A lot of people are turned off by healthy living because they think it’s too costly on time or money. But that’s not necessarily true. You don’t have to hit the gym or spend a dime on some P1,500 per week chef-specialized menu to change gears towards a more health-conscious lifestyle. There are plenty of ways for you to achieve your #fitspiration without spending over P300 or dedicating more than five to 15 minutes of your day on a quick workout or meal prep. Here are a few quick health hacks to help you and your wallet live a happier and healthier life.
Health Hack 1: Drink two glasses of water when you wake up
Water is the key. It’s the main ingredient for a good detox by flushing away the unwanted toxins in your body. I know infused water is considered a staple nowadays, but those citrus slices aren’t necessary to detoxify daily. They’re just for that extra boost of alkazine. If you can’t be bothered, you can just skip the slicing and get to the drinking.
Health Hack 2: Get in some cardio before breakfast
Your body melts fat faster on an empty stomach and you’re most alert the first few hours of waking. Before you enjoy your first meal of the day, make sure to squeeze in some sort of exercise in there. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It can just be can be a series of jumping jacks, step-ups, or a quick jog up and down a flight of stairs. It might even help you wake up in the morning better than a cup of coffee.
Health Hack 3: Break fast with an energy shake on the go
Make a banana, peanut butter, oats, and honey shake for your breakfast. This will help you in three ways. It’s convenient enough that you can eat your breakfast on your way to work or while you’re working already. It makes sure that you don’t skip the most important meal of the day because this way you don’t have to cut time from work to eat. It also cuts down on all the carbs and glucose that you want to avoid.
Health Hack 4: Find any excuse to inject a workout during the day to kickstart your metabolism
Even if it’s just five minutes. Standing core, little yoga stretches, anything. You can do it while waiting for your food to heat in the microwave, or maybe while having your documents printed. Sitting down all day is a bitch, and you have to find a way to burn off all those calories from those office snacks you just can’t resist.
Health Hack 5: Opt to walk. Use your legs.
Traffic’s been so heavy anyway so you can walk the two intersections down the road to go to the bank or that resto. Trust me, it’ll be better and faster rather than wait for half an hour in traffic.
Health Hack 6: Stick to high-fiber vegetables and fruits in your meals to keep you full for longer.
This way you can eat less without feeling hungry more. Some examples of high-fiber food or fruits are apples, bananas, broccoli, lentils, green peas, and oatmeal. You can find all of these in the grocery. Actually, you can grab fresh bananas at your nearest 7-Eleven now.
Health Hack 7: Use your kids or your dogs as an excuse to go outdoors. Swim, walk, play, be active.
Most of the time, people with families or pets see their “wards” as something that takes away from their time for an active lifestyle. Flip that mindset and see your kids or your furry companions as a motivator and an instrument to give your body the exercise that it needs. It helps your pets get their exercise, which they really need, and endorses healthy living to your kids early on.
Health Hack 8: Cayenne pepper improves metabolism.
Drink a concoction of lemon juice, water, apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper every morning before meals to kickstart metabolism and detox. Cayenne pepper’s hot and spicy flavor comes from capsaicin, a compound that “boosts metabolism, causing the body to produce extra heat and burn more calories for fuel.”
Health Hack 9: Can’t sleep? Get off your phone. Do a quick restorative yoga session for 10 to 15 minutes to calm your mind. Then read a book.
Scrolling through your phones might seem like the obvious or the easiest way to inspire some z’s when sleep won’t come, but it’s not the healthiest or the most effective. (Not to mention the damage it does to your eyes, or the migraine you could get.) For a more efficient alternative to counting sheep, do a quick restorative yoga session. It’ll inspire that needed peace of mind for sleep and help you burn off some fat in the process.
Photos courtesy of Unsplash.com
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Writer: ANTHEA REYES
