It’s the first full week back to work for most and time to get back to a routine and kick-start or return to our healthy lifestyle regime!

Whether this is all new for you or you’re just in need of some inspiration then here are some tips to ease yourself in: -

1. Enjoy the exercise - don’t take up weight lifting if it’s not your cup of tea. If you like team sports, join a club or if you prefer to exercise solo then go for a run. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise per day.

2. Eat your greens - make sure you try and eat 8 portions of vegetables and 2 portions of fruit per day. It should take up to 50% of your meal plate. The reason fruit is lower is because it contains more sugar than vegetables and excess sugar stores as fat in the body.

3. Don’t diet! Diets are the worst thing you can do as they are not sustainable and can lead to binging on sugary snacks and possibly slipping back to old habits. Stick to eating healthy most of the time allowing yourself the odd treat making it manageable and easy to stick to!

4. Count your calories - it’s important to know calories in vs calories out to prevent from overeating leading to weight gain. An easy way to track this is by using myfitnesspal. I must admit, it can be very time consuming but once you have an idea of how many calories are in what (food and drink) and you are confident that you aren’t consuming more than you are burning then you don’t need to use it everyday.

5. Don’t stress - miss a workout at the gym? Workout at home or make up for it another day because there are OTHER DAYS! This also applies to eating - if you eat a pizza one day so what? Life is about living and enjoying yourself. As long as it’s not everyday it’s fine and if you feel that bad then workout the next day.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is all about moderation. I exercise everyday even if it's just walking the dog and I eat well most of the time but I don’t restrict myself from anything (apart from dry January). I love a burger and I love a G&T even more but I know they are treats and it’s important to recognise that and not treat (excuse the pun) them as an everyday occurrence. Stick by the 80/20 rule - 80% healthy 20% indulge and you should then lead a happy & healthy life! For more on the 80/20 rule check out a blog post written by Max Lowery https://2mealday.com/article/t....