{"id":692,"date":"2019-04-17T14:05:15","date_gmt":"2019-04-17T02:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kalem92887712.wordpress.com\/2019\/04\/17\/navigating-a-healthy-lifestyle-with-distractions\/"},"modified":"2023-09-08T09:40:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T21:40:41","slug":"navigating-a-healthy-lifestyle-with-distractions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/2019\/04\/17\/navigating-a-healthy-lifestyle-with-distractions\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating a healthy lifestyle with distractions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Making the decision to focus on eating healthy, increasing our exercise levels and improving our overall health and wellness is a great move. However, putting this into practice isn\u2019t always straight forward.<\/p>\n

Every household is different, and typically there\u2019s more than one person to feed, organise or care for. There\u2019s going to be times where decisions are out of our control, or the day\u2019s plan is unknown. There\u2019s plenty of hurdles that could steer us off track but the key is to acknowledge them, and then find another way around those hurdles.<\/p>\n

Others to feed too?<\/em><\/p>\n

Make one dinner for the whole family, and bulk up the hungrier mouth\u2019s plates with a little extra<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cooking two different dinners isn\u2019t desirable for most, however within a household, each individual can have different calorie requirements. One way to get around this is to cook one meal, with \u2018add ons\u2019 for those hungrier mouths.<\/p>\n

The way we build a Fresh Start plate, is to focus firstly on hitting the right amount of veggie content (around half the plate), and then adding the lean protein component. We then top up with a small portion of complex carbohydrates (grains, starchy veggies or legumes) and some healthy fats (nuts, olives, avocado or dairy). This plate model provides a healthy, balanced meal, which we tailor to fall below 450 calories (anywhere around this number sits well with a reduced calorie diet for weight loss).<\/p>\n

As the required nutrients are all found on this plate, to add calories for hungry mouths, the trick is to increase the carbohydrate portion. Carbohydrates can be an easy addition –<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Set a rice cooker on to top up hungry mouth\u2019s plates<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Keep a pack of pita breads in the freezer to pull out and toast when needed<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Boil or roast root veggies (kumara, potato, carrot, beetroot, pumpkin) and keep in the fridge to add when needed<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Keep 1\u20132 cans of legumes (red kidney beans, chickpeas) handy in the cupboard<\/p>\n

Alternatively, you can make the portion of protein and healthy fats a little bigger for those hungrier mouths. Quick and easy ways to add protein and healthy fats to the plates of hungry mouths –<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Keep hold of any leftover nuts or seeds from previous recipes (and\/or keep a few jars of nuts or seeds in the pantry) for easy sprinkling<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Keep some broad-use cheeses in the fridge such as feta, Parmesan or Edam to add when needed<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Hummus, avocado, boiled eggs or dairy (sour cream or yoghurt) can easily be added to some meals<\/p>\n

If your little ones are not quite ready for Fresh Start, <\/strong>here\u2019s some easy meal options (packed full of veggies!) you can make in advance and freeze (for those nights where you definitely don\u2019t have that spare time!).<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Cottage and Shepherd\u2019s pies<\/a>, with plenty of grated, hidden veggies<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Spinach, pumpkin and beef lasagne<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Courgette and haloumi fritters<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00b7 Pumpkin or kumara soup<\/a>, add some red split lentils for added protein<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Beef and bean chilli con carne<\/a>, with plenty of grated, hidden veggies<\/p>\n

Struggling to fit in a workout with little ones?<\/em><\/p>\n

Exercise and movement<\/strong> is hugely important for our long term health and mobility. If we want to have the strength and fitness to be able to play with our children\u2019s children, then we need to continue to prioritise a little physical activity, even when it seems as though exercise is on the bottom of the priority list. Exercise doesn\u2019t need to be sweating or lifting weights in a gym, it can be as simple as:<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Taking the kids for a walk, whether it means a pram, or the little ones on bikes.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Play with the kids\u200a\u2014\u200aa game of tag or touch rugby, or swimming!<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Try out a home workout! Whether the kids are napping or playing (it\u2019s great inspiration for your kids if they are around), you can fit in some exercises at home. If you\u2019re in need of some ideas, there\u2019s lots of home workout apps (most don\u2019t require any equipment too), or Fresh Start has a good workout here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Exercise doesn\u2019t need to take a long time, practice quality over quantity. When you do have a chance to get some uninterrupted exercise in, make the most of it and focus on having a great workout. The benefits aren\u2019t just physical, they\u2019re hugely positive on our mental wellbeing and mindset.<\/p>\n

Travel planned?<\/em><\/p>\n

The thought of keeping to a strict diet while travelling sounds like trying to cross a minefield. The first thing to remember when travelling is that we can\u2019t be too hard on ourselves. We can make smart, health-conscious decisions when we can, and not get too stressed when we can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Before we gear up to travel we can prepare and pack some things to help keep us on a positive and healthy track.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00b7 Walking gear<\/p>\n

\u00b7 A multi-greens powder that you can add to water can be a great start to the day, to ensure you\u2019re getting plenty of goodness from the get go, especially on the days that don\u2019t end up that veggie-filled!<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Healthy, pre-packaged snacks, such as trail mixes, popcorn or bliss balls. You can pop these in your suitcase, to have on hand during the duration of the trip, for when hunger strikes, or there\u2019s no healthy, convenient snack options.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 For the plane ride, if it\u2019s not too long, you might want to pack some of these healthy snacks too. A piece of fruit, veggie sticks or a small portion of nuts are all easy things to take carry on.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 If it\u2019s a long-haul flight, you can still pack your own healthy snacks, but also more substantial meals as well. Plane food isn\u2019t always the healthiest, nor is it overly satisfying, but if you\u2019ve got a few hours of travel ahead of you, chances are you\u2019re going to get hungry. You can use an old takeout container to pack a salad, or make a wholesome, veggie packed wrap or grainy bread sandwich to take on board, if the plane meal isn\u2019t to your liking. If you do end up enjoying the plane food, that sandwich will be a tasty stop-over meal too, for when the airport options are not-so-great, and hugely overpriced. Just be sure not to enter a new country still carrying your kiwi-grown foods!<\/p>\n

When flying, it\u2019s important to keep hydrated, so be sure to ask for water, or carry some on when possible. It\u2019s also important to be cautious of coffee and alcohol consumption, as these are both diuretics, meaning they actively work to remove water from our body, dehydrating us further and making it harder to bounce back when we do arrive at our destination.<\/p>\n

Also, take plenty of opportunities for movement during the flight when sleep isn\u2019t on the agenda, and at any stopovers, be sure to stretch those legs with a brisk walk to get the blood flowing.<\/p>\n

When we\u2019re overseas, it\u2019s important to enjoy and experience the local food and culture. This means there\u2019s nothing that can\u2019t be tried or tasted, it\u2019s simply about practising portion size and moderation when we do indulge in the more treat-like foods.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re often on our feet and walking a whole lot more, so exercise and movement can come quite naturally. If there\u2019s a slower day, or a day with travel time, you might be able to squeeze in a brisk walk or jog earlier in the morning before settling into a sun lounger or plane seat.<\/p>\n

Click here to return to Fresh Start<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Making the decision to focus on eating healthy, increasing our exercise levels and improving our overall health and wellness is a great move. However, putting this into practice isn\u2019t always straight forward. Every household is different, and typically there\u2019s more than one person to feed, organise or care for. There\u2019s going to be times where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2353,2354],"tags":[1745,1746,1747,1854],"class_list":["post-692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-my-food-bag","tag-fresh-start","tag-health","tag-lifestyle","tag-nadia-lim"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=692"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23368,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692\/revisions\/23368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}