Myths Associated With a Healthy Lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle is not an unachievable goal. And yet many people are quick to talk about reasons they cannot live a healthy life. But the fact of the matter is, many of these reasons, or excuses, are myths associated with a healthy lifestyle. In fact, many of the excuses people use as reasons not to be healthy are actually detrimental to a healthy lifestyle. Dismiss these myths and find out quite how easy it is to lead a healthy lifestyle.

I Can’t Eat Carbs

Carbs, as carbohydrates are commonly referred to, are often seen as the enemy of a healthy lifestyle, especially since the rise of the Atkins diet which cuts them out altogether. But it is a myth that you cannot eat healthily if you eat carbohydrates and, furthermore, carbohydrates are needed to eat a balanced diet, which is essential for a healthy lifestyle.

It is true that carbohydrates are full of calories – but this is not, in itself, a bad thing. They are energy food and everyone needs energy to live – even more so if you are embarking upon an exercise regime. There are better carbohydrates which you can eat if you are intent on regulating your diet and these are what are known as complex carbohydrates – things such as whole wheat pasta and bread. They break down more slowly, meaning that you feel more full for longer and energy is released at a very steady rate into your body.

I Can’t Let my Hair Down

Everything in moderation is key. You can live a healthy lifestyle without worrying about getting up at 5am every morning for a 5km job before work. Likewise, you can go out for meals with friends or enjoy a glass of wine without feeling guilty. Because abstinence from these things is likely to make you feel resentful, you are actually more likely to fall off your programme if you cut them out altogether. Therefore, it is far better to practise moderation – exercise for at least three times a week for 30 minutes at a time – but do not beat yourself up if you are not in the gym every day.

It’s Expensive

A healthy lifestyle does not have to be expensive. This is such a common cry from people who simply cannot be bothered to change their lifestyle. They complain that gym membership is expensive, that good food costs a lot of money and that they would need to buy expensive gadgets such as scales and pedometers. But none of this is true.

A gym membership might be expensive but jogging does not cost a penny if you use your local parks. Similarly, joining a local sports club does not costs the earth and will provide you with several sessions a week. Good food certainly does not cost a lot – not when compared with processed rubbish. Fruit and vegetables can be picked up cheaply from markets and greengrocers and when you have lots of raw ingredients, you will make far more than one meal from them. As for gadgets, they are absolutely not needed. A cheap pair of bathrooms scales so you can monitor your programme are absolutely sufficient.

So, as you can see from these select examples, healthy lifestyles are not out of reach and the myths associated with them are exactly that – myths. It is not difficult to live healthily – people have been doing it for centuries and it is only our modern lifestyle which has changed things. But take your healthy lifestyle back to basics and you will find it is, in actual fact, rather easy.