Healthy Diets

Many diets fail because people are unaware of what changes they really need to make to their daily life. People often think that if they make a few healthy modifications, or if they follow their diet “for the most part” they will be on their way to weight loss in no time. What ends up happening is these people begin to slowly gravitate back toward bad diet behavior and eventually give up on the diet completely. Making positive changes to encourage your diet does not have to be difficult. The best way to go about doing this is to understand the top lifestyle mistakes most dieters make.
1. Keeping Bad Food In The House: Dieters have thousands of excuses for keeping bad food in the house. The simple truth is you cannot have temptations staring you in the face if you want to be successful on your diet. Go through your entire house and get rid of the junk. You need to get rid of any and all food that is unhealthy, fattening, and chock full of calories. This will keep you from cheating or sneaking a snack when you think no one is looking. Do not just stop with solid foods; get rid of sodas, sugar filled sports drinks, alcohol, and any other high calorie or high fat beverages you have lying about. If you are truly serious about losing weight, you need to give yourself the best chance with the lowest potential to make mistakes.

2. Poor Exercise Scheduling: Many people do not stick to their fitness routine because they feel as though they do not have the time, or that it just takes up too much of their day. There are many ways to incorporate exercise into your daily life, without having it feel like a chore. If you are going to make use of a gym, choose a facility that is close to your home or your place of employment. When you are forced to drive right past the gym a couple of times per day, you will find you have fewer excuses to avoid going. Also, rather than automatically changing into pajamas or lounge clothing at the end of your day, put on your workout gear. This will get you into the right mind-set to get a bit of exercise. You do not need to have an elaborate exercise routine, you just need to get your heart pumping, and build up a good sweat. Adding just ten minutes of activity per day can yield great results. A good way to accomplish this is to take a short walk. You can do this while going about your normal day by parking farther away from work, or getting outside on your lunch break. If you cannot get outside, consider getting a treadmill for your office or your home. Hop on for a few minutes while you are waiting for a phone call or while you are waiting for dinner to finish cooking. Yoga is another great form of exercise that can easily incorporate itself into your daily routine. Yoga works to increase flexibility, tone muscles, and reduce stress. Adding as little as twenty minutes of yoga to your day can do wonders for your overall physical and mental condition. In addition to getting more activity, try sitting less. The very basic act of standing burns more calories than sitting or lying down. Try standing while talking on the phone, waiting for a meeting, or watching television. You will be surprised at how much you can benefit from these simple tips.

3. Sacrificing Too Much: Many people give up everything they once loved to eat when they begin a new diet. While you do need to eliminate much of the junk food, you do not have to give up absolutely everything. This will cause you to feel deprived, unsatisfied, and not at all content. The end result is that you give up the diet and go back to your old ways. You can stick to your diet, and still enjoy some of your favorite foods. Make some simple substitutions such as opting for frozen yogurt over ice cream, or having a couple of small pieces of chocolate instead of an entire candy bar. Remember, it is acceptable to reward yourself every once in a while. Just keep the reward portion appropriate and only enjoy treats in moderation.