Let’s face it, we’ve all been in the same boat. We make resolutions to lose weight, eat the ‘right’ things, stop smoking or join the coolest gym in town. Although, setting high goals is tempting, smaller goals are easier to start with and fit into our daily routines. It seems less overwhelming than a sudden change.
I can totally relate. Every few weeks I wake up and want to kick the sugar habit and decide that today is the day! And by late afternoon, I turn into a sweet coffee craving monster! However, if I decide to switch one of my sweet hot beverages to herbal tea, it’s no big deal.
Here are 10 baby steps towards better health:
- Track your weight and work on making sure you are not gaining those extra kilos. Even if you gain just a kilo or two every year, the extra weight adds up quickly without realizing. And then you have the acquaintance who says “I almost didn’t recognize you!” when they actually mean “Hey! You are fat!” Nowadays there are weighing scales which give you the entire body composition through apps and they are easy on the pocket.
- Take more small steps. Use fitness trackers or a smart watch to count your daily steps; then add 2,000, the equivalent of one extra mile. Keep adding steps, 1,000 to 2,000 each month or so, until you take 10,000 steps on most days. I have made it a habit to park a little away from my destination to encourage more steps.
- Eat breakfast. Breakfast eaters tend to weigh less and have better diets overall. For a filling and nutrition-packed breakfast, have a plate consisting of proteins, good fats like avocado, coconut oil, or nut butters (if you don’t have allergies) and a huge helping of greens.
- Keep yourself hydrated. There are many apps out there to keep you on track by sending you reminders. Herbal teas, infused water all count, sodas don’t!
- Have at least one green salad every day. Eating a salad is filling and may help you eat less during the meal. It also counts toward your five daily cups of vegetables and fruits. Personally, I hate chopping vegetables, making salads when I am tired. A trick I use is to throw in the greens and fruits in a high speed blender and drink it up!
- Downsize. The smaller the bag, bottle or bowl, the less you will consume.
- Lose just 5 to 10 percent of your current weight to start with. The health benefits are huge-lower blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Get good quality sleep. You lose weight as you sleep and there are less cravings the next day. How easy is that!
- Carry small meal boxes with you when you are out and about. I have always been drawn to those cute boxes in the back to school section. Now I have a reason to buy them for small apples, a mix of nuts and seeds, carrot and cucumber sticks, grapes, fox nuts etc. These are non-messy ideas before a meeting or even before a lunch/dinner outing where we know how tempting it is to let ourselves go
- Keep track of your eating. Just add what you eat in the Notes on your phone. You will be surprised at the amount of mindless snacking or the beverages one could indulge in. Observe what you eat over the next couple of days and look for problem spots. Often, just tracking this can help you eat less.
