We’d all like to live a healthier life. But where to start?
One step at a time as the saying goes. Habits are hard to break but easier to start. Here are seven simple ways to launch yourself into a healthier lifestyle.
Pick fresh seasonal veggies, berries, and fruits
Knowing How to Choose Fresh Fruits and Vegetables is key. If you are unsure when it comes to choosing ripe good fruit, check out this great article from Family Circle.
Picking fruit and veggies in season in your area is also a great way to stay healthy. Find out when local Utah Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables are best here.
Eat more healthy fats
According to Fitness Magazine – The Big Fat Truth: Why Non-Fat Isn’t the Answer – Of your total daily calories, 25 to 30 percent should come from fat. The keys: Pick good-for-you fats, and limit the bad kinds. Don’t know a saturated from a poly? Here’s the skinny on which fats to eat and which to avoid.
Be hungry more often
It’s being discovered that Intermittent fasting brings great benefits, it protects your brain, slows aging & fights cancer. Why Intermittent Fasting Is The Best Thing To Ever Happen To Your Metabolism
When it comes to intermittent fasting, there are several options. Some people eat only during an eight-hour window. For example, you can eat from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., then fast from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. Or you can fast for 24 to 36 hours once or twice weekly. There are also several ways to deal with hunger cravings and stay hydrated. You can stick with just water or add some combination of coffee, green tea, and fiber. My good friend, Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, author of The Bone Broth Diet, recommends drinking bone broth during a fast. I’ve tried this fasting technique, and it’s my absolute favorite way to do it.
Before you begin fasting you should know if fasting is right for you.
Sleep & Relax More
Healthy Sleep Basics – Along with nutrition and exercise, sleep is one of the three pillars of a healthy lifestyle. Healthy sleep improves your health and quality of life in a variety of ways:
Healthy sleep is vital for your physical health
Healthy sleep is essential for your mental health
Healthy sleep improves your memory and focus
Healthy sleep promotes personal and public safety
Get less processed food, less salt
How to cut back on highly processed foods
- Start slowly.
- Supplement your meals with fresh foods.
- Fewer sugar-sweetened beverages, more water.
- Stop adding salt to foods.
- Choose whole grains over processed grains.
- Limit or avoid processed meats.
- Plan ahead.
- Use substitutes for highly processed snacks and foods.
Think fun!
Take a deep breath and smile. A rose by any other name might smell as sweet. But call exercise by another name and it might do you more good, a pair of experiments suggest.
In one, 46 adults went for a 2-kilometer walk around a lake. Half were told it was an “exercise walk” and half were told it was a “scenic walk.” When it came time for a mid-afternoon snack, the “exercise” walkers ate more than twice as many M&Ms as the “scenic” walkers — a difference that amounted to 206 additional calories. In the other, the “exercise” group ate 35% more chocolate pudding at lunch.
The key is to think of activity as fun, says Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab and one of the researchers involved in the experiments. If you tell yourself you’re working out, you’re likely to reward yourself by eating more. “So tell yourself it’s personal time,” Wansink says. “Say, ‘I’m doing this for me.’”