1. Drink a glass of water before you enjoy your soda. Giving it up altogether might be the logical resolution, but a glass of water right before is not only great for your health but might help you drink less soda.
2. Drink a glass of water before you drink any alcohol. Same idea as the soda one – earn that drink! (and be nice to your body, too)
3. Walk 100 minutes a week. That’s 20 minutes every week day. If you miss a day, make it up the next. Try to get out most days and you’ll really start to feel healthier.
4. Stand on one leg during all TV commercials. Simple idea, harder than it sounds. Gets you off your butt every 5-10 minutes and helps engage your core – and your brain!
5. Change the TV channels manually. Or put the remote by the TV so you have to get up every time you change the channel or adjust the volume. Just another way to break up your sitting spells.
6. Stop salting your food. You know you don’t have to do it. And while you can get used to it if you try, you can switch to a sodium-free salt-substitute in the mean time (I prefer Nu-Salt)
7. Eat breakfast. You know you’re supposed to, but time is the issue. So, make a smoothie the night before. Super healthy and you can drink as you head to work. One serving of no-sugar-added yogurt, half a cup of milk (almond/skim/soy), handful of berries (blueberry/strawberry/raspberry), 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Blend and put in a to-go container the night before.
8. No calories between dinner and bed. You don’t need to eat or drink anything with calories before bed. It’s just a habit and a bad one at that. You’ll agree once you give it up.
9. Exercise ball at work. Sit on an air-filled exercise ball at work instead of a chair. You’ll use your muscles all day (core, legs, back, posture) and release some extra stress, too.
10. Drink 8oz of water when you first wake up. Hydration helps many physiological functions including metabolism and GI-tract regularity. Put lemon in it for an extra pH balancing health effect.
11. Read nutritional labels and ingredients. Just learn about what’s in your food. You don’t need to change anything yet...
12. No screen time 20 minutes before bed. No TV, no phones, no computers... the light from the screen messes with your melatonin levels and can negatively affect your sleep (trouble falling/staying asleep)
13. Switch to smaller plates for meals. A smaller plate means you eat less. When food fills more of the plate, we perceive the serving as being larger. (Known as relative size perception or in this case the ‘Delboeuf illusion’ - it’s science. Look it up.).
14. Eat lean protein with every meal. Chicken, fish, egg whites, cottage cheese, yogurt... the list goes on. It’s healthy and it helps to displace less-healthy foods.