The Difference Between a Fad Diet and a Healthy Lifestyle
It seems like every single day a “new,” “revolutionary” diet rises to popularity, promising to help lose more weight in less time, and with less effort, than anything else out there. These diets usually appeal to people who are looking to lose weight quickly without exercise – as if taking a magic pill, or following some insane diet regimen will be a quick fix to achieve an individual’s health goals. The problem is, these quick fix diets often involve unhealthy and unbalanced meal plans that may yield weight loss but lead to decreased health and wellness due to the type of weight lost.
Here at CERULEAN Advanced Fitness and Wellness, we are focused on encouraging people to live their best life – rich in health, vitality and longevity. The way to do that is to make a commitment to living a healthy life, nourishing your body with proper and balanced nutrients, participating in the physical activity that your body needs to stay strong and vital, and taking the time to allow your body to properly recover and repair itself. There is no short term, quick fix, when it comes to vitality and longevity.
How could anyone ever expect to maintain a restrictive diet for the rest of his or her life? Your health and wellness is a marathon, not a sprint. Doesn’t it make more sense to take the time to understand how to design your diet to be sustainable over a long period of time? To design your healthy lifestyle in a way that feels good, excites you and empowers you – rather than restricting you and causing you to feel guilty when you fall off the wagon.
There are far more healthy ways to manage or lose body fat than a quick fix, fad diet. It is very simple, if you want to lose weight you eat fewer calories than your body burns – but it is important to not restrict your calories too much and sacrifice lean body mass. To burn more calories, you add calorie-burning activities into your day.
Here are a few easy changes you can make to put you on track to a healthier lifestyle:
- Toss the sugary beverages, or at least limit them. Soda and juices are loaded with sugar and empty calories.
- Eat breakfast, starting the day with a nutritious meal will help prevent you from getting too hungry throughout the day, or binging on unhealthy foods later in the day.
- Pack healthy snacks, such as fruit, nuts or vegetables. Choosing these snacks over chips or candy can make a huge impact on your overall health and will provide sustainable energy throughout your day.
- Eat more whole grains. Be particular about eating whole grain bread, sprouted grain, whole wheat pasta or brown rice. These options are much more filling than refined grains such as white bread, cookies or pastries, but should also be limited to some extent based on your physical activity.
- Eat more fruit and vegetables. Incorporating more of these will help you feel full, provide nutrients and prevent you from reaching for that after lunch muffin or cookie.
- Drink more water! This cannot be stressed enough. Water is one of the most important aspects of living a healthier life.
- Enjoy everything in moderation. You do not need to be so restrictive on yourself, when you are committed to a healthy lifestyle for the long haul it is okay to indulge and eat your favorite unhealthy foods on occasion. Do not make yourself feel guilty for enjoying food, simply eat healthy the majority of the time.
It is possible to ENJOY living your healthy lifestyle! You simply need to make the decision to commit to your fitness and health for life, rather than seeking temporary quick fixes. If you are seeking suggestions or a specific plan that is unique to you, it may be a good idea to take advantage of CERULEAN’s Physiological Testing. You will be provided with data driven results, and a plan that is specific to your unique body. You deserve to live a life of vitality and longevity, so make the decision to take charge of your health and know your numbers!
