10 Health Tips For Lazy People

1 : Build exercise into your routine

Many of us think we need to spend hours working up a sweat at the gym to stay fit. However, while intense workouts are beneficial, they can also be extremely off-putting and are not strictly necessary. Research shows that regular daily activity could be more effective than sporadic workouts, so rather than allotting a specific "exercise time" a day, try peppering your day with gentle bits of activity such as taking the stairs instead of the lift, doing the housework, or walking to the shops at lunch.

2 : Make your own ready meals

We all know that eating fresh, homemade produce is good for us, yet many of us are far too tired to be whipping up a culinary masterpiece after a hard day's work. However, rather than falling into the trap of relying on shop bought ready meals which may be lacking in nutritional value, try making your own healthy versions instead. By cooking up healthy meals in large batches at the weekend, you can be sure to have plenty of healthy choices in your freezer for those days when you're too lazy to cook.

3 : Get a pet

If you want big health results without making a big effort, getting a pet could be the way to go. Multiple research studies have shown that pet owners have improved physical and mental health, including lowered blood pressure, better ability to cope with adverse life effects, and lowered stress levels. For those who need encouragement to up their fitness levels, getting a pet dog may also provide you with that push you need to get out and get active.

4 : Exercise while watching TV

Vegging out in front of the TV can be the quickest way to pile on the pounds. However, couch potatoes needn't despair; there are plenty of ways to keep healthy and active in front of the screen. To boost your fitness while watching TV, try squeezing a mini-workout into each commercial break. From situps to skipping or a quick run up and down stairs, there are plenty of ways to introduce activity into your TV-watching schedule. The golden rule is simply to keep moving, with research suggesting that even fidgeting while sitting can burn up to 350 extra calories a day.

5 : Do a crossword puzzle

If you really can't find the energy to put yourself through a workout, take the opportunity instead to work on another area of your body – your brain. Boosting your mental health is just as important as improving your physical wellbeing, and luckily this can be done from the comfort of your couch. Research has found that frequent participation in mentally stimulating activities can reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease, so rather than switching on the TV when you get in from work, give your brain a challenge and reach for a crossword, Sudoku puzzle or book instead.

6 : Have leisurely meals

If there's one instance where being lazy is an advantage, it's when eating your meals. Taking long, leisurely meals – as opposed to eating on the run or multi-tasking – is a great way to look after your digestive system and also help you lose weight. By eating more slowly and focusing on your food, you will enjoy and savor it more and cut the risk of overeating. Also, as it takes 20 minutes for your body to register the feeling of being full, by eating more slowly you will feel full after less.

7 : Order a fruit and veg box

If compiling your own healthy shopping lists feels too much like hard work, save time and energy by letting someone else do the work. Many farms and health food stores now deliver seasonal fruit and veg to local areas on a weekly basis, making it easy to try varied healthy produce without stepping foot out your door. Alternatively, for those who want more and have pennies to spare, several companies now offer the option of having prepared healthy meals delivered direct to your home.

7 : Hit the dance floor

While the idea of a workout fills many with dread, there are plenty of ways to stay fit without it feeling like hard work. If you struggle to get motivated for an organised exercise session, try turning a night out into a workout instead. Hitting the floor for a dance is a great way to get fit, burn calories and tone and strengthen the body. More importantly, unlike with the gym, it provides a fun workout that won't feel like exercise.

8 : Supplement your diet

Keep falling off the healthy eating wagon? Try complementing your diet with a good quality nutritional supplement or "superfood". While it's no substitute for a healthy eating regime, on those days when your good intentions slip by the wayside a good supplement should help tide you over. Try a multi-vitamin complex or a natural "superfood" – such as spirulina, wheatgrass or bee pollen – which is packed with nutrients to help keep your health on track.

9 : Get lots of sleep

While laziness is generally considered to be detrimental to your health, when it comes to sleeping it can actually pay off. Research has found that sleep can help you live longer, boost your memory and reduce stress, while getting less than five hours a night can lead to accidents, weight gain, and increased risk of heart disease. While it's possible to have too much of a good thing, getting a regular eight hour's sleep is a cheap and simple way to boost your health.

Hit the Gym After Finding Out

THOSE MIDDLING MESOMORPHS
WE ALL have friends who seem to be perpetually fit. They visit the gym less often than you and also eat more liberally, yet manage to maintain that hourglass figure or the bulky muscles. Most likely they fall into the category of people called mesomorphs.
EAT THIS: The metabolism of this group is moderate. They put on weight if they remain inactive for a few weeks and lose weight if they workout a little more. Such people should maintain a balanced diet as they can look overweight if they eat too much. A mesomorph diet should contain 30 per cent protein, 40 per cent carbohydrates and 30 per cent healthy fats.
"Eat good amount of protein to build and sustain strong muscles such as tuna, turkey, eggs, salmon, chicken, and whey protein," says Sandhya Gugnani, nutritionist, Ozone – Fitness ' n' Spa.
DO THIS: If you are a mesomorph, you will respond best to weight training and cardio workouts since they will increase your metabolic rate and lead to quicker muscle gain. Do three to five cardio workouts a week at a moderate to fast pace for 30- 45 mins to keep in shape. If you're not interested in getting too muscular, combine yoga and pilates with weights and cardio. Movements, posture and breath control of yoga and pilates provide muscular conditioning in a routine less likely to create a bulky look. Lightto- moderate weight training done 2 to 3 times a week will help enhance tone, not size.

SOFT & ROUND ENDOMORPHS
ENDOMORPHS have round and soft bodies, and their arms and legs are short in length. They find it very easy to gain weight, but a lot of the mass is fat and not muscle. While endomorphs have a harder time than other body types in losing fat, this can be done with some extra effort.
EAT THIS : Your metabolism is sluggish and you put on weight easily. You are sensitive to insulin too. Ideally a diet higher in lean protein than in carbohydrates would suit you the best. Go for lean meats, poultry and fish which are good sources of protein. Eggs, seeds, nuts and legumes are also healthy sources of protein. Go for whole, complex and fibrous carbs such as vegetables, beans, brown rice and oatmeal. Divide your daily diet into 25 per cent carbohydrates, 35 per cent protein and 40 per cent healthy fats. Most importantly, eat healthy fats like olive oil, foods rich in Omega 3 and avocados.
Also, add Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA, which reduces body fat and increases lean body mass, to your diet. CLA is available in pill and tablet.
Natural food sources of CLA are dairy foods such as yogurt, cottage cheese and cheese and eggs.
DO THIS: Since this group of people usually carries extra fat around the lower abdomen, hips and thighs, they need to get onto a programme that burns calories instead of a lot of strength training. Go for low impact cardio workouts like walking or biking every day for at least 45 minutes. Your cardio workouts should generally be done at a moderately intense level. You can include total body weight training routine three times a week to emphasise those glorious curves by adding muscle tone. Perform two sets of weight training per body part with 10- 15 repetitions per set using a moderate to light weight.

LEAN & MEAN ECTOMORPHS
LEAN, lightly muscled and small-shouldered people are called ectomorphs.
They have delicately built bodies and flat chests. Their bones are light and the joints are small, and they find it difficult to gain weight because of a high metabolic rate that burns up calories quickly.
EAT THIS: If you fall into this group, you have a high metabolic rate and use up carbs quickly. So the first diet rule is to have more calories than you burn. So, 55 per cent of your diet should come from carbohydrates, 25 per cent from protein and 20 percent from fat. Try to have smaller and frequent meals every 2 to 3 hours, to keep your energy levels up throughout the day. Ectomorphs have difficulty gaining muscle mass and the chances of muscle breakdown are also higher. So eat a high protein diet with plenty of dairy foods and soya. It's a good idea to eat before and after a workout as this helps in muscle recovery. Lastly, ectomorphs should be careful not to eat junk food just because they won't gain weight.
Also, take multivitamin supplements as they would help in protein absorption and overall functioning of the body.

DO THIS: The goal for a thin body person is to gain tone or muscle mass. Focus on muscle growth through heavy weight training with fewer repetitions ( 4- 6). It will be ideal for ectomorphs to do short heavy workouts to tear down the muscle while preserving as many calories as possible for growth and repair. The weight training session should not exceed 45 minutes and they can do away with the cardio workout to begin with.
Ectos looking for more curves should take up swimming because the water provides resistance and the body will often provide extra fat insulation for skinny bodies that do regular pool workouts.
Resistance training can also help build both muscle tone and bone density, which is important for ecto women, who often have small fragile bones prone to osteoporosis.