Not everyone is ready to change their lifestyle all at once. Some don’t feel fit enough to actually start a full exercise program, while others find it intimidating change to healthy eating habits and working out regularly all at once. You can take small steps to a healthier lifestyle, much like dipping your foot in the lake before you dive into it. Every healthy change you make improves your health and they all add up to a healthier lifestyle. In fact, sometimes, making small changes until they become a habit is the easiest and best way to start a healthier lifestyle.
Get more exercise.
You don’t have to start a full fledged exercise program to start seeing changes. Just vow to move more. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further from the store. Every hour get up and move five-minutes. Take a ten-minute walk three times a day. You can start with a short walk and increase your speed as you progress, measuring your distance at the five-minute mark, then turning around and going home. Either opt for longer walks or more distance in a short time. Take a break three times a day and do a few exercises. Vary the exercises to work different muscles.
Chew your food more.
Just chewing your food longer could actually help you lose weight, while also improving your digestion. Why? The answer is simple. It takes a while for your stomach to contact the brain to tell it you’re full. When you eat slower, your brain gets the message before you’ve eaten too much, so you stop sooner. Your mouth is also an important part of the digestive process, so more takes place in your mouth, giving the rest of your digestive system a bit of a break. A new process, called mindful eating, where you focus on each bite, it’s flavor and the texture, has proven to help weight loss. Is it the focus on food that does it, or the fact it takes you longer to eat?
Cut out products with added sugar.
Cutting out products with added sugar may seem like a small step, but it’s really, really hard and one of the best steps you can take to improve your health. Read labels before you buy and simply avoid those with added sugar. There are as many as 56 different names for sugar, such as fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltose or sucrose, and they’re in most processed food. If you find you want something sweet, switch to fresh fruit or unsweetened applesauce.
- Drink more water. Dehydration can be a problem for many people, so cut your weight in half and drink at least one ounce of water for pound. Drinking water before a meal will help you eat less, too.
- Try intermittent fasting. You can do it by reducing your eating time to eight hours, fasting the other 16. Start eating later, say 10 am. and eat your last meal or snack at 6 pm. Studies show it can help weight loss.
- Take a quiet time for yourself to get mental relaxation. Taking a break from the world for five to ten minutes, while you meditate, relax, do deep breathing or just clear your mind, can help reduce stress.
- Add more vegetables to your plate each meal and make one day a week meatless. Having a meatless Monday, or other day, can save you money, improve digestion and improve the absorption of nutrients.
For more information, contact us today at 180 Fitness