Five Small Changes for a Healthier Lifestyle

There are 5 small things you can do right now to begin living a healthy lifestyle. Do not try to implement them all at once. Add one into your regular routine per week. Most of these you have heard before, but it never hurts to send out some reminders.

1. Drink water! Our bodies need water. There is nothing to doubt here; it is a fact. The question is how can we add water without feeling like we are punishing ourselves? When you get up in the morning, have a glass of water. Do this before you eat or drink anything else. Our bodies dehydrate during the night, so we need water first thing in the morning. Also, you should drink a glass of water before each meal. And finally, drink a glass before going to bed. When exercising, you should have some water before, during and after. That's it! It really is that simple. For an in-depth look at how important drinking water is, please read Michy Jr.'s article "How to Lose Weight by Drinking Water."

2. Limit junk food! I do not recommend completely cutting out guilty pleasures, but you do need to limit them to once a week. And make wise choices. If you decide to have a fast food burger, skip the fries or the bun. If you prefer a special dessert, make sure the meal is not fast food. If you have a bag of chips, try for a healthier version. Sometimes, we cannot resist and we have it all. That's okay, too; just try not to make it a habit.

3. Be aware of your serving size! We do not need super-sized or all-you- can- eat deals. A serving of protein or a carbohydrate is about the size of a deck of cards. A serving size of a fruit or vegetable is about two decks of cards. This means each meal should equal the size of about 4 decks of cards. I recommend purchasing plates that will not hold more than what you should be eating. You should have 3 regular meals and up to 3 snacks per day. Your snacks should be fruits or vegetables. You can add a little yogurt, cheese, or a glass of milk two or three times a day to get your dairy requirements. Of course, you want to use salt, fats and oils sparingly. If you chew your food slowly and truly enjoy your meal, you will not notice how much less is on your plate.

4. Learn to love moving! Yes, everyone needs to move a little bit every day. The standard recommendation by MyPyramid.org is 60 minutes per day. It is not as difficult as you may think. We are not all joggers, runners or dancers; and that is okay. Walking is moving. If you have to split the 60 minutes up into four 15-minute segments, then by all means, do it. Some ideas: 1) park further away from the entrance so you have to walk, 2) take the stairs instead of the elevator, 3) walk to the store instead of driving, or 4) do some jumping jacks during commercials. If walking to the store is not possible, perhaps just walking around your neighborhood after dinner would work better for you. I'm sure if you do an Internet search, you will find these and many other suggestions.

5. Add in strength training! Contrary to popular belief, women will NOT beef up with simple weight training. It takes a lot of work for a woman to build that kind of muscle. I was worried when I began working out, but have learned from experience that I will not become bulky. Also, you do not have to own any special equipment. You should actually start out with no weights at all. Do arm raises (front, side, and overhead), bicep curls, tricep dips, squats, leg lifts, and crunches twice per week. If you focus on using the muscles to do the work, you can feel a difference even without weights. Of course, if you can do 20 bicep curls and feel like you can do 20 more, then you should probably add in some weight. The main thing is to make slow controlled movements while focusing on making the muscles do the work. When you need to add weight, you can use water bottles or canned food. If you keep your focus, heavy weights are not required.

^{Source:
http://www.mypyramid.gov/STEPS/getmoving.html, MyPyramid
Michy Jr. "How to Lose Weight by Drinking Water" Associated Content}