots, Avocado, Bananas, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Cranberries, Figs, Grapes, Kiwi, Mango, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Prunes, Raisins, Raspberries, and Strawberries.

Vegetables

Artichoke, Asparagus, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Carrots, Cauliflower, Green Peppers, Peas, Potatoes (baked), Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Sweet potato (baked), and Tomatoes.

Beans and Legumes

Adzuki beans, Anasazi beans, Black Beans, Black-eyed peas, Chick Peas, Edamame, Fava Beans, Lentils, Lima Beans, Red Kidney beans, and Soy nuts.

Seafood

Codfish, mackerel, rainbow trout, salmon, sardines, and tuna, are all high in Omega-3's. Shrimp, Shellfish, and Crab are also healthy.

Herbs and Spices

Cayenne pepper, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Coriander, Curcumin, Garlic, Ginger, Nutmeg, Oregano, Rosemary, Saffron, Sage and Tumeric.

Nuts

Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Cashews, Macadamia nuts, Pecans, and Walnuts.

Dairy

Many cheeses are available in reduced-fat form, including American, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Muenster, and Swiss. Pecorino Romano, which is made from sheep's milk, or other cheeses made from goat's milk, are healthier than cheese made from cow's milk. Other products like Skim milk, Whole Eggs, and low/non-fat Yogurt are also extremely healthy.

Drink only water, natural juices, and the occasional glass of wine at dinner.

3) A New Routine

So now you know what to and what not to eat. So now you just need a new routine to make sure that you can keep eating healthy. Ideally you should be eating six small meals a day. For the vast majority of people this is simply not possible, this is why we're going to stick with the traditional three meal day, coupled with two snack times.

Start Big and Get Small

How many times have you come home late from work and were starving, then devoured a lot of food, and went to sleep. Not only is this completely unhealthy, it is the complete opposite of what you need to do to stay healthy. Your meals should get smaller throughout the day. The biggest being breakfast, a moderate lunch, and a small dinner. You should have your largest meal in the morning before you go to work or school. That way you can work off the calories absorbed from that meal during the day. If you eat a large meal at night, and do not properly exercise afterwards, you're not allowing your body to properly work off the calories it has ingested.

Start off with a large breakfast; oatmeal or a healthy cereal, a fruit and vegetable of your choosing, and a cup of hot tea.

If you have time to eat a proper lunch, eat a salad (the greener the better, and no dressing), a fruit and vegetable of your choosing, and water. If you cannot have a proper lunch, bring along a bottle or two of water. Snack packs are fine but you should also try to incorporate either a single fruit that is easy to eat like an apple, banana, or an orange, or a pack of carrots, grapes, or blueberries.

When you get home eat a small snack like yogurt, nuts, or beans.

For dinner, eat light. Start off with a salad. Red wine is excellent to drink at dinner, in fact a single glass of wine each day is proven to help prevent heart disease, reduces the risk of infection, raises the good cholesterol a body needs, and is generally healthier than other alcoholic beverages (drink responsibly). Eat a small seafood or, if you can't resist, chicken or turkey meal. Finish it off with fruit and vegetables or yogurt for desert. Try to only eat until you are not hungry. Do not eat past that point. If you do, you are ignoring your body's natural signal of telling you that it no longer requires food.

DO NOT DRINK anything with caffeine, electrolytes, lots of sugar, or is labeled as an energy drink.

Despite what you think, adequate sleep is integral to stay healthy and fit. Most sodas and coffee drinks have literally no nutritional value whatsoever. Along with that, they are absolutely packed with sugar and sodium. The average drink from Starbucks has 200 calories and more than 20 grams of sugar. The average soda has 120 calories and 30 grams of sugar. Electrolytes aren't bad. The drinks that have them are. Drinks like Gatorade average 200 calories and over 40 grams of sugar per drink. Other energy drinks, like Red Bull and Red Devil, are much worse. In most energy drinks, caffeine levels are higher than the FDA limit for sodas, which is 65 mg of caffeine per 12 ounces. The FDA does not regulate caffeine in energy drinks. All energy drinks are loaded with caffeine, sugar and other herbal stimulants. They increase the size of your adrenal gland, which will make you alert, but with horrible side affects. It can also make your heart beat markedly faster, putting you at risk of health problems.

Simply drink water and all-natural juices and the occasional glass of wine at dinner.

4) Exercise

You new routine is going to require exercise. No, clicking the buttons on the remote is not exercise. A healthy diet is not going to help at all if you are a couch potato. Even just 30 minutes to 1 hour of exercise a day is enough to keep excess pounds off, clear your arteries, increase your stamina and vitality, strengthen your heart and other muscles, and helps you stay active and fit as your body ages. If you have a job that requires you to be mobile and active all the time you won't need to exercise as much, but a little more never hurts.

Cardiovascular exercise helps your heart become stronger. In doing so, it doesn't have to work as hard pumping blood, helping reduce the risk of a heart attack. It also helps to reduce stress, which will help you become more relaxed, feel more energetic, and will help you to sleep at night. Take the stairs more instead of the elevator. Walk more instead of driving to local stores. If you want to watch television, work out while doing so. Do the treadmill or go on a stair master. Incorporate the exercise into your day so that you don't have to "think" about exercising, it just comes naturally.

Swimming is a great way to help reduce stress. It also helps lower blood pressure and relaxes and helps strengthen heart muscles.

Walking or Running another way to help reduce stress. It strengthens legs muscles. It strengthens the heart and increases stamina. It also lets you get outside in the warmer months of year, into the fresh air, and lets you see your surroundings witch will help you relax.

Other activities you can include that will help exercise your body and help keep you feeling full energy and youthful include: Jumping jacks, yoga, exercise bike, cycling, rowing, even throwing a baseball or football around with a friend or family member or shooting around a basketball will help keep you active and will prevent your muscles from atrophying.

Just make sure that whichever exercise you choose incorporates at least thirty minutes of CONSTANT movement.

5) Stick With It

Make a schedule. Make a meal and exercise schedule and stick to it. If you miss a meal, that is okay, just add small snack to your schedule later in the day. Don't try to make up for it by cramming your face at dinner time.

Make a budget. If you set aside money allotted to buying your meals and snacks each month you won't be tempted as much to splurge on potato-chips, cookies, ice cream or fast foods. If you cannot deprive your self of those oh-so-tasty junk foods, eat them in moderation, such as once a week, when watching a sporting event with friends.

When eating out, you have to do your homework. Find the meals on the menu that fit your dietary needs. Always look for the healthiest thing on the menu. You can also ask the waiter or waitress if they have a vegetarian version of the meal; vegetarian dishes are almost always innately healthier. Customize your order by substituting those fatty French fries for tomatoes or corn on the cob. Do not order soda when the water is healthy and free.

Join a gym or fitness club. Being around other people will help keep you motivated towards your goal of becoming healthier and fit. Plus it also comes with the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends and acquaintances. If you cannot afford one, then simply bring a friend or relative along for a daily walk, jog, or run. This way you will feel the motivation to keep going along with the prospect that you have someone else with you that is committed to the same goal.

Get A Hobby. Simple hobbies such as reading, writing, arts and crafts, games like chess, collecting, learning to play an instrument, photography, or sports activities such as golf and tennis, are excellent to keep you from plopping down in front of the television or computer with a bag of junk food. Hobbies are also excellent ways to meet people that enjoy the same things as you. Bonus points if you are able to turn your new found hobby into a home-based business.

Most important of all; Believe You can do it. Repeat that to yourself any time that you feel like breaking off and going to McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell or any of the other hundreds of fast food chains. The road is not a necessarily easy one, but with some hard work and determination you can achieve your goal.

Good Luck!