Today is the start of a new school year for my kids and I’m starting something new also. Less than two months, I’ll be turning the BIG 40 and I’m taking it very seriously. For starters, I’m going to the gym four times a week starting today. In the process, I’ve put away the cigars, yes, I loved having an occasional Black & Mild. As we all know, the older you get it’s harder to lose weight and I’ll prove that theory wrong. Moving forward, I know I’ll have to change a lot of my ways and admitting it is the proper first step. Below are a few things I’ll be doing and hopefully some of you join me in getting healthier.
Eating Fruits and Vegetables
We all have heard about the importance of fruits and vegetables. Produce contains more nutrients than meats, dairy products or grains and they’re less fat. They tend to fill you up, despite eating less fruits or vegetables. Next time you’re thinking about getting a snack, replace it with some berries or an apple.
Always Eat Breakfast
Many of you have probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it is. No matter what, never skip breakfast and it’s best if you try to go the healthy route. To help curb that mid-morning hunger, try eating some oatmeal or whole wheat toast with fruit.
Eating Less at Night
Since I work at night, this is the one that has got me for years. Even when I’m off, I tend to creep into the kitchen in the middle of the night to eat something. I’ve heard that it’s best to get most of your calories during lunchtime. In doing so, you might lose more weight than eating a big meal later that night.
Try Cooking Healthier Meals
One of the biggest I’ve started to do is eliminate fried foods. Trust me, I loved all my food fried, but I know that’s not going to help me in the long run. Instead of frying my chicken or fish I’ve been baking, grilling or broiling my food.
Use Technology to Your Advantage
We all have issues with getting food and not tracking the calorie intake. For me, I track everything I put into my body with the MyFitnessPal app and it’s synced to my Fitbit. With those two, I track my food, my exercises and it gives you a goal of how many calories you can have a day. The Apple Watch is also great to keep track of your health.
Chill on The Sodas
If fried foods are something I needed to eliminate, sodas were probably a close second. You name it I was drinking it from iced coffee, lattes and sodas were traded for water and crystal light. Eliminating all the sugars in your diet can reduce the chances of weight gain and diabetes.
Make Time to Exercise
Recently, we joined the gym as a family and we started pushing each other. Between work, blogging, kids, cheerleading and many other things, we were always busy. Now, we have started to take the time to head to the gym at least 3 to 4 times a week. Since I’m getting older, I’ve started to add vitamins to my everyday intake. Another idea to keep in shape is to try coaching kids in sports as it’ll keep you active.
Get Rest
Working at nights can be stressful to the point I couldn’t sleep like I suppose to. Health problems, stress and variety of different reasons make it difficult for you to sleep. As you get older, the lack of good-quality sleep will result in weight gain.
All my readers, are you in your 40s? Do you have any advice for me to become healthier? Leave a comment below.
