When working to improve your health, it’s easy focus on
drastic diet changes and time consuming workout plans. Sleep, hydrating, small
diet and exercise changes are often underestimated for their impact on overall
health.
Why is sleep important?
Helps our immune system fight illness
Increases alertness
Able to maintain a healthier weight
Able to make better choices
Improves metabolism
Improves performance in school and at work
Getting less sleep than you need has been linked to heart
disease, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and shortened life expectancy.
Turn to food to stay awake—caffeine, sugary and high-fat
foods
Tips for getting more sleep
Get rid of the devices
Stretch before bed
Avoid sugar and processed foods before bed
Why is water important?
Today we have an endless variety of beverages from which to
choose. Many of which contain an excessive amount of sugar. You may have
heard that you should drink eight cups of water a day. The actual amount
of water you need varies depending on age and activity level; however, aiming
for half your body weight in ounces is a good rule of thumb.
People who drink more water and fewer sugary or caffeinated
drinks report having more energy throughout their day. This is because
they are not experiencing fluctuating levels of sugar and caffeine in their
bodies that can make them feel very energetic an alert followed by feelings of
tiredness when those levels drop. Your skin is healthier when you drink
water as well. Skin cells, just like all the cells in your body, consist mostly
of water. Staying hydrated helps your skin as the cells are full of water
and less prone to wrinkling.
Tips for Drinking More Water
For those who don’t like the taste of plain water, try
flavoring it with fruit or herbs such as lemons, oranges, watermelon,
cantaloupe, berries, cucumber, or mint.
Freeze small pieces of fruit or mint with water in ice cube
trays. The ice will be ready with flavor when you want a cool drink.
Put an app on your phone to remind you to drink water during
the day. Many are available for all brands of phones or tablets.
Eat foods with a high water content such as watermelon,
cucumber, or celery for a little hydration boost.
Get on the water bottle craze and carry your water with you
so you aren’t tempted to make some not-so-good-for-you choices when you’re
thirsty.
Get a filter for your faucet or a filtered pitcher for your
refrigerator if you do not like the taste of your tap water.
Source: www.unitypoint.org
SMALL STEPS TO IMPROVING YOUR DIET:
Change out sodas and juice for water. My uncle lost 25lbs this way!
Shop for meals not individual foods:
Take a look at your pantry and aim to reduce shelf stable
foods by 10-20% and increase fresh foods by 10-20%. Try this for a month and
see how you feel.
Trade out your sweets for fresh and frozen fruit desserts
SMALL STEPS TO INCREASING YOUR FITNESS LEVEL:
Make a plan and keep track. It’s important to come up with a
plan that will set you up for success.
Take a walk during your lunch break
Give yourself a mileage goal or a minutes goal for each
week. Studies have found that people have more success when they only include
physical activity and not every day activity such as yard work or cleaning in
their goals.
I recently listened to a podcast about Navy Seals prepping for a mission:
When they train they make a plan, but then also have alternatives when roadblocks arise during "the mission." Think of your journey to better health as a mission. If you plan to get eat healthier everyday and workout 5 times a week, you need to set yourself up for success despite things that may get in your way. No plan is going to go perfectly, but if you can continue through the process despite any roadblocks you will complete your Mission!
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