Making Small Changes that Make a Difference!
Add Fruit to Your Diet and You'll Cut Cravings
29 Days of Healthy: This is the Month that Could Change Your Life!
This month I am promoting 29 Days of Healthy! This is something I've come up with to encourage those having trouble sticking with weight loss goals past the month of January. I don't promise to write an article a day, but I am making it my goal to write as many as possible about a healthier lifestyle. This includes improving the mind, body and overall outlook on life. My first is about changing small things about your lifestyle in accordance with gaining a healthier mind, body and outlook on life in general. My original goal was going to be one a day, but I'd rather try for quality over quantity and I don't want to find myself making up titles that I'm not really passionate about just to say I wrote my article for the day. I hope you find these, as well as other health-related articles I've written in the past, helpful and informative, and maybe even take them to heart when thinking about your goals for the New Year.
Some people are suffering from more than just being unable to get in to their skinny jeans. There are those out there really suffering. Obesity can be painful. I know this from my own experience. I was once 220 pounds and wearing a very tight size 18. I had trouble tying my shoes much less walking as much as a block. This was before children, in my early twenties. Weight gain sneaks up on you. It can start anytime, but often begins as the "freshman 15" in college and spirals from there as it did in my own life.
Changes are overwhelming. Start out small. Make changes that are so easy that you can be sure to keep them. Pick one or two things you can change easily in your life. Here are some suggestions:
Exercise for 10 Minutes, three times a week – Virtually anyone can make this change. Walk around the block during lunch or when you get home from work. Do some squats in your office, or take a set of five-pound dumbbells or resistance bands to work for a few bicep curls during conference calls. Multi-compound exercises will build more muscle groups and burn more calories. These include push-ups and overhead lateral pulls for the upper body and squats for the lower body.
Take Your Vitamins – Getting your vitamins from healthy food is ideal, but if you’re running low on essential nutrients, take a daily vitamin. Believe it or not, vitamins have a lot to do with whether you lose weight. Some of them even contribute to fat loss during exercise.
Stop Eating Fast Food - I'm guilty of this on occasion. Find a good quality cooler bag and fill it full your entire day's worth of food. Make your dinner in the crock pot - you have no choice but to eat it when you get home. Save the leftovers for lunch the next day. There are millions of healthy, easy crock pot recipes on the Internet. A few minutes of prep time in the morning make a nice end to your busy day.
Add Food to Your Diet - That's right - I said EAT MORE! Don't take away; not yet, anyway. Go shopping and only buy healthy food. Shop in the organic, health food and produce section. Try out all your new finds for a week and write down the ones you really love. Later, you can figure out something unhealthy on your diet that you are willing to sacrifice and substitute one of your favorite healthy selections instead.
Relieve Your Stress - Take 10 minutes for yourself, no matter what, each day. You can only be a good wife, parent, friend or employee if you are good to yourself. Allow yourself at least 10 minutes each day to listen to music, meditate, read or whatever else you want to do, in addition to exercise each day. This doesn't mean the time you are using stuck in traffic on the way home. Take a quiet, time-out for yourself and you'll notice big changes in all aspects of your life.
Find Happiness - Wow! This is a big statement. But, what I mean by this is find something that makes you happy, even if it's just a little happiness. Journal, have a glass of wine and make a list of things you've always wanted to do. Pick one...then, do it!
Clean It Out - Not your closet; your life! Clean up the toxicity. Relationships should be fulfilling in some way. This means significant others, friends, family and co-workers. Not everyone wants to drop a friend, even if they are the biggest drama queen in the world. Instead, back away a little. If someone else's drama is causing you grief, stay away from it. If your job is a nightmare, find another one. In this economy that can be difficult, but make a goal and stick to it. Your goal can be to send out two resumes per week. Even searching for a job can make you feel better about yourself. It's all about controlling your own destiny.
Daily Affirmations - Ok, I know...you're thinking about that goober on SNL that sits in front of the mirror talking about how he's good enough, and darn it, people like me! That's not really what I mean. People are so hard on themselves to be the best at everything, and when they're not it feels like failure. Make a list of your accomplishments, even the small ones. Stop beating yourself up!
Join Something - Find a book club, a knitting circle, a ghost hunting group, wine tasting club, single's parties, a gym or anything to get out and social with the land of the living. Being a hermit is no way to live. Depression causes overeating and inactivity.
Start out with one, two or three changes. Making small changes is a significant step to living a healthier, happier life. Make yourself a priority and make yourself proud by the end of the year!
