For most people who live in and around a city, it can be hard to stick to your diet and stay active and healthy. Glasgow City Centre has a buzzing atmosphere at night, and has many restaurants and bars that can be so tempting after a hard days work.
There is also a fantastic transport system. This is great, however it can make the desire to walk places low (especially in the cold!).
I have written this article to give you my tips and tricks to stay healthy whilst living in Glasgow.
About Me
Just a bit about background to me, I grew up in the suburbs of Edinburgh in a beautiful area. I was just a short walk away from a canal and many different hills. This made it so easy for me to go out for a walk or jog when I needed to. So for me growing up, it was fairly easy to keep active. My mum is an amazing cook and she always cooked us healthy meals, so I had no problem with that either.
Since moving to Glasgow City Centre and living by myself, I have had to acquire some skills to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For me, cooking and keeping my nutrition good is one of the hardest things.
Food Prep
If you work long or strange hours, food prep is very useful. It’s a tedious job and no one enjoys doing it, but it can make the difference for your healthy in the long run.
An easy way to do it is to bulk cook your dinner and have the leftovers for lunches. Even just making your sandwiches for the week and cut up some veggies in a box the night before.
Ensure you really jam pack the sandwich with nutritious food, this will make it tasty and filling.
If you don’t have time to do this, try and pick healthy places to eat out.
Some good options are:
- Prep Fitness Kitchen on Bath Street
- Kcal Kitchen on West Regent Street
- Marthas on St Vincent Street
Walking
Try to walk from place to place. Even just taking a 15 minute break at lunch time to go for a walk around the city. Try to switch your mind off and focus on your surroundings. You will be shocked at the things around you that you’ve never noticed before.
If you live near Kelvingrove Park, take a walk around there and stop by the art gallery. This will help you to really switch your mind off from work and relax.
In Glasgow I do not have a car. As I live in Finnieston this has lead me to taking at least 15,000 steps every day as I walk everywhere. I have noticed a huge difference in my CV fitness, and I generally feel more energetic and focussed day by day.
Eating Out
This is a big one, as some people will stick to their diet and exercise all week and then they will ruin it on the weekend.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely fine to go out and enjoy yourself with your friends and family on the weekend, but it’s important to be aware of food and ways you can make healthy choices.
- Pick lean meat: try to choose options like chicken, fish, turkey, lean beef or pork.
- Get the dressing on the side. The dressings on salads or other dishes can be very high calorie, and therefore it is important to know how much of these you are consuming. Take caesar dressing for example, there is 100 kcal per 2 tbsp. That’s a huge amount for such a small serving, so be aware of the calorie content of dressings like this and ensure you know how much you’re consuming.
- Save calories. If you know you’re going out on the Saturday then eat 100 calories less from Monday to Friday. That will not seem like much day to day, but by Saturday you’ve saved 500 calories extra to add to your meal. This way you can indulge (to an extent) and have a tasty meal and know you were within your weekly calories.
Join a Gym
If you work or live near a gym, give it a go. Book yourself into some classes and your ready to go. There are many gyms in and around Glasgow, so you will definitely be able to find one near you.
This will give you the extra motivation to you, as you’ve booked yourself in. Find certain slots within your week where you can fit the gym in, and ensure you stick to these times.
Go and Do it!
Try and take these tips away with you and give them a go. I know from experience that it can be hard to stay active and healthy in Glasgow, but if you are motivated and set your mind to it then you can definitely do it.
