Getting healthier doesn’t require you to make radical changes, particularly if you’ve been sick or are just feeling poorly. In fact, it’s often the simplest changes that can make the most difference, because they spur you on to the next health improvement.
Walk
Even ten minutes a day can make a big difference. Get your body moving through space. Try to free up your hands so you can swing your arms and fill your lungs with fresh air.
If scheduling a walk won’t work, park far away from the front door and gain some exercise by either pushing your grocery cart back and forth or by taking a walk inside the store if the weather is rough.
Once your walking habit is established, try to boost your exercise output by taking the stairs. Again, you don’t need to go to the gym and hit the Stairmaster.
If you’re in a building with a safe staircase and you need to get to the second floor, don’t take the elevator. Take the stairs. Just one flight, whenever you get the opportunity, can contribute to your heart health.
Rearrange Your Refrigerator
Make healthy choices easier by prepping produce for snacks as soon as you get home. Make sure that when you open the refrigerator, the first thing you see is cool water in a reusable container.
Wash up grapes, cherry tomatoes, and carrot sticks for an easy, filling, and fiber-full snack. Remember, habits are what you easily do over and over. By making healthy choices easier, you can make the process of forming good habits a simpler process.
You can do this with the rest of your food storage as well. Being healthy doesn’t mean you never buy cookies again.
Just put them somewhere that takes effort to get to. Set up a plastic bin in the guest room closet, preferably at least 20 steps from your kitchen, and stash treats like cookies or that early buy of Halloween candy. If you can have grapes now or cookies in 20 steps, your brain will take the easy way out and you’ll probably have grapes.
Eat an Apple in the Morning
Apples are a great snack because they’re loaded with healthy nutrients. Most importantly, they’re very high in fiber. They’re also portable, cheap, and delicious.
If you’ve been encouraged to get more fiber in your diet but don’t enjoy beans, wheat bread, brown rice, or vegetables, a crunchy apple in the middle of the morning will be great for your gut.
If you have sensitive teeth, a cold apple won’t be enjoyable. Go ahead and keep a pretty plate on your kitchen counter with polished apples on display. Cut or peel them as necessary for your snack.
Drink Water First
If you’re trying to lose weight but struggling with feelings of hunger, you can and should still eat regularly. However, 30 minutes before each meal, drink 8 to 16 ounces of cool water.
Treat yourself to a reusable bottle that you can fill from your water faucet filter. These filters offer plenty of benefits, including filter out sediment if your water is hard, or reducing salts for those who have a water softener.
Fresh filtered water is great for your body early in the morning. If you like, add a squeeze of lemon water to the glass or bottle to boost your Vitamin C.
Eat Applesauce Before Bedtime
If you struggle with heartburn, reflux, or any form of tummy trouble, eat 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce before bed. Pectin is naturally occurring in applesauce, and this is what turns the acid from berries into jelly. With a little applesauce in your stomach, you can neutralize the stomach acid that can cause esophageal irritation.
For those who have developed sluggish digestion, brew a cup of ginger or lemon decaf tea and have this to soothe your stomach after lunch. It’s never a great idea to boost your intake of anything acidic with your last meal before bed, but a bit with lunch can boost your digestive efficiency.
Habits are like stairs. If you can climb up to the next level, you can reach a great height. Start small and build improvements on top of your current accomplishments. Make the healthy choice the easy choice.
