Among work, kids, social activities, and lots of other obligations,
finding enough time to practice healthy habits can often go by the
wayside. But you don’t need a gym or tons of spare time to live healthy,
you just need to modify and improve upon things you already do. Use
these simple tricks to start living a healthier lifestyle today.
Pre-Plan Your Meals
Planning and preparing your meals for the workday will help you skip vending-machine temptation and follow a healthier diet.
If
you like to snack between meals, make sure to prepack snacks such as
veggie sticks, fruit, or nuts and keep them in your fridge or purse so
they’re ready to grab when hunger strikes.
Take Your Vitamin
Take a multivitamin every day
to make sure you’re getting the proper amount of nutrients as a
complement to a healthy, balanced diet. Put the bottle on your kitchen
counter, on your nightstand, or in your purse – somewhere where you’ll
remember to pop one in daily.
Walk More
Walking is a simple and
effective way to get in shape when you’re too busy to fit in a workout.
Swap out the escalator or elevator for the stairs on your morning
commute, take a 20-minute break at work during lunch to walk outside or
around the office, and try to get most of your errands done by walking
if you can. Adding more walking to your daily routine will help you step
your way to a healthier heart, mind, and body.
Don’t Let Your Mood Determine Your Food
It’s really easy to reach for
that stale doughnut leftover from the company breakfast at 3 p.m. when
you’re stressed and just want something sweet to get you through the
rest of the day, but it’s important to fight that urge. Eating unhealthy
comfort foods may make you feel better in the short term, but will set
you up later to feel equally as stressed on top of the guilt you'll feel
for giving into your craving. If you know you’ll want something sweet
during the second half of you day, opt for fruit, Greek yogurt drizzled
with honey, or a small square of dark chocolate to satisfy your sweet
tooth and keep you energized.
Stand Up!
Sitting all day can be
hazardous to your health, so try to stand up in short but frequent
increments of time throughout the day at work to wake you up, get your
blood flowing, and keep you healthy.
Drink Water
Make a conscious effort to
drink a good amount of water every day. Skimping can lead to dehydration
and even fatigue. Plus, being dehydrated can mask itself as hunger,
causing you to reach for that bag of potato chips when really you just
need a glass of water. If you’re not a big fan of plain water, put some
fruit in it for more flavor and nutrients or opt for sparking water or
club soda for a zero-calorie carbonated drink.
Control Your Portions
How much you eat is just as
important as what you eat. The key to a healthy diet is eating in
moderation, and meal planning ahead of time will help you with that.
Trick your mind by using a smaller plate to serve your food on so it
looks like a lot of food without going over the correct portion size. As
a general rule of thumb, there should be more veggies and fruit on your
plate than starches and meat.
Squeeze in Exercise While Watching TV
Even if you can’t make it to
the gym, you can exercise during your nightly TV show. During commercial
breaks stand up and do some light squats, lunges, or bicep curls and
crunches to strengthen your body.
Learn How to Relax
Some stress is good, but too
much of it can take a toll on your health. Stay balanced and try to take
30 to 60 minutes before bedtime to fit some personal time in. Read a
book, meditate, or take a bath to unwind at the end of a busy day. Even
if you can only fit in 10 minutes for this, it’s better than nothing.
Set a Bedtime
Sleep is a key component of
health. No matter how busy your schedule is, you need to make sure
you’re getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Make sure you turn
off all electronics at least one hour before bed and try your best to
go to sleep and wake up at the same time every morning, even on
weekends—your body will thank you.