How are your healthy resolutions going?  Here are 13 simple lifestyle changes that you can start TODAY.

Take the stairs.  Extra steps add up.  Is your appointment on the second or third floor?  Find the stairs instead of taking the elevator.  Skip the escalator at the mall.  You’d be surprised how easily these extra steps help.

Drink more water.  Few of us drink enough and it can impact our eating habits, our mood and our health overall.  Tea is great, too, particularly during the cold weather.  Green tea even has added metabolism-boosting benefits.

How about parking further away at work or while running errands?  Extra steps there, too.  Maybe park mid-way between stores and walk from one to the other instead of moving the car.  And returning the shopping cart to the store not only adds steps but is helpful to other shoppers. 

Eat breakfast.  I know you’ve heard it before, but getting up 10 minutes earlier is all it takes.  Don’t have 10 minutes?  Take a granola bar* or yogurt* with you to work.  If you can eat at home, choose oatmeal (no sugar), shredded wheat (unfrosted), omelet (mostly whites), etc.  My favorite is an omelet with one whole egg, 3 egg whites and lots of vegetables.  Make it the night before, microwave it in the morning and save some time.

*Note: Choosing a healthy granola bar or yogurt is tougher than you think.  Stay tuned for the next blog where we talk about tricky food choices.

Get up from your desk every half-hour and take a one minute walk – just down the hall or wherever.  Doing this every half hour means 10 extra minutes of walking during a normal 8-hour work day.

BONUS: Breaking up the hours of sitting at work keeps you alert and makes you more productive.

Since we’ve mentioned work, how about packing a lunch for work instead of eating out?  Taking a few extra minutes to make your own lunch means you can have a good tasting, filling meal that’s better for you.  Also, try eating away from your desk.  If you relax while you eat, your body digests things much better and it reduces stress.

Bring snacks for mid-morning and the afternoon.  A piece of fruit, a handful of nuts or a yogurt helps even out your blood sugar during the day.  If you’re not starving when you get to lunch or dinner, you’re likely to eat smaller meals.

Stop eating at least 3 to 4 hours before bedtime.  When you go to bed, left-over food energy is stored in the body – often as fat.  Leaving a longer amount of time after your last meal means you’ll have time to burn off those calories before you sleep (and you won’t wake up with more ‘stored energy’ on your body).

Sleep 7 to 8 hours a night.  (You see articles on this all the time).  Sleep is something we all skimp on.  Lack of proper sleep, even periodically, can cause weight gain, weight retention, increased eating and more stress (and bad stress hormones).  Try getting a good night’s sleep a few times and see if you feel a difference.

Go shopping for food on a full stomach.  We are all tempted by bad food when we go food shopping.  The trick is to NOT BUY IT – if it’s not in the house, you’re much less likely to eat it.  If you feel full when you shop, you’ll be more able to pass on those foods.  Even a quick snack will do the trick.

Break up your daily exercise.  If you can’t find time to exercise for 30 minutes straight, take 10 minutes out 3 times a day.  It’ll split up your day, give you a break from whatever you’re doing, jump-start your metabolism and give you less chance of skipping your workout.  A brisk walk (even inside from room to room), stairs, jogging in place or jumping jacks are all good options.

Put your exercise machine in front of the TV.  We all watch TV – weekends, evenings, even while doing other things like eating, reading the paper and spending time with family.  We average 15 to 20 hours in front of the TV per week.  Why not exercise for a part of that time?  It’ll make exercising more enjoyable and make the time go faster.  And if you don’t have a machine, try the inside exercise suggestions in the tip above.  Plus, once you’re done, you’ll have accomplished something good for yourself and will have earned the rest of the time on the couch.

Lastly, forgive yourself.  I don’t want to give you another reason to stray from your healthiness, but if you slip up, it’s ok.  Don’t abandon the whole plan because of a partial mistake.  Admit to your mistake and learn from it, resolving not to repeat it.

You can do this.