10 Tips for Healthy Living
Everyone loves “top 10″ lists. And while we could create countless lists of “top 10″ recommendations around health, nutrition, and exercise, we’d like to start by giving you just 10 simple tips, in no particular order of importance, that can help you improve your health. We don’t recommend overwhelming yourself by trying to implement several new changes all at once. Think about your own lifestyle, what you are doing right, as well as what you could improve. Then, consider some of these tips that can help you improve areas where you feel “off track”. Share the wealth and post your own tips that have helped you live a healthier lifestyle.
1. Budget your diet. It’s important to eat a diet low in fat and saturated fat to reduce risks for many diseases. Just remember, it isn’t one meal or one snack that makes or breaks your diet. It’s what you do over time. So budget accordingly. If you have a party coming up, save up some calories so you can enjoy yourself. If you overdo it for a few days, make up for it with more exercise or fewer calories for a day.
2. Eat more fruits and veggies! Getting your fruits and veggies is an important goal. It will help you eat fewer calories, get more fiber, and cut risks for diseases. Choose fruits and veggies that are dark green, orange, and yellow for more nutrients. Eat them fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.
3. Eat at least 3 servings of whole grains each day. Whole grains contain many nutrients, including more fiber. Look for grains (cereals, bread, rice, pasta, etc.) that have at least 4-6 grams fiber/serving.
4. Eat at least 4 servings of dried beans, peas, and lentils each week. Examples include navy beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, black eye peas, chili beans, etc. They are high in fiber (typically 4-7 grams/half-cup serving). They are also low in fat and high in protein so they are very filling without a bunch of fat.
5. Eat regularly. People who consume regular meals and snacks tend to consume fewer calories than people who skip meals. When you go long hours between meals during the day, you are setting yourself up for extreme hunger and a difficult time resisting eating anything and everything in sight!!! Your body naturally needs refueling every few hours—listen to your hunger cues and respond with smart snacks and meals.
6. Eat breakfast. It improves concentration and gets your body running in the morning. Again, people who skip meals tend to consume more calories.
7. Drink enough water. Your body is made mostly of water. Keeping yourself hydrated not only helps control hunger, it helps keep your body running smoothly. Fill a large water bottle each morning and sip on it throughout the day. Aim to re-fill it at least once per day.
8. Limit soft drinks and other high-calorie beverages. They contribute a lot of extra calories to your diet. 100% juice is a great drink, but you can overdo it on calories, too, so make sure you don’t consume ALL your daily fruit/veggie servings in juice (your missing the fiber that way). And drinking too much soda, alcohol, etc. can end up limiting your intake of other important beverages like milk.
9. Read food labels. Checking labels in the store will help you make the healthiest choices. Read the label for calories, fat, and fiber content, as well as other important nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamins. And also important, check PORTION SIZE!!! People who read food labels tend to make healthier choices than people who don’t (it’s been proven)!
10. Be physically active! Remember exercise really is half the equation. You should work to include more lifestyle activity every day, but also keep up a programmed exercise routine! Look for creative ways to fit in fitness. Break it up into smaller segments if you have to. Just get moving!
RSS Feed
iTunes Podcast