Summer time is here and everyone wants to get out and enjoy the sunshine. Some people may even be considering enrolling in a sports camp to make memories and friends during the warmer months of the year. However before enrolling, many individuals may desire to improve their level of fitness in order to get the most out of such an experience.
Though most people will try one of the dozen or so fitness products advertised on television daily, the results are often less than ideal. Even with all the modern diets that seem to pop up constantly in this day and age, there is still no substitute for solid fundamentals when it comes to staying healthy.
Of course most of this is common knowledge, but eating right can be easier said than done. Luckily there are a few tricks you can use to tame even the most unruly sweet tooth and to calm even the most unrelenting late-night cravings. Applying this knowledge can lead to better health and be especially valuable during athletic activities and sports camps. Here are eight tips you can use to eat right and stay healthy.
#1 Be Creative
One quick visit to a health website will provide information as to the types of foods you should (and shouldn’t) be eating. But the health pyramid can often seem bland and uninspiring. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. A number of interesting and creative recipes that can make eating healthy a tasty and fun endeavor.
If you aren’t particularly savvy in the kitchen or if you don’t have the finances to by a specific package of health meals, a number of relatively simply but healthy dishes can be created from the ingredients commonly found in most kitchens. You can get recipes from a number of sources, including:
- Cook Books
- Health Websites
- Health Apps
Don’t forget that if you decide to visit a sports camp this summer, the staff may also have a wide variety of healthy recipes for you to try out!
#2 Be Versatile
After finding a few healthy recipes that you enjoy, it’s important to keep things fresh by adapting your diet in subtle ways to avoid monotony. Even healthy dishes can create a tedious diet if you eat the same thing too often. This is why it’s important to try new recipes and to modify existing recipes periodically in order to keep your diet fun and interesting.
Eating healthy is often more of an experimentation process than a plan to be followed verbatim. By making small, healthy, adaptations to existing diet plans or trying new healthy meals every week, you can expand your knowledge of nutrition meals and thus make eating healthy a much easier process. This experimentation process can also give you more meal ideas to suggest to others at athletic outings and sports camps. This can serve as a convenient “icebreaker” that can help you make long-term friends during these outings.
#3 Choose Wisely
Given the large amount of unhealthy food served at modern restaurants, it can be easy to assume that committing to a healthy diet means isolating oneself at home and only eating plain vegetables and oatmeal. This can be especially problematic for sociable individuals who enjoy dining out with friends and family members.
However given the recent health craze, many restaurants have adapted their menus to be more applicable to health-minded individuals. Almost all restaurants offer an increased amount of nutritional information concerning their meals, and some restaurants even dedicate entire sections of their menus to healthy choices.
#4 Treat Yourself
Staying healthy by eating right is sometimes mistakenly viewed as a chore rather than a lifestyle. But adhering to a healthy diet is something that can sometimes become a bit monotonous after a while. This is especially true for those who have recently adapted to a healthy lifestyle. Even after seeing positive results, it can sometimes be hard to ignore our cravings for less-than-healthy foods.
However it is perfectly fine to reward oneself for making healthy choices in terms of eating habits. Allowing one “cheat meal” a week or even one soft drink or scoop of ice cream per day can give a struggling dieter something to look forward to, and thus make a healthy diet much easier to adapt to. Also remember that treats can be healthy as well! Bring a healthy treat or two to snack on and share with teammates at sports camp.
#5 Portion Size
One of the biggest problems some individuals face is overeating during meals. Poppy Carpenter, a journalist at Demand Media, has written about the numerous health benefits that can be achieved simply through reducing portion size. While some believe that this can help boost metabolism, research suggests that this is more of a myth than a scientific fact. However there are numerous other reasons to be mindful of portion size when dieting.
The main reason portion size plays a large role in a healthy diet is that it stops individuals from overeating, and allows them to eat more often. This removes the notion that one is “starving themselves” in order to be healthy. It also allows for a fuller feeling throughout the day which can reduce urges to snack in between meals.
#6 Hydrate Properly
It’s easy to think that eating healthy is all about choosing the right foods, in the right sizes, at the right time. Admittedly, this is the biggest part of a healthy diet. However one aspect that is often overlooked is proper hydration. Drinking enough water each day is vital to proper health. Water has numerous health benefits and should be consumed regularly.
For those who still crave the sweet taste of soft drinks without the calories and sugar, a number of alternatives exist. These are by no means substitutes for water, but they can be drank sparingly to provide a tastier hydration alternative. Some of these alternatives include:
- Sports drinks – You’ll likely see a lot of these in the gym and at sports camps.
- Vitamin Water – A solid choice available in most major retailers and grocery stores.
- Flavor Pouches – Flavored powder which can be added to water for flavor.
#7 Use Supplements
Even the most complete diet can sometimes fail to provide the daily recommended doses of specific vitamins and minerals. In order to combat this issue, health-conscious individuals should utilize supplements to ensure they get the nutrients their body requires. Many great multivitamins can be purchased from the local health store or the health section of most retailers. Bring your supplements to sports camp to ensure you get the nutrients required for optimal sports performance.
#8 Complete the Lifestyle
Eating healthy is a major part of a healthy lifestyle. However to achieve a truly optimal level of physical fitness, it is important to adopt other behaviors that synergize well with proper nutrition. Of course exercise is an obvious step to achieving better health. Those who have the time can also sign up for a gym membership, enroll in a local fitness class, or of course if they enjoy their stay during the summer, they can attend a longer sports camp.