We all know that trying to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle in Nigeria is quite expensive. Everyone wants to take the easy way out. These are a few tips and tricks that can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle without spending too much.
1. Take the stairs: Many people are guilty of this. They do not see the reason to take the stairs to the fifth floor in their place of work when there is an elevator. Little actions like this exercise the muscles and get the heart pumping and functioning properly. We all know we need our hearts to live our happy lives. Try this at work on Monday!
2. Say no to sodas and yes to smoothies: As I said earlier, the dangerous things are always the cheapest. It’s easy to walk into a store and buy a can of coke than see people who sell fruits. If you crave a drink, cut up watermelon and pineapple, put in a blender, pour it out to drink. You would be shocked at how refreshing you would feel. Popping a can of soda is not worth it due to the amount of sugar you consume in three gulps. Say no to sodas and yes to smoothies!
3. Eat your veggies: I know how difficult this part is to maintain because prices of these things escalate every day. You do not have to eat salads as a full meal every day. You can just chop a little carrot and cabbage to add to your food. This is really good for your blood. If you try to do this every day, it can become a part of your routine and you find yourself not being able to do without it.
4. Exercise: This is very essential to living a healthy life. Enrol at a gym close to you that would be convenient to go after work if you are employed or close to school if you are a student. There is no age bracket in exercising. Many Nigerians feel that elderly people do not need to exercise, but this is a wrong perception. In fact it’s really good for their muscles to remain strong and their heart to function properly. Exercise is for everyone only if the individual has medical issues. If you do not have money to enrol in a gym, jog around your house, make weight lifters out of metal paint buckets, be creative and you would be amazed at the results.
5. No late dinners or snacking: We know how difficult it is when one craves for a particular thing that is not available. This needs discipline to achieve. Eating late at night causes stomach pouches, which might be unattractive. You can snack on a carrot or fruits if you can’t control your craving.
6. Avoid fast foods: Some of us have the get up and go drive that sometimes we get too lazy to cook. Instead, getting food from an eatery or a ‘bukka’ becomes the best option. It’s always best to avoid these and eat home cooked meals. That way you can avoid snacks and unhygienic foods which cause harm to the body. Eating home cooked meals is also a good way to monitor the food you consume while trying to achieve a healthy lifestyle.
7. Drink a lot of water: Water as you may see everyday seems to be taken for granted. The truth is no one can tell you the amount of water to drink in a day because we all have different body types. Our bodies react differently to certain things so just try to drink as much water as possible to clear out the toxins and rinse your system.
8. Get good sleep: This is so important for the body to function properly. You need to get enough rest and sleep when you can. After a stressful day at work, just go home, relax, watch a good movie and go to bed early. Make sure you are well rested. When you are well rested, the results your body gives back are amazing.
9. Routine medical check-ups: This is so important. Always try to go to the hospital once in a while to see how your body is functioning and if you are living right. It could be every six months
or thrice a year. Whichever manner that rocks your boat and you are comfortable with, always try to do routine check-ups.
At the end of the day, the major ingredient to achieving this goal is discipline. Do not underestimate the power of sleep and water. These steps would guide you through a healthy lifestyle.