Healthy habits don’t need to be difficult – in fact, keeping it simple means you are more likely to incorporate them into your regular routine! As we wrap the April 2024 Eat Move Live Challenge, it’s a great time to take a look at some of the great healthy habits you have been trying out over the last six weeks. Now is the time to make sure we keep up the awesome work and build on what you have already achieved.

EAT

Healthy food doesn’t need to be boring! It’s all about the flavour and finding the dishes that you enjoy.

• Kick sugar to the curb and keep up with eating lower sugar options. The Eat Move Live Challenge gave you plenty of recipes and ideas so add these new foods and meals into your regular routine.

• Think about adding time restricted eating into your regular eating habits across three to four days a week.

• Eat up when it comes to veggies. Winter is a great time to up the level of vegies you eat whether it’s with a delicious vegetable soup, as a side to a magnificent steak or tasty grilled fish or as a main meal itself. There are so many choices and adding some herbs and spices will keep them interesting and even more flavoursome.

MOVE

We all know that keeping active is the key to good health. It improves hearth health, keeps the joints moving and builds strength and improves overall fitness. Let’s keep up the excellent work and slide some of your new habits into your day.

• Keep up with thirty (30) minutes of walking or some other activity you enjoy at least four (4) times per week. Don’t let the cooler weather deter you!

• Boost the workouts you complete either in the Studio or in the Online group. You’ve done the hard work over the past six weeks, so keep up the great work and your body will thank you.

• Keep working your core! It’s so important to overall physical health as our core is key to helping us maintain balance, lifting, sitting with good posture, and prevention of injuries as it helps protect the spine through our range of movement. Plank away!

LIVE

Living life is what it’s all about! By making great choices when it comes to what we eat and making sure we move regularly, our improved health and mental well being means we are more likely to get out there and enjoy all that life has to offer.

• Focus on your sleep. Make sure you keep up with having a minimum of six to eight hours sleep each night aiming to be in bed by 10pm at least 5 nights per week. Being well rested is the cornerstone to great health!

• Connect with friends and/or family regularly. As Winter looms, it’s so easy to stay home snuggled on the couch but keeping up our social connections nourishes the soul so lock in a movie date, a coffee, going for a walk or maybe even a dinner party and let the good times roll.

• Turn off that device and give yourself a digital detox at least three days a week. Overuse of social media apps and being online is known to increase anxiety and stress so do yourself a massive favour and turn it off and engage in something else you enjoy. Get outside and shoot hoops with the kids, take time to cook a delicious meal, go for that extra walk or simply read a book. Whatever it is, just make sure those handy, but intrusive, devices are turned off and you’ll be stunned by how much extra time you have in the day to do the things that bring you joy.

Well done to everyone who joined me over the last six weeks in the Eat Move Live Challenge. I’ve had a blast and I’ve loved seeing all your updates and chatting with you about how much better you feel. This is just the start so let’s maintain the momentum and Eat, Move and Live our way into fantastic health!