8 easy everyday health tips that I've learnt from bodybuilding

As many of you have read by now, I’m a competitive Body Builder in my spare time. This is a passion I’ve picked up over the years and something I genuinely love. It’s however not easy to incorporate around my day to day life, small things like family gatherings, birthdays, holidays, work, home, life… they all present their roadblocks during my strict training leading into a show. My mindset is very important during this time and I very much a develop a “I’ll do whatever it takes” attitude in every aspect of my prep. Often this involves being a little creative in the way that approach daily activities/tasks in order to make my life easier on myself in the long run and ensure that I stay on track towards my end goal. I’d like to share with you some everyday health tricks and tips I’ve learned along the way that will help you stay on target - and are really easy to action for anyone!

	The Early bird gets the gains In the past I’d never really been an ‘early bird’ as such, but having now gotten used to training first thing in the morning I’m definitely converted! Let’s be honest, raise your hand if after a long day at work, going to the gym is the last thing in the world you feel like doing? raises hand, yeah I thought as much! Training first thing in the morning means you have no excuses and no matter what else happens during the day, your gym session is done. It’s also a great way to start the morning with a bang!
	Meal prep in advance Especially if you know you have a big/busy/early morning coming up, get your lunch and snacks sorted the night before. If everything’s ready to go then all you’ll have to do is grab your pre-made containers and be on your way. This not only saves you time, but also means that you’ll stick to your food plan out of sheer convenience of having it ready to go! Plus, that’ a little extra sleep you can get in the morning, so win-win right??
	Carry a water bottle Did you know that drinking enough water can promote weight loss, increase your immune system, and increase your energy? Plus so much more, so drink up! Water is such an important element to your goals and general health and well being, everywhere I go I carry around a 1 litre water bottle with me so that I know how much I’ve drunk and can stay easily stay hydrated.
	Get your Zzz’s If nutrition is the most important aspect to your health/fitness goals (which it is) then sleep certainly comes in second place! After all, this is time we give our body to recover from our day, Sleep is also involved in the healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.
	Take baby steps Approach your new health kick with small changes - maybe walk/cycle to work instead of drive, swap out your morning bacon and egg breakfast for some yoghurt, fruit and muesli. The key to forming healthy habits that stick is to make small changes bit by bit until they become second nature and a part of your everyday, then use that foundation to keep improving.
	Stockpile healthy snacks We all get those 3.30pm munchies, so make sure you have an adequate supply of healthy snacks readily available. This will make the healthy option so much more accessible and you’ll be less likely to go on the hunt for those salty snacks. A few favourites of mine include, almonds, brown rice crackers, fruit and greek yoghurt - these are all super easy to grab on the go too so no excuses to not stick to the diet. Check out our previous article here on some other easy healthy snack ideas!
	Family Favourites Let’s be honest, having the family on board your new diet certainly makes things easier. What are their favourite foods and meals? Find healthy variations of these that fit into your goals and win them over, you’ll be surprised how quickly they come on board. I was once at a BBQ where the host made a healthy lasagne out of eggplant - delicious!! There’s almost no limit to the small healthy changes you can make to your family’s favourite dishes
	Plan for leftovers Make life easy for yourself and cook in bulk! This also falls under my point about meal prepping in advance really, I’ll often cook up a storm on a Sunday afternoon which leaves my food all sorted until at least Wednesday. Throw the leftovers in the fridge/freezer and grab them as you need, the same goes for shopping with food - save yourself the time and buy in bulk!

So there you have it, some of these may seem a little obvious but you’ll be surprised the difference it makes when you consciously incorporate them into your day. Do you have any daily tricks that you use that weren’t included here? Comment below and share them with our community! Until Next time, ask yourself if what you're doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow! Matt

8 easy everyday health tips that I've learnt from bodybuilding

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