The average American may already know that heart disease takes the gold for leading cause of death in the United States. But jaws may drop from the ANAD statistic that eating disorders affect over 30 million people across the country!

What the health, people?

Everybody needs to learn how to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the face of temptation, but first, they must understand some basics.

Why?

Though this question opens up a world of discussion, this article will focus on preventable causes, most of which smack people in the face on the daily, so hard, that they fail to see them. Here are a few significant factors:

• advertisements fill the airwaves of cars and screens in every home, tempting people of all ages
• fast food restaurants sit on almost every major corner in the country
• overindulgence
• people like to relax after they overindulge
• ignorance

Each of these problems produces unhealthy Americans that are: underweight, with a BMI below 18.5; overweight, with a BMI of 25 or higher; obese, with a BMI of 30 or more; or “skinny fat.”

What Does “Skinny Fat” Mean?

Skinny Fat Guy describes “skinny fat” as the body state where a person looks thin, but really has an unhealthy muscle to fat ratio, making them secretly fat. A perfect example of this is that friend who eats everything under the sun made of “food product” while sitting on their little buns, yet gains not an ounce.

It only appears that they can eat whatever they want; inside their dying. just like everybody else, they need to learn about healthy living.

What is Healthy Living?

Healthy living means adopting a lifestyle conducive to bodily preservation and longevity. People need to understand the importance of health because, what happens now alters the future, especially in matters of health.

Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle

Understanding the basics and wanting to live healthy offers the drive for healthy living, but knowing how to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the face of temptation provides the key.

Equilibrium keeps your body functioning on the inside and will keep life running smoothly on the outside. Here are 5 key tips for balancing life and living a healthy life:

1. Sleep Enough

Humans should sleep about a third of their life away. Experts suggest healthy adults sleep 8-9 hours a night!

Why is sleep important?

Research shows that lack of sleep leads to mental confusion, weight gain, and chronic disease. Sleep on it.

2. Eat a Balanced Diet

Eating not only provides nourishment but also serves as a source of happiness and connectedness in life. People love eating food with others, but eating right is key.

What does it mean to eat a balanced diet? This consists of:

Getting Colorful

Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables! These natural treats receive their colors from phytochemicals.

Phytochemicals not only give plants color, but each hue provides a different health benefit! Here is a peek at some of the benefits of eating colorfully:

• orange and yellow fruits and vegetables, like carrots, squash, and oranges, offer Caratenoids like, Beta-carotene, which improves immunity, protects eye sight, and limits the risk of heart disease and cancer.
• red and blue hues, as you find in eggplant, tomatoes, and blueberries, contain antioxidants and Lycopene, which reduces the risk for cancer, heart disease, and stroke!
• green plants, like spinach, broccoli, and kiwi, contain both antioxidants and Chlorophyll, which help with vision and prevent a wide array of diseases.

All fruits and vegetables also offer a plethora of unique vitamins and minerals pertinent to health. Always try new things and color the plate!

Portioning

Even children know to pack in fruits and vegetables to stay healthy, but not everybody knows how to properly balance meals. The human body needs carbohydrates, protein, and fat to function properly.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that a healthy diet should consist of:

• 45-65% Carbohydrates
• 10-25% Protein
• 25-35% Fat

Yes, the body needs more carbs than anything else. Shocking? It comes down to eating the right ones. My Plate offers a fantastic visual on how to portion a plate.

Great sources of each in respective order include;

• whole fruits (apples, oranges, pineapple, raspberries, grapes, bananas…), whole vegetables (romaine lettuce, red potatoes with skin, carrots, Brussel’s sprouts…), whole grain bread, and multigrain crackers
• fish & seafood, chicken, and pork
• avocado, oils (olive, sunflower, canola…), and nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts…)

Eating a variety of nutritious foods in proper proportion helps maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Limiting

Diets that cut out all of something typically fail because temptation is real. Eat healthily and limit indulgence.

Limit foods high in sugar and saturated fat, like desserts and snacks. When limiting, it helps to use a smaller plate or bowl and to take bites mindfully. Multitasking while eating increases consumption.

Eating before grocery shopping and keeping healthy snacks readily available in the car, at work, and in the fridge help limit the temptation to indulge when hunger strikes.

3. Exercise

Eating healthy wins half the battle and exercise takes the rest. Let the buts begin:

• …but work…
• …but exhaustion…
• …but Game Of Thrones binge…
• …but it hurts…

But nothing. People can mindlessly fit exercise into their day regardless with these little tricks and tips:

• Walk or ride a bike to work. If that’s not happening, take frequent walk breaks at work to get in some light cardio.
• Science says that exercise increases energy, so just start moving.
• Invest in home exercise equipment; binge and bike simultaneously!
• Science also says that exercise helps prevent and reduce body aches, so find exercises to combat the pain.

For the less motivated people, find a friend for accountability, join a gym, and/or join a sports team! Make exercise fun so it doesn’t feel like a chore!

4. Go with the Flow

Hydrate! The body is a machine and needs lubrication to function smoothly. Drink at least 8 cups a day, but more when exercising.

Why? Proper water intake increases energy, prevents injury, body cramps, and headache, and promotes a healthy body weight.

Drink up! Tips for hydrating properly include:

• choose water over sugary drinks
• always carry a water bottle
• take sips of water between bites of food during meals

Balance Beats Temptation

As mentioned before, balance is key. Knock out temptation with a little compromise and a lot of enjoyment. For more ideas on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the face of temptation, visit Skinny Fat Guy!