The beginning of the year is the most popular time to join a gym and to start a health kick. Most people will be cutting down on alcohol or doing dry January, limiting their food intake, detoxing, partaking in juice diets and going to the gym frequently. However, those good healthy intentions quickly fade out over the course of time…
Did you know that the British population waste £558 million a year on unused gym memberships? 21% of people also revealed that they visit their gym just three times a year as it was too busy and they couldn’t use the machines they wanted to use and had to queue up.
Only 3% of the British population will manage to make a permanent lifestyle change and 23% will have given up their healthy kick by the 1st February. Men will do slightly better than their female counterparts and 54% will keep up their fitness regime until the 1st April.
Health kicks aren’t just for January, so here are a couple of tips to maximise your fitness motivation onto February.
Plan your meals
Planning out the food you need for the week will help limit the junk food you buy and will help you to stick with your healthy diet. You won’t be able to snack on unhealthy treats if you don’t have them in your household in the first place! Knowing exactly what you need will not only save you wasting money on things you won’t eat but will provide you with an easy food list to pick everything up in the shop quickly. The secret to staying on your health kick isn’t just about hitting the gym but also what foods you are keeping in your fridge.
If you are looking for some help planning your meals, HelloFresh will be perfect for you. It is a flexible cooking subscription box where you are in control of your box. You will be able to choose from their weekly menu of recipes and decide how many meals you would like for how many people. HelloFresh will then deliver said recipes and fresh ingredients to your door every week. You can also skip a week, edit your box type or recipes if you ever change your mind all of which can be done with the HelloFresh app and website. You can save £25 off your first box with My Active Discounts, simply pop over to the website to find out how.
Reward yourself
Depriving yourself of all your favourite vices is setting you out to fail straight away. Cutting out your most loved foods will lead to binge eating and overeating as a result. Rome wasn’t built in a day nor will you love a healthier diet in it either. You should allow yourself a cheat day every week or every two weeks to get rid of any cravings and to make the transition easier. It’s all about eating things in moderation and not overdoing it.
Make your own juices
Juices are one of the best ways to rid your body of toxins and are a good way to increase your intake of fruit & vegetables. Homemade fresh juices contain more vitamins, minerals and other nutritional compounds than store bought options. The juices you buy in the shops more often than not contain added sugar which reduces the healthiness of it. Homemade juices can help with digestion, save your body energy, add more fibre into your diet and are good for your health as they are full of antioxidants.
If you are thinking of creating your own juices, Ninja Kitchen offer 10% off of all orders over £75 via My Active Discounts. Ninja Kitchen have a variety of blenders, kitchen systems, food processors and choppers for you to choose from to help make your healthy lifestyle that much easier.
Go for a walk everyday
The happier you are the more likely you will be to carry on with your health kick and the best way to boost your mood is to get some vitamin D. Taking a 10-20-minute walk during your lunch break will provide you with fresh air and expose your skin to sunlight, giving you a nice dose of vitamin D and boosting your happiness.
Track your progress
It can be difficult to know how you are doing in the gym or just how your health kick is going if it isn’t being monitored. Setting yourself goals and seeing the results is the best motivator there can be to keep working out. There are many apps to help you track your progress, food intake or goal. Along with fitness trackers, which are great for allowing you to see your fitness results. Simple things such as seeing yourself reach 10,000 steps can feel like an achievement and as if you are taking a step in the right direction.
If you are looking to track your progress, investing in a fitness tracker may be useful. You can save up to 30% off Garmin fitness trackers with My Active Discounts! They allow you to track your heart rate, sleep pattern, steps, stress levels and other general fitness activity. They are great for helping you to improve your activity levels and create healthy competition with friends/family.