Diet And Exercise Tips – A Balanced Approach

Irrespective of your weight you should try to follow a balanced approach when it comes to diet and exercise. The concept of a healthy balanced diet is not there for weight loss but to serve as a guide for everyone in our day to day life.

• Half of your plate should contain fruits and vegetables, 1/4th should be protein rich foods like pulses (Dal), paneer, egg and 1/4th part should be cereals like chapati or rice. Take at least one serving of toned milk or a milk product.
• Take small amounts of healthy fats. Limit unhealthy saturated fat and avoid trans fats. Avoid fried foods.Limit carbohydrates. Sweets, namkeens and biscuits should be minimized. Avoid juices, consume a whole fruit such as apple or papaya instead. When you eat fruit you also getfiberfrom it which will help your bowel function.
• Take something healthy to eat every 2-3 hours to help maintain steady sugar level in your blood.So try to stick to regular meal times. Three healthy meals and two healthy snacks in between is ideal. Limit eating out to not more than once a week.
• Drink plenty of fluids, mostly water.

EXERCISE

Similarly when it comes to exercise the routine prescription of exercise is not for weight loss but to maintain an active level of fitness, especially for your heart function. A balanced approach needs to be followed routinely for exercising too.

• To stay healthy and active, do at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most days of the week (at least 5 days a week). This could be brisk walk, jogging, dancing, yoga, or a combination of these. There is some exercise that can be done by everyone. You may need to start slow and gradually build up as your fitness levels start to improve. Live active and enjoy life!!