healthy living

The Basics of Gut Health and What You Should Know

July 30, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

Gut health is a complex topic, but for many, a bad gut can seriously affect day to day life. Making sure you know how to take care of your gut effectively and avoid problems in the long run is key to a healthy life. Below, you’ll find the basics of gut health and what you should know. Take a look:

What Are The Signs Of An Unhealthy Gut?

There are many signs you can look for in an unhealthy gut. If you’re regularly experiencing an upset tummy, constipation, diarrhea, and unintentional weight changes, then it’s likely your gut needs some TLC. Many people with poor gut health also experience sleep disturbances and fatigue, and sometimes skin irritation. If you have to deal with these symptoms more often than not, then your gut could definitely use some help.

What Can You Do For Gut Health?

If you know your gut needs some help, what can you do? It doesn’t all involve medication, and you will need to be willing to put some effort into your gut recovery.

Reduce your stress levels – find ways to reduce your stress levels. You can do this with methods like meditation, walking, gentle exercise, massage, spending time with friends and family, and anything else that helps you to feel more relaxed and at peace.
Get plenty of sleep – uninterrupted, quality sleep is crucial for every aspect of a healthy life. Try to get 7-8 hours a night for the best results. That being said, an unhealthy gut can disrupt your sleep, so you may need to work on other methods of healing your gut.
Eat slowly – don’t wolf down your food. Make sure you eat slowly, chewing your food properly, and putting your cutlery down in between bites.
Stay hydrated – stay hydrated with lots of water. Aim for 2-3 liter s per day.
Check for food intolerances – it could be worth having a test to see if you’re intolerant to certain foods. You might be surprised at the food that is giving you a bad stomach.

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Depending on the issues you are having with your gut, you may be able to find medication to address the issue. Your doctor or GP might prescribe tablets to stop diarrhea, for example, which can be a huge relief. However, it could be worth working on things the holistic way first. See if you can also reduce the amount of high sugar, high fat foods you eat, and make sure you’re also eating a diet that is high in fiber, onion and garlic, and fermented foods.

Another thing you should plan on doing is visiting a primary care doctor regularly. Only visiting a doctor when there is something wrong means never being able to visit a doctor that knows what you look like when you’re healthy! This sort of doctor won’t be as helpful when it comes to diagnosing your problems. By having a primary care doctor that knows you when you are healthy, you will more effectively be able to combat issues with your gut and health in general.

Thank you for reading!

Health

How To Stay Fit As You Get Older

June 22, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

As we get older, our bodies need a little extra care and attention to stay fit and healthy. It is never too late – or too early – to implement a health and fitness routine.

Everyone – even the most glamorous and beautiful Hollywood movie stars will show signs of aging – a line here, a wrinkle there, a smattering of grey hair everywhere. It is an inevitable part of life, and while you can’t stop it, there are steps that you can take to reduce it. However, even more important than your appearance is how physically well and fit you are.

Being unfit dramatically increases the chances of heart disease, dementia, and various other conditions, so it is in your best interest to take action as soon as possible. Here, we look at some of the things that you can do.

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Walk to keep your heart healthy

One of the best forms of exercise for everyone, but particularly for those who are of an advanced age, is walking. It is gentle enough not to put too much of a strain on the muscles, bones, and organs, but strenuous enough to make a difference. Try to walk for at least thirty minutes a day, five days a week.

Increase your bone density

According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, osteoporosis-which causes brittle bones-affects about 22 million women and 5.5 million men aged between 50 and 84. Prescription drugs can slow it down but there is no cure. Start taking steps to prevent fractures and strengthen the bones right now: stair-climbing equipment, cross-training equipment, vigorous walking, weightlifting with mild resistance, exercising with resistance bands and even gardening will all help to minimize the rate of natural bone loss. United Healthcare silver sneakers are a great way to find classes and advice to help you with this.

Eat smart

Eating a healthy and balanced diet is encouraged at any age, but with more than nine million cases of dementia in Europe alone, it is vital to protect the brain as we get older. It does not have to be extreme-easy dietary choices like eating plenty of oily fish, olive oil, fruit, vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids can help nurture your brain matter and give you plenty of energy to stay healthy as you get older.

Quit the bad habits

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to be a big drinker to damage your liver. Just a couple of alcoholic drinks every day can cause issues. No one is saying that you have to ditch your favorite tipple completely, but keep to the limit and try to have at least three days a week without an alcoholic drink.

Smoking is a whole different story – if you can ditch it completely then do it. There are no benefits whatsoever to the habit and plenty of drawbacks, from increasing your chances of cancer, lung disease, heart disease, and strokes, to name but a few.

Staying fit and healthy as you age doesn’t have to be difficult. Taking a few steps as early on as possible can mean that you reap the rewards later on.

Thank you for reading!

Health

10 Tips To Get The Most Out Of A Detox

June 22, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Detoxification is the process of removing toxins from the body. If you’re planning to improve your health or aid weight loss with a detox, try these tips to get the most out of the process.

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Quality H20. Drink more water during your detox. Your body is made up of 70% water, so you need between six and eight glasses of water a day to keep you properly hydrated. Water also helps to flush out toxins so should play a big part in a detox. If you don’t like the taste of plain water, you can add a squeeze of lemon for flavour and for an extra cleansing boost.
Go organic. Eat organic food where possible, in order to minimise your intake of toxic pesticides. Organics good gives you pure nutrients, allowing your liver to cleanse. Organic fruit and vegetables also have higher amounts of Vitamin A, vitamin C, and sulfur. All these vitamins all boost the cleansing effects in the body. You could also try a cleanse form someone like Kristen Blake Wellness.
Eat natural, and eat more greens. Stay away from processed foods, and try to eat less dairy, meat, and sugary foods. Instead, eat plenty of fresh vegetables and whole fruit. Greens, berries, apples, pears, and plums are all great choices for your health.
Exercise daily. Daily exercise improves your circulation while sweating releases toxins, so it’s a good idea to get your heart rate up. Exercise promotes detoxification and will boost all your body’s systems. As your exercise, your blood will circulate better, carrying essential nutrients to organs and muscles.
Cut out caffeine. Try to drink fewer caffeinated drinks and less alcohol, as these all dehydrate the body. Instead, swap your drinks for green tea, which gives the body many important antioxidants that it needs, in a more natural way than caffeine.
Cut out alcohol, tobacco, and processed foods. Aim to ditch these bad habits in order to encourage a healthier lifestyle. Over time, all these things can turn into toxins that the body can’t process properly. Processed foods are chemically enhanced, so they inhibit your body’s ability to cleanse itself naturally.
Eat plenty of fiber. Grains, cereals, brown bread, wholemeal pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables all help food to move through your digestive system. They also provide the body with more energy. Fibre is an important part of a healthy diet that aids weight loss but also helps the body cleanse.
Drink smoothies and juices. Leafy greens, fruits, and vegetables are tasty in smoothies and juices. Drinking them helps you to consume more alkalizing mPinerals, which detoxify the body. Smoothies are an easy way to add more superfoods to your diet.
Swap your cosmetics and cleaning products for alternatives which are non-toxic. Chemicals and toxins aren’t just found in food, after all.
Get plenty of sleep. Sleep improves the flow of cerebrospinal fluid to the brain. Your body also cleanses itself as you sleep, processing toxins and replenishing your energy levels. Both of these processes are important if you’re going to detox effectively.

•What are some ways you like to detox?

Thank you for reading!

Health

A Beginner’s Guide to Health in 2020

February 26, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

Health is important for everyone; every age and gender. Whether it is the amount of exercise we do on a daily or weekly basis, or the food that we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But, of course, it is easy to fall behind and become a little lazy when it comes to health, so this little guide should help show you how to can get your health kick back this year!

Change your Food Habits

Food is one of the most important parts of maintaining good health. ‘You are what you eat’ is often how the saying goes! A big part of how diet can be changed is the schedule when you eat, and how regularly. Diets are often touted as the way to do this, but by simply cutting out snacks like cookies and others, and only eating main meals in the morning, noon, and evening, can really make a difference. For snacks in between meals, choose something with protein! This simple change can really alter your health and attitude towards food. Food on the go, eating and working, all of these factors can hinder your health in the long run.

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Explore the Great Outdoors!

The indoors can always seem to be a comfy alternative than going outside and braving the outdoors, but the outdoors is there to be explored. Find a map, and pinpoint somewhere new you have no explored, or go somewhere you know it is completely up to you. Going for a walk, exploring the local park, a forest, a hike up a hill, regardless of where the location is going outside and exploring nature in all of its glory is such a simple, and accessible way to better health. Whether is raining, sunny or snowing, don’t delay but make sure you have dressed appropriately for whatever weather you encounter!

Don’t forget your posture

Something often forgotten is posture. In today’s world (working at the desk, the counter, the office), all of this sitting and hunching over computers and keyboards does not do wonders for posture. After all, the skeleton and our bones are the foundations of our body. Without them, we would be a mess. So just like diets and going outside, your posture needs love, too. Simple exercises can be one example of fixing this, however it is always best to see a specialist, like ScripHessco and more; this is the best way to determine the best path of fixing posture going forward.

Do what you feel is best for you

After hearing all the advice above, the best and most tried solution is simply trial and error and finding what works best for yourself. What works for someone may not work the best for someone else, and visa versa. Health is extremely important, and it should always be treated with the most care, so try what is mentioned in this article, and see how it works. Never do anything that you cannot do, as if you push something that isn’t working, this could be hindering your health in the long run.

Thank you for reading!

Food Nutrition

Can You Make Healthy Food More Enjoyable?

February 12, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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Eating healthily would be a lot easier were it not for the fact that a lot of the healthiest foods are considered by most of us to be the most unpleasant. For example, just imagine your joyful reaction on being told that chocolate is good for you … followed by the sheer horror when you realise that they’re talking about super-dark chocolate, the bitter stuff that you’d usually walk right past. And what’s the healthiest citrus fruit? It couldn’t be a zesty tangerine, could it? It has to be grapefruit; great for your heart and immune system, but an attack on the taste buds.

There is even a trope about foods that are like this: If it tastes bad, it must be good for you. And so, while most of us would rather be eating loaded fries or ice-cream sundaes, we make the smart, selfless choice and settle for the healthy option. It’s the correct option, even if it sometimes feels wrong. However, healthy eating doesn’t need to be this hard. As long as you keep in mind a few simple principles, it can be rewarding – and even tasty, at times.

1. A little seasoning goes a long way

One of the first steps many of us make when changing our diet for the healthier is to say goodbye to fries and other potato side dishes, and welcome salads to our usual rotation. It’s a smart choice – especially if you include healthy options like carrot and beetroot in your salads, doubling up on beneficial nutrients. What a lot of people don’t realise, however, is that salad needs seasoning – and will be no less healthy for it. A little salt and a pinch of black pepper will give any salad an extra dimension – as will a dash of lemon or lime juice.

2. What you eat, and how you eat it, are both important

When we are advised to make changes to our diet, it’s usually for the purpose of getting specific nutrients: avocados are loaded with a hefty nutrient profile, while cruciferous veg like broccoli and Brussels sprouts also pack a punch. These foods are also among the most commonly-cited foods people don’t like. However, you can brighten up avocado by serving it on toast for a tasty contrast between crunchy and soft, while this honey balsamic roasted brussel sprouts recipe will change the mind of even the most hardened sprout-skeptic. In each of these cases, the food retains is nutritious benefits, while gaining a new taste.

3. If you don’t like it now, give it a chance

The truth of the matter is that much of our distaste for the healthier foods to which we switch comes from unfamiliarity. Part of the reason it’s so common to find children who are fussy eaters is the fact that if they’re not familiar with a food, they assume they won’t like it. And maybe, the first few times they do try a food, they really won’t like it. Adults are just the same – it can take a few tries to get to enjoy some of the healthier foods out there, and that includes grapefruit and dark chocolate. But as your palate becomes more habituated to them, you’d be surprised by how much you can begin to enjoy a food you once disliked.

Trial and error is an important part of making the switch to healthy eating. But give those foods you “don’t like” a chance, and you may be surprised by what you learn.

Thank you for reading!

Health

Food That Makes You Feel Good

February 9, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Are you sick of eating food that doesn’t make you feel good? Well, so is most of the world. There’s no doubt that some people can live on a diet of McDonald’s and KFC, and feel no different. But, we’re pretty sure they feel no different because their bodies are used to it. And if you’re carrying around that sluggish feeling and you wouldn’t say you go to the extreme of eating take out for every single meal, then you definitely have a problem to sort. We feel like people don’t understand how much diet can influence everything else in life. If you have a nice clean diet and you drink plenty of water, you’re going to go around with a spring in your step. If you’re someone who spends their time eating processed trash all the time, it’s going to be hard to function for the day right from the minute you get out of bed in the morning. So, we’re going to show you some of the foods that we think are going to make you feel good. You need to be able to feel like you’re living your best life, eating good food, and being the best version of yourself. So keep on reading, and we’ll show you what you should be eating!

High Protein, Low Fat

If there’s any sort of diet rule that you need to try and follow, it would be the high protein and low bad fat/carb diet. A diet that’s high in bad fat is obviously going to make you feel weighed down and horrible. Fat is hard to process, and it then sits on our stomachs waiting for us to explode. The protein helps with muscle growth, hair and nail growth, and it helps to repair your body if you’ve had an injury. You will be far more lean if you can eat a diet like this, as well! Fish and meat are an excellent source of protein. These frozen shrimp recipes might be something you’ll like. They’re super low in fat, are a great source of protein, and since the shrimp is frozen you can keep it for much longer. Red meat, such as steaks, are also a great source (in moderation). They’re high in protein, and if you are a red meat eater, you’ll know how nice steaks are.

A sweet Treat For Balance

The problem that many people have is trying to find the balance. Eating too much of one thing and not enough of another is going to tip the scales and make you have a hard diet to follow. So to stay on track and to actually make yourself feel good, you need a sweet treat a day for balance purposes. Perhaps a slice of chocolate cake, or something tasty from the bakery. There’s no need to feel guilt when you’re doing this because as long as you have eaten well for the rest of the day, you’re keeping the balance scales even. It’s when you’re digging into sweet treats more than once a day that you’ll have problems.

Thanks for reading!

This post was a collaboration.

Health Nutrition

Boost Your Health By Changing Your Kitchen Routine

February 7, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Health and well-being in 2020 are so important, and you should think about what you can do at home in day-to-day life to ensure you improve yours. There are a lot of things to consider here, and your kitchen routine is one of the most effective. By this, we mean what you are putting into your body on a daily basis, and how you can make the important changes necessary to improve this.

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Look at what it takes to improve your health by working on boosting your kitchen routine. This could involve taking the steps to change up your approach, and it is most likely to be a very enjoyable and fun experience. Here are some of the best ways of changing your kitchen routine and being able to make the best health decisions as a result of this:

Start Cooking More

You want to make sure you look at what you can do to start cooking as much as possible so that you are maximizing the opportunities you have to enjoy home-cooked food, as well as being able to save money by not going out to eat all the time. There is a new wave of home gourmet chefs these days, and there is no reason why you can’t be a part of this as well. Think about what it takes to make these improvements, and consider what you are going to need to do if you want to make the most out of this moving forward. Cooking can actually be a really fun and exciting activity, and there are a lot of things that play a role in helping you to maximize this.

Prepare in Advance

One of the best tips you should look to use if you want to help improve your kitchen routine is to look at preparing meals and ingredients in advance. There are a lot of things you should be looking at when trying to do this, and preparing meals in advance can save you so much time and make the process much more efficient. There are a lot of things that play a part in this, and you need to do this in the best possible way in order to ensure you are saving time and effort later.

Learn New Recipes

Make sure you do as much as possible to learn new recipes and make the most of them in day to day life. You need to look at what you can do to improve and expand your repertoire and learn more about cooking and preparing healthy food at home. For instance, one of the things you could look at if you want to enjoy healthier eating is a pan seared salmon recipe that you can cook easily for the whole family. Once you have a couple of key recipes that you can work with, it’s time to branch out and try to learn some new ones.

Invite Friends Over

Something else you might like to consider is making the eating and cooking experience more sociable and enjoyable. There are a lot of things that you need to keep in mind when you are trying to achieve this, and you have to make sure you invite friends over and make a night of it. Something like hosting a dinner party would be an excellent choice if you want to promote healthier eating, make the most of the kitchen, and expand your options when it comes to cooking. This is definitely something you should consider, and it will make a big difference to the way your life improves moving forward as well.

Get the Kids Involved

Another thing to consider as a modern parent is trying to get the kids involved when you are promoting healthy eating and changing your kitchen routine. Family dinners are important, and this is something you should work on improving moving forward. There are a lot of elements that can play a part in this, and you should look at what you can do to get the children more involved. Allowing them to choose or compile menus for family dinners can be a great way to do this; of course, there should be an emphasis on healthy!

You can take a look at some of the best ways of being able to be more healthy when it comes to choosing the right food to put in your body. If you can choose the right food and cooking options, you will be well-placed to enhance your health and make sure that you get more enjoyment out of the experience of eating food.

Thank you for reading!

Nutrition

How to Eat More Fruits and Veggies

February 7, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

Eating fruit and vegetables is important when it comes to eating a healthy and nutritional balanced diet that gives your body everything that it needs to work as it should. Eating fruits and veggies means that you consume more vitamins and minerals. Most are high in fiber, which aids your digestion, and fruit is the best way to get an energy boost without reaching for an unhealthy sugary snack.

Fruits and vegetables are also high in water, helping you to keep hydrated and taking care of your skin, nails, and hair. Another big plus of fruit and vegetables is that they are low in calories. They are an easy way to bulk out meals and snacks; filling up without overeating or consuming more calories than you are burning off.

The recommendations around how many portions of fruit and veggies we should eat every day differ and change over time. They also depend on how many calories you should be eating each day. Some countries recommended five portions; others say five fruit and five veg. Most agree that these should be portions of different fruits and vegetables. The current version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that a person needing 2,000 calories a day should include 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables every day. That might sound like a lot, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some great ways to eat more fruits and vegetables!

Start with a Smoothie

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A smoothie is a great way to get plenty of fruit and veg into your diet before you even leave the house. Blend together a banana, a portion of strawberries, and a handful of oats with a serving of almond milk for a healthy and filling start. Banana, mango, and pineapple also tastes great and gives you three different fruits in one glass. Experiment with different combinations, and add oats for healthy protein. I like to add spinach and kale to my smoothies, because you can’t taste it! This works great when you want to trick your kids into eating veggies. 😉

If you find that drinking a smoothie doesn’t fill you up, try eating it instead. Smoothie bowls are often more filling simply because we eat them instead of drinking them.

Prepare Some Healthy Snacks

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If you are hungry when you are out and about, or even at home, do you reach for something quick and easy? How often is this fruit? Never? Rarely?

Make fruit and vegetables readily available and easy to grab, and you’ll eat more of it. You could even carry some chopped fruit or veg sticks in your bag when you are out. Prepare some fruit salads and veg sticks so that there’s always something easy to reach for when you are hungry.

Learn Some New Recipes

Fruits and vegetables can get boring. Learn some new recipes, and ways to cook and serve them (like this tasty Jamaican cabbage), and they might become a more exciting part of your diet.

Try New Fruits and Vegetables

If you are sticking to all of your old favorites, this is a great time to branch out. Try some more exotic fruit or veggies that you’ve never had before. Remember, canned (without added sugar), dried, and frozen count as much as fresh!

Add Vegetables to Your Meals

A great way to enjoy more vegetables is to add more to your meals. Fry up some peppers and onions to add to pasta dishes, fill pies with carrots and parsnips, and blend plenty of veggies into a healthy soup.

•How do you get more fruits and veggies into your daily nutrition?

Thank you for reading!

This post was a collaboration.

Health

Tips On Losing Weight That Don’t Involve Dieting

February 2, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 6 Comments

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If you are are looking to lose weight, you have probably already read all of the advice that is out there about eating healthily. You know that lowering your carbs can help, as can eating from smaller plates. You have probably even read up on different diets. However, losing weight is not just about what you eat. There are other things that need to be considered. With that being said, below, we are going to take a look at some pieces of weight-loss advice that do not involve dieting.

Try Hypnotherapy

There are a lot of different approaches that you can turn to in order to lose weight, including hypnotherapy. This website is a good resource for more information on this. The idea behind this is that the mind can be influenced so that habits can be changed that lead to overeating. There are a lot of people that have reported that hypnotherapy has helped them to lose weight.

Change The Way You Eat

With this, we are focused on how you eat; not what you eat. For example, slowing down while eating and chewing your food thoroughly can be beneficial. This is because your brain needs enough time to process that you have eaten food. In addition to this, you should use smaller plates, as this will help you to reduce your food intake. Eating without electronic distractions has also proven to be very beneficial.

Try A Different Exercise Every Month

One of the biggest problems people have when trying to lose weight is struggling for motivation. If this applies to you, one of the ways that you can combat this is by changing up your exercise every month. Try something new. Even if you do not enjoy it, you will lose weight in the process and you don’t need to do that specific exercise or sport again. However, by trying new things, it keeps your weight loss journey exciting. Plus, there are so many different sports and exercise classes available today for people to try.

Control Your Environment

Another way to lose weight is to control the environment around you. This could mean that you choose a restaurant with care when going out for a meal. It can also mean stocking your fridge with lots of healthy snacks and preparing healthy meals throughout the week.

Add More Steps

Last but not least, adding more steps to your day can make a big difference as well. Invest in a pedometer and gradually add more steps every day until you reach 10,000 steps per day. By having a pedometer, you are going to have a continual reminder and motivator, and so this will help you to keep pushing and achieve a greater number of steps.

As you can see, there are a lot of different ways that you can lose weight without feeling like you have to follow a specific diet. We hope that the information that has been provided above is useful for you.

•What has worked for you when trying to lose weight or to simply be healthier?

This post was a collaboration.

Health

What is the Best Lifestyle For You?

November 30, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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We are all on a constant search for the best lifestyle. Perhaps you are the kind of person who likes to jump on every superfood or fad diet trend, or maybe you have thrown yourself into a new fitness regime every January and then given up by June in favor of something else. It might be that you simply read all the articles on health and wellbeing but never quite get around to trying anything new.

The thing is, that even when you do set out on a brand new healthy lifestyle, how do you know that it’s working?

Do Your Research

Start by researching the change you want to make. You might start by reading blogs like healthandfitnessvitality.com to get some inspiration and see what other people have tried. You might also like to read magazines or ask around to see what your friends are doing.

The key thing to remember when you do your research is to look for a reason to doubt what you are reading. So, if you are reading a blog about a particular diet, look for a reason that the person might benefit from showing you that information. If they are making money through recommendations, the source probably isn’t that reliable. On the other hand, reading sources like WebMD, NCBI or any academic research site will be more likely to be impartial and give a more critical understanding.

Start Tracking Your Data

If you want to measure a change, you first need to monitor your current condition. Keeping a diary of your current habits and data is the best way to do this. So, if you are concerned about how your diet affects your energy, you might track what you are eating and give yourself a mark out of 10 for your energy levels a few times per day. Various apps might be able to help here but a basic diary will probably be a cheaper option.

Only when you know your baseline can you begin to see where the changes might be.

Begin Tracking and Analyzing Changes

Once you know what your baseline is, you can start making small changes. It’s important that you only make one change at a time if you want to test the results clearly. While you could completely change your lifestyle all in one go, you are more likely to struggle with your changes and give up. Small steps are usually most effective.

There are all kinds of tiny changes that can have a big impact on the way you feel. Sticking with food for a moment, you might be surprised that plating your vegetables before your carbs can make portion control easier. Similarly, easing your bedtime back by 5 minutes a day could help you get the sleep you need and help you fall asleep faster.

Analyzing the differences between results on your baseline days and your change days will show you categorically whether an intervention has worked. If it has, carry on; if it hasn’t stop putting in so much effort and try something else!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!