Ask yourself the important question. Is your environment enabling a healthier lifestyle, or is it one of the obstacles you are having to perpetually overcome?

Every day we have to contend with hundreds of decisions. Many of these are dictated by the environment around us – especially how we eat. Consider all the adverts we see on a daily basis on the internet, or the cooking videos and short films suggesting recipe ideas. Then on top of this throw in the social aspect of eating. Would you like to come round for a meal? Perhaps we should go out and eat? Or maybe you always opt for a take-away at the end of the week when you’re feeling low on energy.

There are so many factors that influence what we eat. From lack of time, poor organisation, drops in mood and motivation, boredom with repetitive diets and even the pressures of children can force our hands at meal-times.

And these factors all lead to one place – short term decision making based on gut instinct and immediate want. Yes, we get short term satisfaction by leaving the greens in the cupboard and ordering pizza, but we pay for it in the long term. More often that not taking a couple of steps backwards and losing motivation towards longer term health goals.

Everyone can prepare for the good times. So why not make your home environment give you options and healthy routes to take when the motivation and energy levels are slipping?

Some of the changes that have made a lot of difference to the EMS community include the following:

  • Getting a fruit bowl and keeping it stocked with a range of fruit. When you want that instant snack and there’s different options at hand, you soon forget about the trip to the garage for that chocolate caramel bar.

 

  • Keep seasonal vegetables in the fridge and a steamer in the cupboard. Steamed vegetables are delicious, crunchy and go with almost anything – and they’re ready in seconds to accompany any meal.

 

  • Plan your meals. Think about what you want to eat before you make a trip to the supermarket. Giving yourself a good range of different meals throughout the week and keeping it interesting. Make mealtimes an occasion you look forward to – rather than an eating chore.

 

  • Take the shopping list to the supermarket. Don’t go to the store when you’re hungry. Always eat before you go and know what you want to buy. It’s the only way to stop the crisps, chocolate and bakery items finding their way into the trolley.

 

  • Be inventive. There are tons of new recipes out there. Like Chinese kung pow chicken? Stop giving your cash to the take-away and find out how to make a low calorie alternative yourself with all the taste.

 

  • Get the cooking equipment to make life easy. Microwaves can chop down baking potato oven times. Mandolins make slicing easy. Soups become simple with a blender and slow cookers can be a great way to cook up some really tasty treats whilst you’re away from home.

 

  • Ditch the sweet box or biscuit barrel in favour of a healthy draw or tub. Fill it full of dark, organic 70% cocoa chocolate, roasted nuts, veggie crisps and dried fruit. Then you’ve got something to chow on that comes free from guilt.

 

  • Drink water. Not coke. Not coffee. Nor milkshakes. You might even find that by keeping topped up with the stuff of life itself that you actually can manage hunger more effectively. You might be surprised to find out that you are interpreting your body’s signals incorrectly.

 

At EMS Fitness Norwich we try to come at nutrition from a sustainable viewpoint. We’ve seen too many people try to force themselves into a hard regime of abstinence and sacrifice where they’re really simply waiting to go back to the way things were beforehand. You need to go for a longer term lifestyle change that gives you a realistic diet that works – otherwise you’re setting yourself up for failure in the long term. Even if you get results then over time you’ll slip back into older habits.

Changing your diet requires a lifestyle change – and key to  this is the foundations of your life around you. That’s your environment. If you want help and support in making some serious changes in your life then EMS Fitness is the place for you. We’re about more than simply giving you excellent exercise routines and pushing your fitness levels – if you want it – then we have the ideas and skills to give you a much deeper, longer lifestyle change.