Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to mean putting yourself on a juice fast and/or becoming a marathon runner. A more realistic way to become health-conscious is to make small changes to your daily routine. Here are a few ideas:
1. Cut out the empty calories. Replace “easy” sugary snacks like a can of soda and a candy bar with something just as simple but nutritious, like a water bottle and a cup of high-protein Greek yogurt.
2. Take the stairs. Sure, even one flight seems daunting after a long day at the office. But try to push yourself to climb the staircase instead of copping out with that relaxing (and ever-so-tempting) ride up the elevator.
3. Go for a walk. If you’re bored and can’t decide how to pass your waking hours, why not stroll through your neighborhood instead of planting yourself in front of the television for the entire afternoon. As a bonus, you’ll not only burn some extra calories, but you’ll also get to know your hometown.
4. Cook more at home. Eating out can add up to a lot of excess calories. When someone else is cooking for you, you can’t know how much oil, cream, and sodium goes into the dish (and usually you’ll get a lot of those when you eat out). When you prepare your own food, you know exactly what goes into it.
5. Notice the colors on your plate. Different nutrients color foods differently, so a rainbow meal means that you’re filling up on all the proper nutrients. Pile on green, orange, and red, and limit yourself on the browns and whites. We’re talking natural colors here, of course… a rainbow-frosted cupcake is not the right choice to stay healthy. :)
6. Limit processed foods. Instead of spending your grocery money on fancy microwavable meals with three thousand ingredients, just keep it simple. Try to make time to prepare food yourself, and stick with ingredients whose names you can recognize (and not from chemistry class).
7. Pile on the veggies. Be sure to incorporate vegetables into all your meals. If you’re eating eggs, add some spinach and onions. If you’re having chicken, add a salad on the side.
8. Eat more protein. Protein keeps you fuller for longer and does not cause the famous cravings, or sugar crashes, that carbohydrates often cause. Including some form of protein (eggs, yogurt, lean meat, cheese) in every meal and snack will help you feel satiated and help prevent snack attacks.
9. Don’t be afraid of good fats. Low fat diets often backfire, because they tend to be very high in simple carbohydrates. Fat is good for you – especially the fat found in foods such as avocado, salmon, and olive oil, and recent research shows that dairy fat can be beneficial too.
10. Walk or bike short distances. Though many of us are used to driving anywhere outside a 20-foot radius, distances of less than a mile are easily walkable, and distances less than three miles (especially on flat terrain) are easy to bike. Plus, gas prices are only rising… so you’ll be doing your wallet a favor as well.