With everything that is going on in your life and the multitude of information (both real and fake) on the internet, it can be pretty stressful and confusing for you to start taking that first step to live a better life and finally feel good about yourself.
It doesn't have to be that difficult. Stop stressing and start following these 3 steps today to live well and feel good.
Step 1: Hydrate
You don't need to be on those expensive juice detox programs. All you need is good ol' plain, regular, unaltered water. Sure, you may add slices of cucumber or lemon to freshen up your aqua if you're feeling fancy.
Staying hydrated helps our body detox naturally.
Water is the body's internal transport system, carrying nutrients to our cells and flushing our body of wastes through sweat and urine to keep our kidneys and organs healthy. Our pair of kidneys are necessary for regulating our bodily fluid levels and most importantly helping the body remove waste.
The kidneys have a network of blood vessels, where the blood is cleaned of unwanted substances and urine is produced. Urine is the fluid that then carries these metabolic waste and toxins out of our system. Without enough water flowing through our systems, the kidneys will reserve water and will not produce urine to excrete our bodily wastes and toxins.
How much water should I drink to stay hydrated?
The rule of thumb is a minimum of 8 glasses (2.4 liters) of water per day, but it also depends on your level of daily activity. The best gauge for staying hydrated is the color of your urine. Check out the chart below as a guide to know when you should be re-hydrating yourself.
Stay adequately hydrated and you'll eat less (your mind often confuses thirst for hunger), feel better, look younger, and just generally be the awesome person that you are meant to be.
Step 2: Eat Clean
Eating clean is difficult when you don't have a clue what to eat and how much to eat. Let's address each of those concerns and make it easier for you to have a good meal and be in great health.
Research has shown that how much we eat isn't as important when compared to what we eat, i.e. the quality of food that fuels our body (and soul...mmm). Hence, let's focus on what foods to eat and what to avoid.
What Do I Eat?
It always helps to start with the easier task that we do everyday, which is eating! You are what you eat, so what you put into your body will affect how you look and feel. Doesn't matter if you are diabetic, have high cholesterol, or high blood pressure; eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and beans is beneficial to your health and may even reverse your medical condition.
Fresh fruits and vegetables provide you with water, vitamins, iron, calcium, and fibre. When we say 'fresh,' we mean eating your fruits and vegetables raw or cooking them using methods that retain their nutritional value, such as steaming, baking on low-mid heat, and boiling. If you need to satisfy that occasional fried food craving, use an air fryer to fry your food with less oil or bake them instead.
Meanwhile, nuts and seeds provide you with healthy fats and protein that reduces your risk of heart disease. They're crunchy and portable, which make for great snacks and add texture to your salads. However, proceed with caution and control the amount of nuts and seeds that you eat to avoid weight gain, because unfortunately, healthy fats are still fats.
"But where do you get your protein?" Well, from legumes and beans, such as chickpeas, soybeans, lentils, black beans, and peas. Not only are legumes and beans the cheapest source of protein, helping you save money for that holiday trip you're planning, they also do not contain any saturated fat that will clog up your arteries. Our Asian staple, tofu and tempeh, which are made from soybeans, have a rich culinary and cultural history where we have consumed them for centuries.
What Foods Should I Avoid?
There are no "good" and "bad" foods, only foods that benefit your health and those that don't. Certain foods do not add any essential nutritional value to our bodies, except exciting and satisfying our taste buds and mental high.
The number one food that you should avoid at all cost is sugar. Natural sugars from fruits are fine, but make sure that you're eating lots of fresh fruits but a moderate amount of dried fruit because the sugar concentration in dried fruit is more than 2x higher. We add sugars to our food to mask unsavory flavors (bitter coffee) and make it more palatable, but it also has an effect on our brain, causing us to be addicted to its sweetness. High sugar intake also leads to insulin resistance, causes diabetes, and dementia.
The majority of processed foods contain high fructose corn syrup, sugars, sodium, and non-nutritional additives. Highly processed foods are stripped off their nutritional value and have a concoction of flavoring added to make them taste better. There are many levels of processing that foods go through, so what types of processed foods is the worst and you should absolutely avoid? Anything that comes from a factory, ready-to-eat and in colorful plastic packaging. Always read the nutritional labels to know what has been added to our food and how much nutrition you will be getting from consuming it.
Refined carbohydrates may be one of the causes behind the obesity epidemic worldwide. In our Asian culture of rice consumption, obesity was never a public health issue. It wasn't until the introduction the Western lifestyle and the increased consumption of white bread and pasta, that we saw an increase in waistline and weight. Refined carbs are also known as simple carbohydrates, which convert to sugar much faster and cause our blood sugar level to spike. If you are diabetic, you need to avoid refined carbs and consume complex carbs instead, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, quinoa, millet, bulgur, and buckwheat.
Step 3: Move
Moving your body at any intensity is better than not moving at all. Just standing up instead of sitting down during work has shown to reduce your risk of insulin resistance.
Movement helps circulate your blood around the body, transporting oxygen and nutrients that your cells need to stay young. Movement also increases your metabolism because your muscles are expending energy and burning blood sugar for fuel. An increased metabolism helps keep your insulin level steady and reduce bad cholesterol.
If you enjoy taking long walks at the beach, the science agrees with you that simply moving can improve our mental health and making us happy. Aerobic exercise helps reduce stress and anxiety, while meditative movement such as yoga and Qigong can alleviate depressive syndromes. Exercise can even be more effective than drugs and psychotherapy for treating depression.
How much should I move?
As much as possible that your body allows you to. Progress slowly and make sure to increase the duration and intensity as you become fitter.
Aim to exercise at a moderate intensity for more than 30 mins daily and move constantly throughout the day at a casual pace for more than 5 hours.
Next step: July 30-Day Challenge
Now that you have learned the 3 easy steps, it is time to put your knowledge into action. We will be issuing a 30-day challenge in July, where you will challenge yourself and accomplish one (or more) of the three steps for 30 days.
The value you get from the challenge:
A healthier body and mind
More time for work and play
Know what and where to eat
More money for the things you love
What is included in the challenge:
Daily reminders and motivation
Healthy recipes with no sugar and reduced sodium
Exercise and movement plans
Weekly exercise meetups (for local participants)
Biweekly potluck picnic (for local participants)
Registration closes at 11:59pm (GMT+8), June 29.
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