Through my blog, I attempt to share easy ways to take small steps and make simple, sustainable changes to your eating, drinking and exercising habits. Once you've turned one or two into a habit you can add one or two more and make huge strides towards your health goals with little conscious effort.
Easy Changes to Your Eating Habits
Eat a small apple or pear BEFORE your lunch every day. It will take the edge off your appetite and get your digestion process kicked off with some fluid and fiber while it contributes to hitting your five-a-day goal.
Go vegetarian one night a week. Most nutritionists agree that we eat more meat than we need to. Have an animal-free dinner once a week - it's a great opportunity to try out some new recipes that are packed with vegetables and flavors. You'll also save yourself a little money. I started my own journey by aiming to not eat animal 3 days per week. For me that means no meat, no fowl, and no fish. That started me on a search for recipes that has become so much fun that I am now mostly a vegetarian. I do consume some dairy (primarily cheese and yogurt), eggs, and I have occasional seafood.
Switch to whole grains. There are a number of opportunities to switch to whole wheat or whole grains. Switch the bread on your sandwich, check the content on your cereal, change out your pasta and rice. Look for 100% whole wheat or whole grain. You have to read the ingredients carefully on this one. Try to find as many of those products that are 100% - not just a blend. You can't go by the name or labeling of the product, they can be deceiving.
Switch to skim milk (1% or less). Do you drink whole milk or put it on cereal? It might seem odd for the first few days, but stick with it for a week; your taste buds will quickly adjust. You will be getting just as much calcium and protein as before.
Keep a bottle of water on your desk. It is easy to mistake slight thirst for hunger, leading to unnecessary snacking.
Avoid milky drinks from coffee outlets. Do you have a giant latte every morning? You could be clocking up over 300 calories and chances are, it doesn't fill you up at all. And think of all the money you can save - for many regular drinkers it could pay for the gym membership and fund a cool pair of sneakers.
Easy changes to Your Exercise Habits
Go for a twenty minute walk every lunchtime. If you are struggling to fit exercise into your day, get away from your desk for a twenty-minute walk each lunch time. It's a good way to force yourself to take a break from work, and refreshes your mind and your body,.
Take a fitness class once a week. Wherever you live or work, chances are that you can find a convenient exercise class somewhere nearby. Find one class you can do, once a week - and stick with it.
Make Sunday afternoons active. As Monday looms ever closer, you may find that your mood and energy levels plummet. A great way to counter this is to do something active on Sunday afternoons. Mix this up from week to week. Have some family play time in the park. Go skating with a friend or partner. Take a long walk.
Exercise during commercial breaks. Whenever you are watching television, get up off the sofa during commercials and do some exercise. Fit in a few stretches; some jogging in place; or lift some dumbbells (you can keep some dumbbells under the sofa so they are conveniently ready to grab). You might only fit in a few minutes at a time, but over the course of an evening's TV viewing that could easily add up to half an hour and it stops you from grabbing yet another snack.
You don't have to do all of these at one time. Pick one that seems easy for you and turn it into a habit. Then pick another, and so on, and so on. Two months down the road you will have a lot of good, productive, sustainable habits without dramatic sacrifice.
