Getting healthy and keeping your weight in check is not always a matter of making huge changes to your life. Sometimes, it’s the little things that matter the most. Today, the Bring Back Health And Fitness blog shares a few ways that you can focus on your own health without feeling deprived or overwhelmed.
Fitting Fitness In
One of the most important things you can do to get yourself healthy is to move. That means taking the stairs when you could’ve taken the elevator, using your lunch breaks to walk, or simply parking farther away than you need. You can even count playing in the yard with the kids toward your fitness goals. The point is that you should never let your body stay stagnant for too long. When you exercise your muscles, you burn calories and build strength.
Facing Food Facts
Michelle Olson, PhD, says that weight loss is 75% diet and only 25% exercise. This means that what you put into your body (and what you don’t) has a bigger effect on the scale than how much you exercise. And it makes sense when you think about it. If you eat three scoops of ice cream, you’re consuming around 550 calories in less than 10 minutes. To burn it off, you’d have to engage in vigorous exercise for at least an hour.
Eating Well Every Day
So now we know that what we eat affects our weight more so than how much we exercise. But how do you eat well every day? A few tips that won’t turn your world upside down are to:
● Be conscientious when eating out. No one would deny you a night out with your friends. But you can still order from your favorite restaurant without feeling guilty. Bring Back Health And Fitness has suggested tips on this before, including skipping the fried food and having a side of vegetables instead of pasta.
● Drink more water. It’s easy to confuse hunger and thirst. The next time you get a headache and can’t think straight, it might not be a drop in your blood sugar, but a water deficit. Plus, swapping sodas and juices with plain tap water can help you cut hundreds of calories off of your daily intake.
● Try something new every week. The only way to open yourself up to new foods is to simply try them. Even if you’re a staunchly anti-vegetable person, you may just find that zucchini, carrots, and even kale can be a delicious and wholly nutritious part of your diet… You just have to learn to prepare them the right way.
● Don’t skip your favorite foods. In the example above, we discussed that a bowl of ice cream might run you around 500 cal. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a cold treat on a hot day. Consider instead making your own homemade treats, eating less of what you love, or finding alternatives that satiate and satisfy without the sacrifice.
● Be mindful of your eating habits. Mindful eating is an important part of knowing what you put into your body. Be intentional with how you eat. Instead of snacking throughout the day, make a point to only eat when you’re at the dinner table so that you can truly focus on your meal and maintain a healthy portion size.
Many of us want to lose weight but often struggle. And while we can take some literal steps, like walking on our lunch breaks, there are far easier ways to keep the number on the scale in our comfort zone. From trying new foods to eating sugary options in moderation, today’s tips can help you live your healthiest life with just a few small changes to your habits.
Kim Thomas
Kim created US Health Corps after her uncle was diagnosed with heart disease as a result of his lifelong struggle with obesity. Her mission is aligned with that of US Health Corps, and that is to triumph over chronic disease.