10 Easy Changes for a Healthy Lifestyle

It has been a crazy couple of weeks starting my Junior year of college and attempting to regain a consistent workout routine. I can't believe it is already February! I have in mind to do a top ten healthy changes for 2011. (Or maybe I should do 11!) And even though the New Years resolutions season has somewhat passed, perhaps this will serve as a motivator or reminder of what you promised 31 days ago.

Here are, what I would say, the most basic and necessary health changes to make to begin the process of creating a healthy lifestyle. This is geared toward someone who is not living healthy right now but wants to make changes without a drastic over-hall of their life. So, these shouldn't be too daunting, and I am trying to keep them relatively simple. Also, in order to see noticeable results, I am trying to pick the "biggies" in health issues.

So here we go:

1. Stop drinking soda. This is probably the worst of them all. It is not just empty calories like fast-food, but it doesn't even leave you full or satisfied and so you are probably consuming MORE empty calories with it! It is literally sugar and water. Now, I am not saying that you can never have a drop again. But please, do not drink everyday!!!

2. Drink green tea. Whether it is hot or iced, this is a great source of hydration (without the bland taste of water) and antioxidants and natural caffeine. Just be careful if you are buying certain brand names because they may have the sugar equivalence of soda. Really, make your own and sweeten with honey. (It's dirt cheap too!)

3. Start cooking. It is not a difficult task, though it can be. (If that made sense?) You can choose how difficult you want it to be is what I mean. But the point is that start cooking and stop buying and reheating! (This is fast-food, frozen dinners, canned crap, etc.) You naturally go for whole ingredients when cooking (think whole meats like fish or chicken, and whole veggies and such) and this eliminates much of the processed convenience foods.

4. Pack you lunch for school or work. Same idea as above. It will save you money and even a simple sandwich is far better that much that you would find in a cafeteria/food-strip.

5. Work out at least 3 times a week. Sure, working out everyday is best. But we are being practical here. Get in three good-quality workouts a week (and you may find yourself wanting to add in a 4th or 5th as time goes on!). By good quality I mean a run, a hike, an hour in the gym on various machines... something that takes time. The more time the better. At the end of the day, its calories in - calories out for weight loss. (Of course this does not make one "healthy" if your feeding yourself crap afterward).

6. Commit to sleeping. Honestly, you really want to mess with your body?? It's called not getting enough sleep. This has all sorts of bad side effects that affect your diet, your healthy, your energy levels... pretty much all of the above areas!

7. Don't eat dessert after every dinner. I find it strange how many people think that dessert is supposed to come after every dinner. Like dinner isn't complete without it. Hello!!! You just had a huge meal and now you're going to eat a sugary, calorific snack??!?! Desserts are great, I love them and I love to bake. But keep these to a once in a while thing. You don't deserve dessert just because you ate dinner. (This one just really bothers me.)

8. Don't eat your largest meal at dinner. Try to make your largest meal lunch or break it up into two meals. Like first lunch and second lunch. Then eat a more "lunch-sized" dinner. Sleeping doesn't burn that many calories hate to say it. So eat your biggest meal when you are burning your max amount of calories.

9. Don't skip breakfast. This is an age-old adage. There are thousands of reasons people tell you not to do this. But think of it as a source for your energy for the day. Think of it like tying your shoes before you go for a walk, or taking off your clothes before you shower. It is just something you have to do.

10. Change your view of food. See food as tangible energy. See food as a necessary part of life. See food as beneficial (not fattening, horrid, beach-body killers). When you do this, you will suddenly realize what is actually good food, and what it imitation. It's kinda hard not to see a donut as a beach-body killer! But you don't have to look at all food that way. Find foods that help you. Make it your goal to think about food this way, and you will be attracted to the foods that are good for you.

That's all for tonight!