Now that Christmas is over and the New Year is here, it’s time to get your health and fitness back on track. In the next couple of posts I’m going to help you do exactly that by providing you with two action plans to kick start your diet and your fitness. In today’s post I’m going to be focusing on how to improve your diet by following a few simple steps. So keep reading for The Free Fitness Tips New Year Diet Action Plan.
1) Focus On Foods You Enjoy
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to improve their diet is that they believe healthy foods and foods they enjoy are mutually exclusive. They force themselves to eat salads when they prefer burgers or avoid certain foods because they believe they’re not healthy. However, the truth is that no matter what your favourite foods are, you can create healthy alternatives to them which taste just as good and don’t contain any of the unhealthy ingredients. For example, if you like fried chicken, you can make your own marinated chicken using a blend of extra virgin olive oil and spices which provides you with plenty of healthy fats and none of the trans fats. If you like pizza, you can create your own healthy version using ground almonds which gets rid of the excess carbohydrates and replaces them with a healthy mix of monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and protein.
So when trying to improve your diet this New Year, remember that healthy eating doesn’t mean depriving yourself. Focus on the the foods you enjoy eating and then create healthy alternatives. My healthy recipes page is a great place to start but if you can’t find the recipes you’re looking for there, you should be able to find healthy alternatives to your favourite foods online. By eating this way, you’re much more likely to stick to your healthy eating plans because you’ll look forward to the foods you’re eating.
2) Add Vegetables To Every Meal
Once you’ve come up with a selection of healthy meals based around foods that you enjoy eating, the next step towards New Year diet success is to add vegetables to each meal. Vegetables are low in calories but more importantly they’re packed full of essential health boosting nutrients such as fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. These nutrients support your body in numerous ways, protect against nasty diseases and much more.
Adding vegetables to your meals is very easy and with a little trial and error, you’ll find vegetables that complement almost any meal. For example, beef based dishes work well with mushrooms, onions and tomatoes. Fish based dishes work well with green beans, soybeans and sweetcorn. Simply experiment with a range of vegetables and before you know it, you’ll be adding vegetables to all your meals without thinking twice.
3) Snack On Fruits, Nuts & Seeds
Snacking is another area where many people struggle when it comes to healthy eating. They have all their healthy meals prepared and know exactly what they’re going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner but when hunger strikes between meals, they reach for a bar of chocolate or a bag of crisps.
The good news is that addressing this problem isn’t difficult and in a similar way to healthy meals, there are plenty of low calorie healthy snacks you can make using fruits, nuts and seeds. For example, if you’re a fan of crisps, you can roast some nuts or seeds with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper for a full flavoured, healthy alternative. If you like chocolate, you can melt some dark chocolate and then coat your favourite fruit in it for a great tasting, nutrient packed alternative.
So remember to stock up on healthy snacks and always have some with you. Then when hunger strikes, instead of reaching for the chocolate or crisps, grab a healthy snack, dig in and keep yourself going until your next meal.
4) Watch Your Liquid Calories
Another huge mistake many people make when trying to eat healthier in the New Year is that they keep a close eye on what they’re eating but don’t monitor what they’re drinking. As a result, they consume hundreds of extra calories and harmful chemicals each day in the form of alcohol or sugary drinks, even though their diet is pretty healthy.
Fortunately, cutting down your liquid calorie consumption is very easy once you’ve identified the source of the problem. If you drink alcohol regularly, consider reducing your consumption and also look for some low calorie alternatives. If you’re a fan of sugary drinks, try flavoured water or fruit infused teas instead. By doing this, you’ll ensure that you only consume a minimal amount of calories in liquid form.
5) Identify Your Weak Spots
One final thing you need to do for New Year diet success is to be aware of your weak spots. No matter how diligent you are with healthy meals, healthy snacking and monitoring your liquid calories, there are always going to be certain foods or drinks that you can’t give up on completely. Perhaps you like a certain brand of fast food and no matter how hard you try, you can’t recreate the same great taste at home. Maybe you’re a huge fan of cola and you can’t give it up completely. Whatever your weak spots are, they’re not a problem if you’re aware of them.
Once you’ve identified these foods and drinks you can’t give up, try and make sure that they account for no more than 20% of everything you eat and drink. By doing this you’ll be able to eat healthy most of the time but still have an allowance to enjoy these unhealthy foods whenever you like.
Summary
As you can see, eating healthier doesn’t have to be difficult and you don’t have to deprive yourself. Simply follow the five steps listed in this action plan and you’ll be well on your way to cleaning up your diet and enjoying your healthiest New Year to date.
Now I want to hear from you guys. Do you have any additional New Year diet tips to share? If so, please share them with everyone by commenting at the bottom of this post. Also, please Like, +1, Pin and Tweet this post, so that as many people as possible can benefit from this New Year diet action plan.