How to get active, embrace veg and kick harmful habits in just 14 days - Mirror Online, Mirror

Rounding off the Sunday Mirror’s 14 – day guide to getting happy , NHS GP and lifestyle medicine expert, Dr Sonal Shah, has devised Sunday Mirror readers a week of exclusive straight forward nutrition and movement tweaks to transform your body and mood for good …

(Monday)

Trolley dash

It’s easy to fall into the same routines when it comes to food. You pack the same lunches, eat the same dinners.

Today, it’s time to turn meal planning on its head.

Instead of writing a list, go to the supermarket and shop the rainbow.

Fill your trolley with as many different colors of veg as you can, then come home and research simple recipes for using them up.

That way, you inject excitement into dinner, as well as giving the vital and varied nutrition your gut – and its good bacteria – needs to stay healthy.

Chickpeas are an excellent source of fiber(Image: Getty)

Tuesday

Get moving

You don’t need to do an hour in the gym every day to reap the benefits of exercise. Having “exercise snacks” has been proven to be extremely beneficial.

These little nuggets of movement across the day and week need only be a minute long, but ideally add up to 150 minutes of moderate exercise – increasing your breathing rate without getting out of breath – over seven days.

Get to it:Try to tick off as many of these as you can. You can use the free My Fitness Pal app to log all your movement so you don’t have to keep a tally.

In the kitchen: As many squats as you can while the kettle is boiling
In the bathroom: Hop on the spot whilst brushing your teeth
Out and about: Ditch escalators and lifts, parking as far away from the doors as possible
At your desk: Three sets of 10 xLeg extensions (it’ll take about two mins)
When you have 15 minutes: Come out of your house and run as fast as you can. See how far you can go. Take a two minutes pause, repeat and see if you can go one house further. Repeat 3-5 times.

Wednesday

Nutrition tuition

Imagine your body is a car. For it to run as fast as possible, you need to put the high performance fuel into it. Your body needs a blend of vitamins and minerals to run in tip-top condition.

You also need phytochemicals to combat damage at a cellular level.

Today is when Monday’s rainbow food shop comes into play. Veg are high in phytonutrients and have the power to undo the damage and inflammation caused by eating overly processed food.

When you’re in charge of a family fitness can slip off the radar(Image: www.sophielebrozec.com)

The midweek slump is hitting but stay strong and fill up your bowl with as many vegetables, legumes and beans as you can.

Food swap:Swap that elevensies chocolate bar for sugarsnap peas, high in fiber, with a great crunch.

Exercise to try:Ditch the office and set up a walking meeting today. Walk and talk through a meeting for 30 minutes.

Fact:Sedentary behavior is the fourth leading cause of mortality worldwide.

Thursday

Early bird

Avoid eating big, processed meals late at night and have your dinner by 7pm.

Eating later, especially when your tea has lots of stodgy carbs, causes more blood to flow to the gut and stops you falling asleep easily.

Eating bread late at night is a no-no(Image: Getty)

If collecting the kids or running around after work and school makes an early dinner impossible tonight, try switching your big meal to lunchtime to give your body time to digest. Set up optimum conditions for a good night’s sleep.

The science bit: When you eat a meal, your energy is diverted into processing food and that raises your body temperature . In order to sleep, your core temperature needs to drop by around two degrees.

The sleep hormone melatonin is at its highest between 8-9pm. Having caffeine and big dinners around that time interferes with these natural sleep signals.

Friday

Fiber Funday

(Most of us don’t get our 25 – 30 g of fiber a day (that’s about two Weetabix). But we need fiber for essential functions. It keeps your gut microbes happy and helps you sleep.

Too much can causeIBSin some people, but the majority function well on a diet high in fiber.

Find it in wholegrains, chickpeas, beans and avocados. Add at least two types to meals today to get started. Try fermented food such as sour dough and kefir, which feed good gut bacteria.

Tabbouleh salad with quinoa, parsley and vegetables is a healthy lunch option(Image: Getty)

Did you know?

Up to 90 per cent of serotonin, our happy hormone, is produced in the gut.

So if you’re suffering with depression and anxiety, improve your nutrition. You’ll see a lift in mood in two weeks.

Get friend-fit:Start a WhatsApp group with friends and set daily movement challenges. Studies show being accountable to others boosts your chances of weight loss.

Saturday

Step, step, glide

Make exercise easy by taking up a hobby that introduces movement in a fun way. Weaving exercise into your life makes this plan sustainable in the long term.

Have you tried

Salsa, ballroom, jive or Zumba. Visit nhs.uk/live-well

Choir – you’ll be on your feet, engaging your core muscles and making new friends. Visit bigbigsing.org to find your local.

Gardening – it will get you moving , tone your arms and bum and beautify your outdoor space.

Get silly with your kids. Climb the monkey bars too. Take them swimming and don’t watch from the guidelines – chuck in some dive sticks (£ 9. 99 for pack of three Zoggs, Amazon) and challenge them to retrieve the most.

Healthy vegan lunch bowl salad(Image: Getty)

Sunday

Cleanse

Limit the amount of meat, especially processed, you’re eating by having a meat-free day. Use plant-based alternatives such as quinoa, bulgur wheat and legumes like butter beans.

You can also limit meat to when you eat out.

Try Meat Free Mondays (follow @meatfreemonday onInstagramfor oodles of inspiration).

Today is a good day to reflect on the changes you’ve made over the past fortnight.

With exercise, remember to move SMART – useSpecifics, set goals usingMeasurable quantities, make the exercise practical and (A) chievable, beRealistic about whether you can physically do it, and be clear on theTimeframe, for instance try to get to three reps of 20 x squats, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and increase the reps over the next four weeks.