Becoming happier, healthier and fitter doesn’t have to involve anything drastic like a total cleanse or detox. Many people set up big, unrealistic goals and then stop when they get to the first hurdle. When you make one small change at a time, you can stay on track to have your fittest year ever.
Whether you want to lose weight, increase your level of fitness, focus on improving your mental health, work on cultivating a more positive body image, or you just want to eat a few more vegetables, you can make all of these changes by taking one step at a time. By using one or a few of the listed ideas to meet your health goals, you will get on your way to living a healthier lifestyle.
1Set Smaller Goals
It might become tempting to set a gargantuan goal such as “lose 100 lbs”. You may very well have 100 pounds to lose. But you will learn that it is far easier to set a smaller goal such as “run a 10k” rather than “run the Boston Marathon” or “eat more whole foods” rather than “lose 100 lbs”.
2Take the Stairs
Yes, you might have known that this little nugget of wisdom would get on the list. The reason why taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work reached this list is that it’s easy to do. You don’t have to drive five miles to the gym. You don’t have to squish into your Lululemon pants. All you will have to do is take the stairs whenever the opportunity presents itself.
3Start Walking
Try walking to work instead of taking the bus on nice weather days. If you live too far from your job and you take public transportation, get off two stops earlier than you normally would and walk the rest of the way. Those who drive to work can park their car as far away from their work location as possible and walk the remainder of the way.
4Drink Those Greens
A lot of people find it difficult to get the recommended amount of vegetables into their daily diet. You can get your vegetables easily by making a green smoothie every day before you head off to work. To make a green smoothie, put in a green vegetable like kale or spinach and add some of your favorite fruits like strawberries, bananas, or blueberries.
5Make the Most of TV Commercial breaks
At this point, you will have seen certain commercials hundreds of times. Instead of staring at a commercial you have seen hundreds of times, try exercising when your favorite television show takes a break. If your entire family watches television with you, get them to workout with you, too.
One workout you can get in during a commercial break: o 5 Squats o 5 Push Ups o 5 Lunges (on each leg) o 5 Sit-ups o 5 Tricep Dips o 5 Bicep Curls on each arm o 5 Jumping Jacks
6Incorporate Healthy Meals Into Your Diet
When you decide that you will start eating healthy, your life will not get more comfortable. Work will still act as a pain; your spouse may become a drag, your kids may want pizza for dinner. The day will come where you will not want to stand over a hot stove for an hour cooking a meal.
People who value convenience can order prepackaged meals from companies for men such as Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig. The meals come in healthy portion sizes, so you won’t have to worry about eating too much at one sitting. These prepackaged meals often get created by certified chefs, so they taste a lot better than the microwave meals you used to get at your local convenience store. These companies also offer competitive pricing for new customers, so check back often for specials.
7Enjoy Exercise
Not everyone likes to run, hike, or swim. Exercise doesn’t have to operate as an onerous force in your life. If you find a physical activity like yoga or walking that you like to do, then doing this form of exercise will make it more likely that you will stick to it. To live a healthy lifestyle, it becomes more important that you move in some way every day than the method that you choose to move your body.
8Eat the Correct Portions
Have you ever had anyone show you the proper portion of pasta? If you have, then you know that the portions that we often get served in restaurants are way too big. If you don’t want to make major changes to your diet, then start with changing the portion sizes of the food that you will eat.
9Sleep It Off
Most of us need minimum 8 hours of sleep at night. That’s need, not want. There’s a reason why we need a sufficient amount of rest. Sleep improves stress, reduces inflammation, and allows cells to re-charge and repair themselves. It also keeps us functioning at our optimum levels both mentally and physically.
10Be kind to your body
You should have a nutritionist to guide you with your food habits if you really want to appreciate your body. Having the body you want begins with loving the one you already have. So watch what you eat and know when you should eat. Having a healthy diet is being kind to your body.
