How to start being healthy in 5 simple steps.

5 simple steps to start living a healthier life.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Eat breakfast. See this isn't even an exercise! Numerous studies (and my own personal experience) prove that it is eating breakfast is crucial to stabilizing blood sugar, weight loss and muscle building. Keep it simple, yogurt, a protein shake, or a bowl of whole grain cereal will keep you from being hungry and give you the energy needed to get your day started.

2. Stretch. Even if you do nothing else, learn a few simple stretches to help improve your posture and your mood. Stretching is simple, you see children and dogs doing it all the time, yet we adults seldom remember to do it. If you perform a job where you do the same movement over and over you are at risk for repetitive stress injuries (like carpal tunnel syndrome). You can find slides of stretches at mayoclinc.com.
   
   Try and hold each stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds, and hold steady don't bounce.

3. Drink water (not soda). Most of us are trying to either loose weight or maintain the weight we have, so we pay attention to the calories we consume. So when you go to reach for something to drink instead of soda (100-250 calories) grab some water. Soda is empty calories that will just take more energy to burn. If you want something besides water then try unsweetened iced tea, or add some lemon or lime to your water for a change.

4. Take a walk. Exercise is cumulative, meaning that 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there add up to benefit cardiovascular heath and weight loss. To ensure overall good health, studies say we should try to have 30 minutes a day of exercise. So how do you fit that in?

5. Add more color to your diet. Ok, this one is simple. We all know that we are supposed to have between 5-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day to improve our health, but how do we do that? Well one simple way is to add color to your diet. Whenever possible avoid "white" food, white flour, sugar, and rice are not the best choices for people trying to create change in their diets.
   
   * Choose whole grain bread and cereals.
   * Add fruit, fresh or dried to cereal or yogurt.
   * If you’re having a sandwich add tomato or avocado slices instead of mayo or cheese.
   * Eat seasonally. As is write this squash, pumpkins and kale are all available at my local farmers market. These are all great food options for vitamins good caloric intake and taste.
   
   Till next time, be well.

Tips & Warnings

• Park a block or so farther from work, or get off a stop early from the bus and walk
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Take a walk with your dog, or your kids before or after work.
• If possible commute by bike to work. Good for the environment, your wallet and your heart!
• Check out some yoga or exercise podcasts. Look for beginner’s classes; many are free and easy to follow. One of my favorites is Yogamazing.com but you can find a number of free podcasts at iTunes.com.