Hello fellow Oles!
For me, the hardest part of staying in shape has always been eating in both a healthy and filling way. These adjectives often don’t go together when we’re talking about food- a salad might be super healthy, but, personally, I can’t get through a day on a handful of spinach and vegetables.
This week, I want to talk about eating tips that keep you running through the day without compromising fitness! When talking about food, it’s important to consider flexibility, balance, and healthy eating without being too extreme. Best of all, these tips are not for dieting. Healthy eating should be a lifestyle, and these tips should become habits that keep you healthy for a lifetime.
Here are the main components of the healthy eating plan:
5 meals a day:
Ever get hungry in between meals? Clearly you need a snack. Personally, I recommend 5 meals a day! Sounds great, right? It is! Not only do you stay filled during the day, but keeping something in your stomach at all times minimizes the chances that you will stuff yourself at meals. You’ll feel better at all times in the day- never stuffed and never starving.
Your five meals go like this- breakfast, midmorning snack (think something like an apple and a handful of almonds), lunch, midafternoon snack (something like a protein bar would be good), and dinner. Keep them all small, and you’ll be happy throughout the day!
A Carb and a Protein:
At each of these five meals, you have to incorporate a carbohydrate and a protein. The carb provides immediate energy, while the protein gives you lasting energy that will carry you through to the next meal. Not only does this leave you feeling full, eating this way also keeps your metabolism up throughout the day!
Veggies:
We all know veggies are important, but- it can never be said enough- try to incorporate a substantial amount into each meal that you eat! Veggies are a healthy and easy to fill yourself up, and, if prepared correctly, they’re delicious!
One small desert:
Every girl needs some sweets in their life. Allow yourself one small treat a day- something like a Dove chocolate or half of a cookie. The trick with this tip is to make sure that you don’t make your treat too big! You don’t need a whole piece of cake per day. A little treat everyday will keep you from splurging when you just need sugar.
One splurge day:
Once a week, allow yourself a splurge day. Go ahead! Have pizza for dinner and a big piece of cake for desert. Food is in this world to enjoy, and it’s impractical to think we’re going to have salads every meal, everyday for the rest of our lives.
So there you have it- healthy eating tips! Hopefully this plan will help you maintain a healthy and balanced eating plan while still being moderate.
Stay healthy, Oles!