Healthy living for the Lazy Girl

As the title says, this is a guide to healthy living (sort of) written by a lazy girl.

Diet

Now most of you will be well familiar with the Eat Well Plate :) it's probably the easiest way to explain a balanced diet. We obviously need to eat our greens for essential vitamins and minerals, carbohydrates for energy and then mix in some protein, calcium and of course a few treats! I'm no saint, I have been guilty of scoffing half a pack of biscuits or eating a whole bag of walkers sensations. As long as you keep a pretty balanced diet, the calories are not your enemy! 

Dairy free lifestyle

I have been living dairy free for almost a year now since I found out that I have reactions to the hormones in animal milk. It took a lot of willpower to give up my daily pint of milk but I've learnt I can still get my calcium AND chocolate fix! There are loads of products out there to try and I still don't think I've discovered them all yet! There is almond, hazelnut, rice, oat and coconut milk to try if you aren't a fan of soya :)

Superfoods

There are loads of websites such as the boots webmd and UK Good Food that can explain this way better than I can. What makes something a superfood and why they get all the hype. Lucky for me soya products are considered a superfood, yay! However, most places say that nuts are also a great healthy snack, but I'm awkward again because I have reactions to certain nuts; brazils, walnuts and pistachios are off the table!

I've listed some of my favourite superfoods below :) They are my favourites because they are obviously yummy, but also because they are so easy to get into everyday meals.

Blueberries

Chockablock full of antioxidants and they reduce bad cholesterol! I like mine with pancakes, granola and yoghurt, or sometimes just a handful on their on. Sometimes maybe in a muffin ;)

Broccoli

This yummy green goodness contains antioxidants, vitamin C, a phytochemical called sulphoraphane that has specific anti-cancer properties and it's a particularly good source of folate (naturally occuring folic acid). I eat this with a variety of evening meals :)

Oats

High in protein, minerals, vitamin C, fibre and B vitamins as well as having a low GI (Glycaemic Index), which means they release energy slowly. I get my fix from granola or porridge in the mornings :) I am a huge fan of breakfast! You can add fruit and yoghurt to granola and you can make your porridge with different milks and juices to mix it up a bit.

Avocado

Potassium, B-vitamins, folic acid, lowers cholesteral, source of monounsaturated fats, regulates blood pressure, helps guard against heart disease and strokes, aids digestion, flushes out toxins, vitamins C and D, riboflavin and manganese, maintains a strong immune system, vitamins A and E, helps protect against cancer, high in omega-3 and lecithin, a type of fatty acid crucial for healthy nervous tissue. Is there anything this food can't do? Oh, and it's perfect in salads, toasties, bagels, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, wraps, pittas, dips, quesadillas, ryvita, tacos or on their own! So much love for these <3

People are sometimes put off by the high sugar or fat content of some healthy foods, but you must remember that these are NATURALLY OCCURRING. Avocados can have as much as 400 calories!! Just check the label, raw cane sugar and coconut oil are much better than E numbers and added sugar!  Innocent smoothies got some serious slack for this but they are 100% fruit, which are full of natural sugars :) Don't worry Innocent, I'm still your number one fan!

Exercise

This is something I find reeeeeeally hard. Healthy eating is easy because I have an irrational fear of greasy food (I am a pizza blotter) and I happily eat my five-a-day. I'm not really the sporty type at all so any form of conventional sport is already out the window! I am much more of a yoga doing, bike riding, hula-hooping, swimming type.

I have decided that now I'm not on placement and I have much more free time, I want to get into a regular exercise routine that mixes up all the things I like to do so that I don't get bored :) I've been looking for inspiration in magazines and pinterest as well as bugging sporty friends for advice. My new exercise mission is to get nice defined abs :) I know this isn't going to happen overnight but I'm lucky to have a pretty flat stomach anyway, just got a million and one crunches to go! 

Fitspiration

The first step into forcing yourself into exercise is finding pictures that will inspire you to get your bottom moving. Whether this is pictures of you looking pants, others looking good, or whatever else floats your boat. My inspiration is going to be pictures of toned-belly lovelies with no dreaded sit-down podge.

Start off simple

It's not a race, the only person you are trying to better, is yourself. Any little bit of exercise you do is way better than being sat on the sofa burning zero calories. Everyone has strengths in different areas; I can stretch way past my toes, but I can't run a mile AT ALL. If you push yourself too far you will just end up with injuries. It's better to do 10 minutes every day than to train like a crazy lady for an hour and then write yourself off for three days. Yes have goals, but be realistic with your lazy traits and exercise willpower ;) Maybe one day....

Enjoy yourself

Then you might just forget you are exercising at all! Excerise is sooooo boring, so I'd rather feel like I'm not doing a chore. When you go shopping, take the stairs and power walk instead of dawdling. Dance with your hoover. Walk or cycle to the supermarket on a free afternoon instead of getting a home delivery. Get a friend to go on a walking adventure somewhere, or go swimming, or just having them workout with you can make it much more of a laugh.

Now if  the ultimate lazy girl (me) can live a healthy(ish) life, so can you!