We keep hearing it. Eat less. Move more. Drink more water. Try this diet pill. Try more fruits and vegetables. Cut the fat. Skip the carbs. Avoid fast food. No dessert.
It’s enough to make you want to revolt and do the opposite.
Changes to lifestyle are not always easy, so it is best to tackle one or two changes at a time and then add more later. We don’t have to do it all at once to gain better health.
Temptations loom. Rather than set yourself up for frustration and failure and make lots of lifestyle changes, try one of two of these changes and build on your success.
• Add just one fruit or vegetable and one glass of water to your diet each day. If you replace a candy bar snack with an apple, you can save yourself 200 calories. Replace a can of soda with water and save yourself another 140 calories.
• Add a short after-dinner walk to your routine once or twice a week. Just a trip around the block can give you 15 minutes of exercise.
Work up to twice around each day and you have 30 minutes of exercise a day.
• Use smaller plates and bowls to avoid large portions. Your plate will look full and you will be less likely to over eat.
Let your fork rest between bites, too. This will give your stomach time to process and realize when you are actually full.
• Park at the outer edges of the parking lot at the mall or grocery store and pick up a few extra steps. Get in a few more extra steps by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Every step is a step toward better health.
• Ask the restaurant to remove the bread basket after you’ve enjoyed one treat. Watch the free refills on the appetizers, such as popcorn or chips and salsa. Also watch the refills on soda…without being aware, you can easily drink 3-4 cans of pop in one sitting.
• Eliminate “extra-”, “super-”, “loaded-“ and “mounded high with” from your vocabulary.
Skip the sour cream and butter on the potato, the whip cream on the coffee, and order the dressing on the side for the salad.
• Don’t watch the kids and play with them! Enjoy yourself and them. Interacting with them will also lessen the stress of trying to “control” their behavior.
• If there’s a food you love, don’t deprive yourself. Deprivation may only cause you to eat the whole cake later. Keep the portion small and savor every bite.
So pick a couple changes and give them a try. This week, try the first change and next week try a different change. Find what works for you and add on.
Each positive change is a step forward to better health.
Jenny Holweger is the executive director of the Freeman Southwest Family YMCA.
