Are you trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, even went on a diet and went to a fitness club, but it doesn’t help you feel more cheerful, even on the contrary? It is possible that this is due to the common mistakes that most of us make — especially these hidden mistakes are characteristic of those who have decided to «take care of themselves». It is not necessary to commit them all. Two or three are enough to fall out of normal life.
Do you drink little water
Most of us admit that we are not able to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Yes, it’s not easy when it comes to clean water, and you are not used to drinking more than a couple of glasses a day. What’s wrong with that? Dehydration. Did you know that one of the main causes of headaches in people is precisely the lack of fluid in the body? If you have a headache periodically, try replacing the tablet with a couple of glasses of clean water. It is quite possible that after that you will no longer need the pill. In addition to feeling unwell, dehydration affects our appearance: the skin becomes dry and loses elasticity, the lips crack, there is a constant dryness in the mouth. Add to this digestive problems and the threat of constipation. Dehydration affects both performance and general mood.
How can I help myself? Train yourself to drink water! Add your favorite berries, lime juice, lemon, mint leaves to the water. Improve the taste of «simple» water, make it more attractive for yourself. Or just pour yourself two liter bottles of water — you should drink one at home, the second at work. Remember that consuming enough water helps curb your appetite and thus allows you to fight overeating and excess weight more effectively.
By the way, owners of smartphones can download to their phone one of the many programs that will not only help to count the water they have drunk, but will persistently remind them that it’s time to take a drink.
Are you skipping meals
If you do not have regularity in meals, if your body is not accustomed to getting food at more or less certain intervals of time, or if you forget to have breakfast or lunch over and over again, you are harming your metabolism. Even if you try to eat healthy, such unhealthy habits in the organization of your diet lead to a slow metabolism. If you do not follow your diet, then skipping a normal meal leads to unhealthy snacks, overeating and weight gain. Plus, there are inevitable digestive problems, you feel tired and sleepy.
How can I help myself? Don’t skip breakfast. Remember that breakfast should consist, if possible, of long carbohydrates that will help you feel full for a long time and provide you with energy for the first half of the day. If you can’t afford a full lunch during working hours, pay attention to what you snack on. Give preference to fruits, unsweetened dried fruits and nuts, or sandwiches with pieces of boiled beef, chicken, or unsalted fish, on a piece of whole-grain bread with herbs.
You are not eating enough protein
Incredibly, but a fact: many modern people, not being vegetarians, do not eat enough protein food. The daily «shortage» of proteins in the body of an adult can reach up to 50%. How is this possible? It’s easy if you remember that the main snack foods consist mainly of carbohydrates and fats. But it is the protein that contains all the vital amino acids that our body needs for normal operation. Without these amino acids, the productive work of the brain is impossible. They are the building material for our muscles. And when digesting protein, we spend more energy, and this helps us keep fit. A protein-balanced diet also helps control blood sugar levels.
How can I help myself? Pay attention to the ratio of protein and carbohydrate foods in your diet. Read the labels on the finished products, choose those that are rich in protein. Even different packs of cottage cheese or different cans of canned fish in their own juice may have different protein content. Teach yourself to eat boiled meat (without fat). One of the most valuable sources of protein is an ordinary chicken egg. If you are a vegetarian, or just don’t like meat food, buckwheat, quinoa, chia seeds, spirulina, hemp, soy will help you — these products are rich in vegetable protein.
You’re not eating enough carbs
This problem is faced by those who are too carried away by diets and a healthy lifestyle. So much has been written about the dangers of excessive consumption of carbohydrates that there is an involuntary desire to completely remove them from your diet, out of harm’s way. And therein lies a fatal mistake. The lack of carbohydrates in food causes us no less, if not more damage than excess. Headaches, apathy, bad mood (up to close to depression), poor performance, digestive disorders and constipation are not all the consequences of carbohydrate deficiency in the diet.
How can I help myself? Allow yourself to eat carbohydrates. But not in the form of jam, sugar and muffins. When it comes to food rich in carbohydrates, you need to be careful in choosing sources. Nutritionists have long drawn our attention to the existence of «long» carbohydrates and «simple» or «fast» ones. Sugar, jam, sweets, instant porridges and so on are «fast» carbohydrates. It is better to continue to bypass them. Make a choice in favor of sources of «long» carbohydrates, that is, those that do not lead to sharp spikes in blood sugar, are digested for a long time and give maximum benefit to the body. Such sources, for example, include whole grains (in particular, brown rice), legumes, pasta from durum wheat. Vegetables and fruits can be a good (but not sufficient) source of carbohydrates.
You are not eating enough fat
This is another very common mistake of losing weight and fans of a healthy lifestyle. Many people associate fat with the fact that it is deposited on the sides and stomach, and therefore they try to remove it from the diet altogether. Skimmed milk, cottage cheese, cheese, meat and other products are becoming the norm on the table. Oil and all fatty foods in general have been boycotted… But the rejection of fats should be reasonable and balanced. The fact is that fats are needed by our body for normal functioning. Moreover, part of the vital fatty acids contained in dietary fats, our body does not know how to synthesize itself, and therefore must be regularly received with food. If this does not happen, our brain suffers first. At first, performance decreases, then we begin to notice that we have become less savvy … Without essential fatty acids, our body begins to age rapidly.
How can I help myself? You should separate the sources of saturated and unsaturated fats, and not cut them all off in your daily diet. Eating unsaturated fats will not lead you to obesity, especially if you know how to observe moderation. Sources of healthy fats are, for example, salmon, nuts, avocados, olives, seeds, vegetable oils (cold pressed!). Moreover, many nutritionists do not advise to completely abandon sources of saturated fats, such as butter and cheese. Many French diets include these foods in their menu.
You don’t get much sleep
Lack of sleep is one of the biggest mistakes that modern adults make. We live in such a flow of information that we just feel sorry to spend an «extra» hour sleeping. Especially when all the most interesting things (including on TV) happen late at night. However, if you sleep less than 7 hours a day, if you go to bed after midnight, be prepared to deal with stress, depression, insomnia, irritability. Add to them unbridled appetite (especially in the evening), obesity and a handful of health problems that accompany all this.
How can I help myself? Try, at least during your vacation, to go to bed no later than 22:30 and get up at 6-7 in the morning. Believe me, your life will not become poorer from the fact that you will not see another showdown in the «House-2», you will not see who the nurse of «Sklifosovsky» will get pregnant from, or who went to the next round of the show «Dance!». Of course, all this is extremely interesting, and gives so many topics for conversations with friends. But there are other topics. Are all these other people’s invented lives, all these staged shows worth it to arrange a chronic lack of sleep for them? If the problem is not in the «box», but in the fact that you cannot organize your day in such a way as to have time to do everything necessary before 22 o’clock, then it’s time to seriously think about time management.
