6 (easy) steps towards a healthier you

We all know that being healthy is important – it gives us more energy, makes us feel more positive, and keeps us looking good – but with our busy lives it can be easy for our health to drop down the priority list.

An important step in getting our health back on track is understanding some of the common pitfalls that stop of us from looking and feeling our best. A sedentary lifestyle is a problem for a lot of people, particularly those who work long hours in office jobs, and a lack of regular exercise can make weight loss and fitness a major challenge. At the same time, many people are unaware of the type and amount of food that makes up their diet. It can be very easy to overindulge in foods, especially foods high in added sugar, and this is a major contributor to our growing waistlines.

My ultimate goal as a health enthusiast is to help people transform themselves into healthy, balanced beings, and that is thinking behind my new ‘10 Days to a Healthier You’ plan. The program is based on clinically-tested weight loss principles rather than diet fads, and is filled with recipes, exercise guidelines and helpful tools to develop long-lasting healthy habits.

Achieving a healthier you is simpler than you might think, and if you follow these simple steps you will be back on track in no time!

1. Always quench your thirst with water first (this may include non-caffeinated herbal teas). To ensure optimal hydration each day, drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water. Always drink a large glass of water before meals, and before and after exercise.

2. The best way to get the right balance of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants each day is to eat fruits and vegetables representing all colours of the rainbow. Each colour carries its own set of unique disease fighting chemicals. It is these natural chemicals that give vegetables and fruit their vibrant colour and some of their healthy properties.

3. Aim for 30-minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most days of the week. Good examples include brisk-walking, jogging, cycling, rowing or swimming. If your goal is to lose weight, you need a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week.

4. Chew each mouthful of food 10-12 times before swallowing. Eating slowly brings mindfulness to mealtimes, improves digestion, and allows you to feel a sense of fullness without a need to overeat. Always stop eating when you’re satisfied, not when you’re full.

5. Cutting back or cutting out added sugars is a crucial step to better health, but it can be difficult to do! Thankfully, replacing the sugar used in cooking, baking or even in your morning coffee or tea is becoming easier thanks to new natural sweetener products such as Equal Stevia. Stevia has been used for centuries in South America as a natural sweetener, and now Australians are discovering the versatility of this natural sugar alternative.

6. Just like following a healthy diet and exercising each day, sleep is vital for good health and maintaining a healthy weight. Make sure to get 8 hours of sleep each night. Quality sleep will help with resetting your metabolism and is essential for optimising appetite-controlling hormones.

Kathleen Alleaume is an accredited exercise physiologist and nutritionist, and author of the 10 Days to a Healthier You plan. To download a free, 3 day sample plan, visit www.clubequal.com.au/3dayplan

This post is sponsored by Equal Stevia, a natural, low-calorie sweetener from Australia's number one low-calorie sweetener brand. Click here to find out more about the Equal Stevia range.