Brought to you by Centra’s Live Well Campaign supporting the Irish Cancer Society’s Action Breast Cancer.
It doesn’t have to cost you the earth.
We all know we should look after ourselves better. A few simple adjustments to our daily lives can make all the difference to our health and also to our pockets.
This October we will be supporting breast cancer awareness month and encouraging our readers to get active and get fit this autumn.
The two biggest ways to reduce your risk of breast cancer are being a healthy weight and being physically active. So with that in mind here are some tips for doing it on the cheap.
Take a daily walk
Going for a walk once a day is the easiest way to slip a bit of exercise into your routine. Grab a friend after work and instead of nattering over a cup of tea get outdoors and go for a nice stroll.
If you want to set yourselves a challenge, Centra along with The Irish Cancer Society’s Action Breast Cancer will be holding over 200 walks around Ireland on 15 October to raise funds and awareness. You can sign up for the event here.
Meal plan and buy in bulk
Buying in bulk is one of the easiest ways to save a bit of money and also make sure you don’t buy a mountain of chocolate on your way home from work after a bad day (although that is allowed every once in a while).
Knowing you have food in the cupboards and a meal plan in place will help you stick to a healthier diet and save you money along the way. Once you get into the habbit of doing one big shop every week it will get a lot easier.
Cut out junk food
All those takeaways soon add up and put pressure on your purse strings not to mention your waistband. Takeaways are great for a treat every once in a while, but cooking from home will save you lots of pennies and ensure you know what is going into your food.
Try recreate some of your favourite curry dishes at home or even attempt to make yourself a pizza from scratch. Everything tastes better when you cook it yourself.
Get appy
There are tonnes of fitness apps out there to help you to live well. From pedometer apps such as ‘Walker’ that help you count how many steps you have taken to foodie apps like ‘MyFitnessPal’ that help keep track of your calorie intake. There are also lots of great workout apps like ‘Nike Training Club’ and ‘Emily Skye F.I.T.’ which provide you with quick and easy workouts you can complete from the comfort of your own home.
Drink lots of water
Swap some of your favourite sugary drinks and takeaway coffees for some water. It’s not only cheaper but it’s a lot healthier too. Invest in a good metal or plastic water bottle that you can refill throughout the day and take with you anywhere. You’ll wonder how you ever managed without it before.
Join a free sports club
Joining a sports club in your local area will save you spending lots of money on a fancy gym membership and it is also a great way to meet new people. Most towns have one or two free fitness clubs like a walking group or a basketball team that are open to new members. Ask around in your local area to see what’s on offer.
This article is brought to you by Centra’s Live Well Campaign supporting the Irish Cancer Society’s Action Breast Cancer.
Centra’s Live Well seminars will take place in Cork and Galway on the 15 October at 10am. On this date, Centra will also be hosting over 200 pink walks across the country encouraging healthy living as well as raising much-needed funds. To register head over to www.centra.ie/walk.
You can also support the Irish Cancer Society’s Paint it Pink campaign by holding a pink coffee morning during October. For more information see www.paintitpink.ie
