Maintaining Good Health
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Once you have cleansed your body it is important to maintain your good health. If you go back to any bad eating habits you had before completing the program, you will eventually put the weight you lost back on and disrupt your digestive system again.
The good news is the Neera™ Natural Detox & Cleansing Lifestyle Plan is an outstanding diet for breaking old eating habits and resetting your body, so that you can launch into a new, healthier lifestyle. Many people tell us that after completing the program they don’t want sweets or that they have lost their craving for sugars, caffeine or tobacco.
Healthy Diet
What is a healthy diet? There are many seemingly conflicting ideas about it, but there is a growing consensus that, first, a healthy diet should contain a wide variety of foods, because of their different nutritional contributions.
Second, according to the UC Berkeley Foundations of Wellness Center, foods that are high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low fat and cholesterol free should make up the bulk of your diet. These are things like fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. The rest of your calories should come from low-fat dairy products, lean meat and poultry, and fish.
Third, don’t eat more food than your body can utilize. That sounds oversimplified, but it’s true. The more calories you burn, the more you can consume without gaining weight. Try to live an active lifestyle.
For more specific guidelines for a healthy diet see UC Berkeley’s Foundations of Wellness news page at http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/fw/fwNut01HealthyDiet.html
Exercise
Regular workouts at a gym are great, but you don’t need to join a gym to stay fit. Many fitness routines can be done without spending a lot of money or buying expensive equipment. Start by walking or riding a bike. Both offer a great way to burn calories, build a healthy heart, keep your muscles and joints working, and both will even get you from point A to point B, cutting back on your use of gasoline and making you healthier at the same time!
Make an effort to walk as much and as often as possible. Skip elevators and take the stairs. Park your car farther from the store entrance. Leave your car at home altogether and do your errands that are nearby on foot. Socialize with your friends by hiking together or strolling through a park.
Instead of sitting while you read or watch tv, get on a treadmill – or if you don’t have one, walk/run in place or on a mini-trampoline or a mat.
The best advice is to THINK before you sit. How can you do your everyday activities in a more healthy way? Work an exercise routine into your daily activities and you won’t have to make more time for it.
Emotional Eating
Often, our strongest food cravings come when we are emotionally weak. We turn to food for comfort, relief from stress, or just because of boredom. This type of eating can sabotage any weight-loss program you may have.
Although negative emotions can trigger emotional eating, you can take steps to control these cravings. Try to relieve your stress through exercise, yoga or meditation. Ask yourself if your hunger is physical or emotional. If you truly ARE hungry, just eat a little and give your body a chance to feel full. If you’re eating out of boredom, try distracting yourself by chatting with a friend, reading, taking a walk or watching a movie.
You may want to keep a food diary to see what patterns might emerge that could reveal the connection between mood and food. Get support along the way, by joining a support group, or asking your friends/family to help.
Don’t deprive yourself of the things you love, but try to eat smaller amounts. Listen to your body and eat those things that are healthy when you’re hungry. Have a piece of fruit instead of a bag of chips; choose vegetables over sweets. Keep your home stocked with healthy food, rather than the things that aren’t good for you.
Getting enough sleep will also help. When you are tired, you’re more easily prone to stress and emotions, which could lead you to over-eat.