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Tag: Health & Fitness

Fitting Fitness Around You: Building A Happy Relationship With Exercise For Busy Women

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

We all appreciate the importance of regular exercise. But, to be completely honest, finding time for those physical activities can be very difficult. Even if you love workouts, they are often the first thing to be sacrificed as you juggle the various responsibilities of modern life. Changing this immediately should be a goal shared by all women.

The only way to achieve that target is to embrace a healthy relationship with fitness that is built exclusively around your aims and needs. Here’s all you need to know.

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Appreciate Your Limits: It’s easy to feel envious towards the gym buffs seen on social media. However, you cannot expect to match their bodies or their routines. While you want to push yourself to the limit, it’s always important to walk before you run. Moreover, you must learn to take injury recoveries and time limitations into account. Sadly, if exercise starts causing problems in other aspects of your life, giving up is inevitable.

Incorporate Fitness Into Daily Activities: Time is the main hurdle standing in the way of our fitness goals. However, gym workouts aren’t the only source of exercise. Getting a little creative by cycling to work or holding yoga sessions after work can be very useful. You’ll be getting a full workout while only adding a few minutes to your day. And when regular activity doesn’t prevent you from achieving other life goals, you’ll find that long-term success is more likely.

Turn Holidays Into Adventures: Vacations are a great opportunity to let our hair down. While throwing your diet out of the window for a few days is nothing to worry about, you should still stay active. Combine the trip with a charitable endeavour such as the Mount Toubkal Trek, and you’ll be sure to do just that. Alternatively, if you’re on a city break, walk or cycle instead of taking the bus tour. Either way, it’ll stop your body from regressing whilst you’re away. In turn, this should allow you to get back into the swing of things far easier. Besides, it’ll improve the holiday too.

Exercise With Others: Human interaction is an integral part of human life, which is why time with loved ones is so important. Starting an amateur sports team or simply attending the gym together can make a world of difference. Or if you are someone that prefers to exercise alone, you can maintain a social vibe with a FitBit watch. Track your progress and compare against your nearest and dearest for that extra motivation and something to talk about in person. Perfect.

Choose The Best Routines Possible: By now, you should realise that fitness needs to be fun. Having said that, if you only have limited time in the gym or on the track, you must make it work harder. Finding a suitable HIIT strategy could see you burn twice as many calories and build twice as much muscle. Apart from anything else, seeing those positive results in the mirror is sure to put an even bigger smile on your face. What more could any woman ask for?

 

 

 

Push Past The Marathon Pain With These Awesome Running Tips

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Running a marathon ain’t easy. Even the most experienced runners will tell you that getting to the finish line is a very tough challenge, and you will certainly need to put in enough training to be able to get there. Not only that, though, but you also need to come up with a plan to push through all the pain when it hits. And we’re talking physical and mental pain!

You can reduce the amount of physical pain you experience with sufficient practice. However, the mental pain is something that can be problematic. But as long as you follow these awesome running tips, you shouldn’t struggle with it too much!

Forget Pre-Race Nerves

Pre-race nerves can really mess with a runner’s mentality before the race. If the nerves really get to you, they could scupper your chances of beating your personal best. It is very important that you try to stay relaxed right before the race so that you can forget all about your nerves. One way to ditch the nerves is to focus on your strengths and what makes you a good runner. That way, you won’t be thinking about the different ways things could go wrong!

Use The Best Source Of Energy

If your body doesn’t get the right energy to burn during the marathon, there is no way it is going to make it to the end. But getting the right energy can help reduce the physical pain, which will help you stay motivated and focused throughout the race. Carbohydrates and sugars are packed full of energy and protein is necessary to help the body repair itself. Most runners pack a load of these food groups into their meals the day before the marathon. As well as preloading, you will be able to buy energy supplements that you can take during the race.

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Think Of Pain Positively

Ok, so this might sound very hard to do, but if you manage to think of pain in a positive light, then it won’t bother you half as much. Try to connect your pain to a positive thought, as you will then feel it a lot less. Once you start to think all of the usual negative thoughts when you first feel the pain, it will make it a lot worse than what it actually is.

Keep The Finish In Mind

When you are running and start to feel the pain build up, you should start to think of the payoff that is waiting for you at the finish line. Once you cross the line, it will all be over, and you will have certainly achieved something amazing! Not only will you have completed a marathon but you might also be able to beat your personal best! Keep thinking of this personal achievement and all the joy you will feel once you are finished.

No one said running a marathon was going to be completely painless but, hopefully, this guide will help you push past it all!

Good luck with your next marathon!

 

Fast Ways To Eliminate Stress

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Stress is something that we all go through at one time or another. It is that uncomfortable feeling of being under pressure and not knowing whether you will be able to come through and achieve what you want. Unfortunately, stress is an ever-present part of modern life, and this doesn’t look as if it’s going to change anytime soon. However, there are some things that we can do to manage our stress in the here and now. Read on to find out what they are.

Meditation

Meditation is a great way to manage stress. This is because it is all about focusing in the now. The point is to just experience what is happening right at the time without controlling it, something which can help alleviate stress. By just letting it be you give it the chance to work itself out, and pass, instead of clamping down on it and making it stay for longer. 

Meditation can also help you slow down and listen to your own thoughts. This is useful as you can make calm decisions even if you are feeling stressed. Something that can help you get a positive outcome no matter what your internal state is.

Exercise

Exercise is also a good quick remedy for stress. When we are under pressure our bodies often coil and constrict as if they are ready to pounce into action. This is because stress stimulates the old fight, fight, or freeze response that comes from our lower brain.

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Exercise can help alleviate this, as it provides somewhere for all of that nervous energy to go. So next time you are feeling stressed take a walk, or head to the gym and work out some of the symptoms physically. You will be surprised by how good it can make you feel.

Water

Drinking lots of fluids can also help you beat stress. This is because your brain is 85% water, and if it’s not properly hydrated it’s not going to work right. Also when we are stressed the body releases a hormone called cortisol. By drinking lots of water, we can keep this diluted in our bodies; negating some of the effects.

But what sort of fluids should we drink? The answer is and always will be water. Why? Well, water is the most natural fluid. As well as the purest, especially if you use a system like this Everpure water filter to remove any contaminants from the stuff you get out of your taps.

It’s also easier on the body because you actually have to use more fluid to expel caffeinated drinks than you gain from drinking them. Something that often leads to dehydration.

Therapy

Lastly, if stress is a constant issue in your life, you may want to consider some counseling or therapy. This is because many people suffer from what are known as cognitive distortions, or a skewed way of looking at the world.

This can cause them to interpret situations as stressful when they are not. However, by learning to recognize these issues, you can have a more balanced reaction to them, decreasing your stress.

 

 

Bad Gut Health Gets In The Way Of The Rest Of Your Life

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Bloating. Constipation. Stomach aches. Gas. They are all very annoying in their own way, but gut health is about a lot more than just how often you encounter those issues. It’s about enjoying your life, getting in better shape, avoiding sickness, and even dealing with long-term health issues. Here, we’ll look at why you should be more concerned about your gut health.

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It might be more than a tummy ache

If you experience the problems mentioned above on a more regular basis, then there might be a couple of reasons. For one, you might eat gassy foods that get in the way of your digestive system working properly. Stress might be shutting down that system. Or you might be dealing with irritable bowel syndrome. The word syndrome makes it sound scary and chronic, but it can be easily dealt with through an IBS natural treatment that targets not only the symptoms but the causes. If you’re dealing with gut problems often, it’s best to get it diagnosed as quickly as possible so you can take preemptive action against it.

Sleeping issues

Poor gut health often plays a key role in insomnia, as well. In return, not getting the correct amount of sleep then makes your digestive system less effective at its job. The two issues need to be tackled together. For one, schedule your meals more regularly and give yourself two-to-three hours between your last meal and bedtime. Improve sleeping habits by tracking your sleep cycles and using therapeutic methods like lavender scents to easier fall asleep at night.

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Get more good

Your gut is the key to the rest of your health. That’s because your stomach and intestines are the stars of the show when it comes to absorbing nutrients from the stuff that you eat. Find out what probiotic and prebiotic foods you can include more of in your diet. These foods help create a home for the helpful bacteria that assist in breaking down food properly, allowing your body to better absorb them. If you’re not looking after your gut health, you will never get the full effects of a nutritious and well-balanced diet.

Stop reaching for those tissues

Good gut health also plays a role in helping you stay healthy in general. It’s no understatement when experts say that the gut is where sickness begins. Bacterial diseases, colds, and the flu all have their beginnings here. By helping promote your gut health, you are also promoting a more effective immune system. Beyond the aforementioned healthy foods, you should also look at increasing the amount of vitamin C you get and consider taking fish oil. You’ll start seeing the effects when you breeze past all the bugs and maladies that seem to get everyone else in the family and the workplace.

Foster healthy bacteria in your gut. Avoid foods and habits that get in the way of a healthy digestive system. Sleep better, get better results from health pushes and get sick less often. These are all the things that good gut health can help you with.

 

Foods To Include In A Diet Made To Accelerate Your Metabolism

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

There aren’t any shortcuts to losing weight, the body is too complex and by its design, has not evolved to take on massive changes so suddenly. As we get older, although in our youth we may have been spritely and full of energy, a more mature body slows down. Metabolism is the process in the body which breaks down chemicals in order for life to be sustained. Exercising regularly and getting plenty of sleep, are ways which control your energy consumption needs at a molecular level. However, not everyone can lead an active lifestyle and have the time to workout to keep those extra pounds off. But there are certain foods which speed up metabolism, thus accelerating the breaking down of the food you eat, making the energy more viable to be used than be stored; these foods support the mechanisms that will aid in burning fat.

Source – Steve Johnson

Spice

Hot peppers such as jalapeno, green Indian chillies, cayenne and spicy Italian red chillies directly tell your metabolism to speed its circulation. The spicy nature of these vegetables also reduces cravings, for sugar and fatty foods. It’s because the compound capsaicin stimulates the body’s pain receptors and the body reacts to this by increasing blood circulation and the metabolic rate. Some studies have shown that if you eat a chilli dish, that makes you profusely sweat to the point you get a runny nose, it boosts your metabolism by nearly 20% and can last for 2 hours.

Softly softly approach

If you would really not go down the no pain no gain route, whole grains can act just as effectively but in different ways. Oatmeal and brown rice complex carbohydrates which force the body to speed up metabolism by stabilizing your insulin levels. Because, of their slow burn nature, they’re great ingredients for a meal to have with supplements such as HCG Triumph. The body’s natural processes of burning fat are combined with a low-calorie intake diet, that spikes your consumption rate. This the two methods balance each other out by the complex carbohydrates releasing slowly, yet the supplement hastening digestion.

Acidic fruits

Knowledge coming out of the State University of Rio de Janeiro has found that women who eat three small apples, pears, tomatoes and oranges lost more weight than those who did not. The obvious reason is because of the acidity of the fruit, reacts with the stomach’s own acid, creating a calm but turbulent metabolic rate. Whipping into action are enzymes which break food down, and the faster that happens, the quicker the nutrients enter into your intestines. Organic apples are one of the most available fruits in any shopping market, so you can’t complain about not have access to a simple solution to burning fat.

Credit – Robert Judge

Broccoli soup

Rich in calcium

Getting the Right Amount of Sleep

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

When you head to bed, how many hours of sleep do you aim for? Are you trying to go for the standard 8 hours, do you get by with 5, or are you one of those people that try to sleep for as long as possible? Whatever your sleeping pattern is, there are most likely a few ways to optimise your sleep schedule so that you’re more likely to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the next day.

Contrary to popular belief, recommended amounts of sleep don’t make much sense. Everyone’s body is different and, as a result, everyone sleeps a different amount every night. There’s a reason why some people sleep in for many more hours than others, and there’s also a reason why everyone manages to get by with however much sleep they get. There could be lifestyle decisions or health issues that affect how much sleep you actually get, and it’s possible that you’re sleeping too little or too much.

There are a couple of ways that will help you get the right amount of sleep, but it takes a little trial and error and it does involve some experimentation. So to help you get the most out of your bedtime, here are a few tips.

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Start with your bedroom

First of all, we need to remove any suspicion that it’s your bedroom that’s causing your lack of sleep. There are several issues that need to be taken care of before we can start experimenting with how much sleep you get each night. First of all, remove any kind of electronics in the room. For instance, if you find yourself lounging in bed at night watching late night television, then you want to remove the TV and watch all of your shows before bed. You want your body to associate sleeping with the bed, not films.

Next, visit a mattress comparison site like ChooseMattress and pick something that’s fairly expensive and meets your needs. We sleep on our beds for roughly a third of our lives, so make sure you’re not cheaping out and getting a budget mattress—your back will thank you in the future. Try to remember that your bed frame also matters.

The sleep experiment

So to start, set a baseline of around 7 hours. Set your alarm to when you want to wake up, count back 7 hours, then sleep at that time. Sleep means you’re in bed and already closing your eyes by the time that time strikes, so don’t delay it too much. If you manage to wake up on time consistently for a couple of days, then that’s your target bedtime. If you find yourself waking up consistently before your alarm, then you can reduce your sleep needed by around 10-15 minutes. If you find yourself snoozing more often, then add 10-15 minutes.

Keep repeating this process until you’ve completely grown used to a certain sleep time. It’s important to practice this experiment for at least a week until you’re comfortable sleeping and waking up at the same time. Remember a lot of sleep problems can be solved with a regular schedule that you stick to so that it adjusts your body’s inner clock. Sleeping the correct amount can solve everything from weight issues to managing your chronic pain, so make sure you’re sleeping the correct amount each night.

Eat Yourself Fit: Meal Tips That Will Help You Lose That Excess Weight

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Most of us feel like we need to lose a little of that excess weight. But actually making it happen is never as easy as we would like it to be. Taking a sustainable approach to eating is the best way to go. This is not about following fad diets or pushing yourself too far at the gym. Instead, it’s about putting the right things in your body and losing weight safely and properly. You can learn more below.

Create a Solid Meal Plan

The very first thing you should do when you’re trying to eat yourself fit is create a solid meal plan for yourself. When you have this kind of a plan in place, you can be 100% sure that you know where you’re heading and what you need to eat. If you take a more relaxed approach, you will be more likely to give into the temptations that could be less healthy. There are no reasons why you should let that happen, though. It’s very easy and straightforward to come up with a few recipes that you can make a plan out of. These meal plans will help with weight loss, so start using them. You can tweak and change them as you want.

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Eat a Healthy Breakfast, But Don’t Skip It

It’s a big mistake to skip breakfast. All those people that tell you over and over again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day are correct. Eating a healthy breakfast is the perfect way to start the day, and it’s something that you really need to focus on if you want to do well and lose that excess weight. You can get your day off to the right start, and you shouldn’t fall into the trap of skipping it. This is what lots of people do, and it can actually make it harder for you to lose weight.

Cut Down Starchy Carbohydrates 

Carbohydrates can be pretty damaging for your health if you eat them too much. Those starchy carbs are full of all the things that your body doesn’t really need. Of course, you can’t cut out carbs altogether because they are an important part of any diet. But that doesn’t mean that you should rely on them too heavily. Far too many people see carbs as the biggest part of their diet. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Find other healthy foods that are less starchy to form your diet 

Swap Meat for Fish More Often

Meat can be a good part of your diet. But too much red meat in your diet can be damaging in the long-term. One of the smartest things you can do is replace some of that meat with fish. Fish is very healthy, it’s great for your body and mind, and you can do lots of great things with fish-based recipes. If you don’t have much fish in your diet right now, this is something that you should try to change. It could be the best dietary change you make.

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Getting Yourself Healthy In Time For July

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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If you are anything like us, then you have been saying you’ll get healthy in time for summer since Boxing Day. Yet here you are, at the dawn of summer and you still haven’t done a quarter of what you had intended (read: haven’t done anything whatsoever). Don’t worry, it’s hard, we know that. Time flies like a jet plane and healthy habits are hard to get into. We know this as much as the next couch potato. It’s not too late, though.

It’s only the start of June and that means you have about a month to get super-duper healthy, which is totally doable. All you need to do is follow these simple strategies. It’s not one-size fits all, so pick and choose the ones that will suit your life and go from there.

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Ba-Bye Junk Food

Junk food is the antichrist of a healthy body because it is the polar opposite of healthy food. So if you have junk food in your diet, toss it out. Get rid of that and you’ll get rid of your belly fat. Anything that is fatty, sugary, salty or greasy needs to be gone. Set yourself a challenge of one month whereby you have no junk food in your home – or at work – whatsoever.

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Find Yourself A Diet

What you want is a diet that will use the body’s natural processes of burning and storing fat; something like the HCG diet will get you ready for summer. The reason for getting into a diet plan is that it will give you something tangible to follow and that will act as motivation alongside the ticking clock of summer.

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Cook In Bulk

The best way to stick to a healthy eating plan is to cook in bulk. Get ahead of the game by cooking in big beautiful batches of healthy meals and then store it in the freezer. Not only will this mean you have something healthy to take to work or have at your fingertips, it will also mean less time in the kitchen and more time on the treadmill. That’s two birds with one stone.

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Change Up Your Snacking

When we think snacks we think about crisps, chocolate and that sort of thing (thank you very much, food industry). However, a quick mentality alteration and your snacking can become that much healthier. Things like fruit, raw nuts, and chopped vegetables are a way healthier alternative and will see you summer ready in no time.

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No More Naughty Drinks

Just take a moment to think about what you drink on a normal day. Sugary drinks and coffee with sugar in it (or even coffee without sugar in it!). These are empty calories that are so detrimental to a healthy body. So get into the habit of drinking water or some gorgeously healthy tea, like green tea or jasmine tea or any kind of fruit tea really. Healthy body and mind here we come.

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Bring On A Partner

The hardest thing about getting healthy, as you’ll probably agree, is motivating yourself. At first, it isn’t too bad, but then you miss one gym session and it spirals out of control. That’s where having a partner on board can be so helpful. Your spouse or a friend or someone you work with, anyone that will stop you making up excuses like you just have to watch the next episode of Big Little Lies and then you’re good to go. Having someone with you makes it more fun too, and in one month’s time, you can thank them for the way you look at feel.

Get Your Heart Racing: Exercises To Improve Health And Lifestyle

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

We are all very much aware that exercising is good for us, but do we do as much exercise as we should be? The truth is, exercise should be part of our daily lives, where on average you do something that increases your heart rate or stretches your muscles or mind at least for 30 minutes each day. This, however, may sound like a tall task to ask of you. After all, we can all be living hectic lives as it is. Work commitments, social lives, they all take up our precious waking hours, so where can the exercise fit in? However, some exercises are very enjoyable, and they can fit seamlessly into your day by making a few simple changes to your routine. I thought I would share with you some of the most common exercises that can have a huge impact on your health and lifestyle.

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Going for a run

One of most common forms of exercise is simply going for a run. A lot of people tend to fit this in after work, as it’s a great way to calm your mind and transition from work mode into an evening of relaxation or family time. Running, of course, is a cardio workout, so it definitely enables you to increase your heart rate. You don’t need much other than some active wear and a decent pair of jogging trainers, and you can simply just head out of your front door and run. It is a great form of therapy psychologically, and many people would agree that it is the easiest ways to exercise frequently, and it can be rather enjoyable once you get into it. Many people even then sign up to do distance runs such as 10ks and even marathons.

Biking your commute to work

We can all agree that daily exercise can be a huge task to fit in, so why not turn something you would normally do into exercise? Instead of relying on your car or public transport, why not bike your way into work instead? Many employers actually encourage this and have facilities in which to park your bike for the day, and for you to change into your work attire. Of course, you may need to invest in a decent bike and some cycle insurance to ensure that you are covered. But it’s a great way to incorporate your daily exercise.

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Practicing yoga in an evening or morning

While yoga may not be seen as a cardio workout, when combined with regular exercise it’s a great way to vary the type of exercise you do. Yoga concentrates on stretches and muscles while encouraging you to focus on your mind and breathing techniques. This is a great way to destress from an especially busy and stressful day, while still getting some important exercise. Some people also combine yoga with meditation practice as a way to prioritise their thoughts or simply as a relaxation technique. There are plenty of tutorials online to help you master some of the most common yoga poses.

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Attending a gym for an aerobic class

Sometimes you need to be accountable for the exercise that you take, so joining a gem may be your best option. Although it can be pricey, they offer various classes and facilities, making it much easier to attend and do a workout. An aerobic class is a great way to incorporate a block amount of time of cardio workout. Plus being with other people can be an excellent motivator.

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Swimming

 

Swimming is seen as a full body workout, and a great way to not only increase your heart rate but work on muscles all over your body from one form of exercise. Swimming doesn’t require any fancy equipment, just a costume and yourself. You don’t have to be a member of a gym, as there are plenty of local pools you can enjoy the facilities of. It;s also a refreshing exercise and can actually be relaxing if you love being in the water.

Seeking out the expertise of a personal trainer

Finally, if you have some money to invest into your exercise, then you may want to gain the expertise and knowledge of a personal trainer. These people tend to tailor exercises to your needs, abilities and your end goals. They will know what exercises and equipment you should be using, and the workout can be tailored to the amount of time you have. It can also help to have someone there to spur you on, especially if you begin to flag towards the end. They can be a worthy investment, but may not be a long-term option.

I hope this has inspired you to incorporate more exercise into your daily routine.

 

Eating Enough Fruit And Veg Made Easy

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

We all know how important it is to get enough fruit and vegetables in our diet, yet the large majority of us fail to do this. It may not always feel like it, but eating the recommended amount of fruit and veg doesn’t need to be a challenge. Here, we’ll list some of the easiest things you can do to make sure you’re getting enough fruit and vegetables in.

Image: Wikimedia

Keep Them in the Open

Simply making the fruit and veg in your house more visible can be a great first step towards encouraging everyone in your household, you included, to get their fill. Don’t hide them away at the back of your cupboards. Instead, get a fruit bowl for the kitchen, keep it well-stocked, and have snackable things like carrot sticks available at the front of the fridge. Even taking the time to slice up apples, kiwis and so on can give you a little extra motivation to take a bite in passing.

Drink Them (Up to a Point)

Juice and smoothies are excellent ways to get your fill of fruit and veg, and make it feel easier. You can even start following a whole juice diet if you’re looking to lose weight. The next time you’re shopping for fruit, look for labels that say “100% fruit juice”, as a glass of these are guaranteed to give you a serving. Just be wary of the portion size, and make sure you know how much a serving is. It’s completely possible to wind up consuming more calories through juice and smoothies, even though they’re not exactly filling!

Think Frozen

Buying bulk amounts of peas and vegetables, and keeping them in your freezer, is an excellent way to make sure there’s always vegetables in the house. Frozen veg is remarkably easy to prepare, and can be kept for a long time, making them much more economical compared to buying fresh veg here and there throughout the week. Frozen raspberries and blueberries are also great to scatter over a bland cereal in the morning. Despite what you may have heard, it’s a complete myth that frozen fruits and vegetables are less nutritious than fresh ones, although the flavour can be a little dampened depending on where you source them from.

Get Started Early

Like a lot of things, the sooner you get started with eating your recommended amount of fruit and veg, the easier you’ll find it to polish it off. Start getting into the habit of making fruits or vegetables part of your breakfast. Adding sliced bananas or berries to your cereal is a classic, but you can also add vegetables to an omelette, berries to your yoghurt, or simply have a piece of fruit on the side. Soon enough, this will start to feel like part of the routine, rather than a chore you really ought to do. From there, you’ll have that much less to worry about through the rest of the day.

Start applying these tips, and you’ll find it so much easier to get your fill of fruit and veg.

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