These changes apply to everyone whether you are close to your goal weight and want to drop those last 5-10 pounds, or whether you are just getting started on a new health Journey…!
If you want to see big improvements in your health, try implementing small changes and keep them in place for the long term. You may be surprised what you see as a result!
- Replace all white and enriched products with whole grains, avoid sugary snacks and foods…. White and enriched products are processed, have had all nutrition stripped from them, and have a high glycemic index. This means they make your blood sugar peak too fast causing fat to accumulate in the body.
- Change all soda (yes, even diet!) or pre-bottled drinks for water or green tea and save a ton of calories each day. Artificial ingredients, flavors, sugars all affect our body’s metabolism and hormone balance. Avoid them! Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water each day. Example 150 pound person needs 75 oz water each day.
- As you achieve benchmarks and goals along the way in life, reward yourself with clothing or fitness clothes or equipment instead of FOOD!
- Increase your vegetable intake daily and fill your plate in a healthy way (more clean proteins and veggies). When our bodies are well fed with nutritious food, our body will be healthier, more satisfied and be willing to let go of those fat stores! It is recommended to have 5-6 small meals per day since our bodies break down small frequent meals more efficiently than the old way of having 3 larger meals per day.
- Aim for 10,000 steps per day. (try using a pedometer or fitbit…its fun!)…Especially if you have a sedentary job, take frequent exercise breaks or go for a walk on your lunch break.
- Use healthier fats…for example, use olive oil instead of butter! Also when making a sandwich, use avocado instead of butter or mayo.
- Sign up for an event or some kind of competition to keep yourself motivated to train or be in shape for. Make your training a social event…get together with friends to exercise instead of eat!
- When it comes to condiments, have mustard, hot sauce or salsa instead of ketchup, mayo and sour cream!
- Eat SLOWLY…it takes your body 20 minutes to signal your brain that you are full!
- Be sure to get adequate sleep (see blog post www.athleticgrandma.com/ )
- Take the Stairs instead of the elevator and park further from the doorway of the mall, doctors office and workplace.
- If you are watching TV or a movie, do pushups, crunches, squats or stretches during commercials or breaks. Walk on the treadmill while watching your favorite show. Work at being generally more active in your life with less sitting time.
For questions or to participate in free health challenges, Contact Me