English
French
German
Getting healthier can seem like a daunting task. Our busy days make us feel like making any changes are next to impossible!
It’s important to remember that LITTLE STEPS are the basis of the long journey called life. Here are 5 tips that are not only possible for us all, they are guaranteed to make you healthier and happier! Here goes…
1)ADD MORE FRUITS AND VEGGIES!
To rephrase that, when it comes to produce BULK it up!
Look for what is seasonal and buy it in bulk, and eat it in bulk (with few exceptions like higher calories fruits and vegetables like bananas and avocados). Your local wholesale club markets (Costco, Sam’s Club) can have great prices on tons of produce.
At breakfast pile on the berries – they’re lower calorie with a lot of nutritional content. Add all the spinach, mushrooms, broccoli and peppers you want to your omelet.
If you’re traveling or in a rush, most fast food places and markets will have “to go” cups of fruit salads or yogurts with fruit on top you can grab. (I’m often wary of the high sugar yogurts they use for these yogurt cups but if it’s once in a while it’s ok!)
At lunch go for A LOT of veggies as well. This is where salads are great, but you can also add veggies like avocados and tomatoes and hummus (chickpea dip) to any sandwich. If I’m preparing a piece of protein like chicken or fish, I’ll often have a heaping plate of steamed veggies to go with it. Besides all the fiber and nutritional goodness, it helps keep you full later on!
For snacks, always have something easy like an apple, orange or peach to grab. Carrots are also easy on the go and satisfy the urge to “crunch.”
I also keep little baggies of grapes or cut up fruits that are easy to eat when the day is busy! Dried fruits are delicious, but should be eaten sparingly because they usually contain a lot of added sugar and sulfates in processing.
Same idea applies for dinner. The produce should be the BULK of each meal and of your day!
2)CUT OUT THE WHITES!
We all need to MOVE AWAY FROM REFINED CARBS….the “low fat” craze of the past few decades have left us consuming white bread, rice and pasta that are stripped of the goodness.
White foods cause your blood sugar to spike immediately, leading to that dreaded hunger as the spike ends an hour or so later. Your body barely needs to work to break it down, essentially leading to empty caloric intake.
What this can look like in its simplest form is swapping out white bread for whole grain bread, or choosing whole grain pasta or quinoa instead of regular pasta or whit rice.
By the way, what’s the difference between WHOLE WHEAT and WHOLE GRAIN?
This is where people tend to get confused….they’re both a lot better for you than white ANYTHING, but there is a difference.
Whole grain means the entire kernel of the grain is included; from the “bran” to the “endosperm” to the “germ.” Whole wheat means it has undergone a refining process, which removes the bran and germ leaving only the endosperm.
The whole grain also contains all of the fiber, iron and B vitamins that naturally occurrs. The refining process strips away half of the vitamins, calcium, iron and fiber from whole wheat products.
Besides, whole grain has a richer taste and more dense texture than whole wheat. If you’re just starting to eliminate whites, I’d try them both and taste for yourself. If whole grains are still a tough sell for you and your family, then go for whole wheat for now. It’s still a step in the right direction!
3) GET MORE SLEEP!
Our sleep cycle is intricately weaved with our metabolism and mood. Study after study shows that the chronically sleep deprived have higher cortisol levels causing chronic weight gain. We all know that after a poor night’s sleep we are also more likely to overindulge or simply not plan out our meals.
Getting more sleep may or may not be easy for you to do. Try different tactics to find what will work.
For some, it may mean cutting out alcohol during the week. Alcohol may be a depressant, but it disrupts your sleep cycle (you awaken during the night more than once without remembering) and ruins a good night’s sleep.
For others, it’s as simple as setting the intention to go to bed a half hour earlier each night. Start your evening routine a half hour earlier and finish what needs to be done or entertainment you have planned at home earlier.
4) EAT DINNER EARLIER!
I recently ran into an old friend from high school who was very overweight 20 years ago but was unrecognizable to me now he was so thin. When I asked what his secret was, I wasn’t surprised to hear him say “All I did was start going to bed a little hungry every night.”
Some surveys show that Americans may eat up to 50% of their daily calories after 5pm when they’re home at night! That is so detrimental to our general well being.
This can have a huge beneficial impact on your metabolism and your quality of sleep. Try not to eat after 7 pm as a general rule. Of course this can be adjusted if you work night shifts or tend to be a night owl. The idea is to slow your digestion down a few hours before bedtime.
I’m a huge fan of the saying:
“Eat Breakfast like a King,
Lunch like a Queen,
and Dinner like a Pauper”
That is to say, get in almost any element of your diet at breakfast to start off the day right with a revved up metabolism. Lunch can be big but not quite as hefty (this is a great time to pile on the veggies) and dinner should be your smallest meal of the day, helping to prepare your body for sleep.
If you’re following #3 (get more sleep!) it’s easier not to overindulge at night if you’re going to bed earlier and getting out of the kitchen!
5) MOVE MORE!
Move it or lose it! It’s a fact we can’t ignore.
You don’t have to join a gym or spend a lot of money on home workout equipment. Moving more is simpler than that.
Walk instead of taking the car that quarter mile to the store. Take the stairs at work instead of the elevator. Take your dog for an extra walk in the evening or early morning before work. Make some time at your lunch break after eating to walk off your meal. Summer evenings are the best for this too after dinner!
There is no scarcity of fancy gadgets that act as fitness trackers and/or heartbeat monitors out there. Most now will sync to your smartphone to help you track your progress and even “compete” with friends. These aren’t necessary by any means, BUT if a new gadget will motivate you and keep you on track to moving more, then go for it!
And remember, moving more doesn’t necessarily mean building up a sweat for hours. Following a yoga class on YouTube or doing a bunch of strength training exercises at home from a magazine all count. 10 minute bursts of activity here and there add up. A nice leisurely walk in the evening after dinner is my favorite summer add-on activity to end the day!
You don’t have to make all 5 changes at once if this seems daunting. Try one at a time! Then try to incorporate another change each week or two.
Oh, and if you fall off the proverbial wagon here and there, please go easy on yourself. Try not to judge yourself too harshly. Just trying to make a change is the most important step. That’s all we can do!
Our lives are a series of little steps, day by day. Our health is no different. Once you start incorporating these changes and sticking with them, they have a ripple effect. I wish you the best on your journey!
