1. Drink water before every meal
Guzzling
a glass of water before every meal can help you lose weight, improve
your skin, and feel more energized.
Not only does drinking more water ensure you’re hydrated, but Self notes that it can also cause you to eat fewer calories. Water takes up space in your stomach and makes you feel full, which means you won’t need to eat as much in order to feel satisfied. In addition, sipping water throughout your meal is a great alternative to the calorie-riddled beverage you may have had otherwise.
Not only does drinking more water ensure you’re hydrated, but Self notes that it can also cause you to eat fewer calories. Water takes up space in your stomach and makes you feel full, which means you won’t need to eat as much in order to feel satisfied. In addition, sipping water throughout your meal is a great alternative to the calorie-riddled beverage you may have had otherwise.
“What works with weight loss is if you choose water or a non-caloric beverage over a caloric beverage and/or eat a diet higher in water-rich foods that are healthier, more filling, and help you trim calorie intake,” Penn State researcher Barbara Rolls, author of The Volumetrics Weight Control Plan, told WebMD. Furthermore, Women’s Health states that water helps plump up your skin, causing wrinkles and pores to become less noticeable. Drinking water can also cause you to feel more energized by preventing dehydration, according to WebMD.
2. Make one of your meals healthier each day
Forget fad diets and strict healthy-eating rules. Instead, follow Inc.’s advice
and focus on making one meal healthier every day. Not sure which meal
to focus on? Inc. suggests giving your lunch a nutritious makeover. Pack
a small serving of protein, a side of veggies, and one serving of
fruit – for example, packing a chicken breast, some carrots, and an
apple; or a can of tuna, a few cucumbers, and a banana would both be
nutritious lunch options, explains Inc.
You can also take Help Guide’s approach,
which involves making small additions and swaps to at least one meal
each day. Add a colorful veggie salad to your dinner, or use olive olive
in place of butter when you’re preparing a dish. Once you start eating
healthier, there’s a good chance you’ll want to start giving more of
your meals nutritious makeovers!
3. Walk more
On average, people spend anywhere from 7.7 to 15 hours a day sitting,
according to Just Stand. Sitting for long periods of time can cause
several health issues, including obesity and metabolic syndrome,
explains Mayo Clinic.
Furthermore, too much sitting can also increase the risk of death from
cardiovascular disease and cancer. Fortunately, there’s an easy
solution: Walk more!
If
you can’t fathom setting aside a large chunk of time to get in a
workout, there are easy ways to sneak in extra movements throughout the
day. Greatist
suggests running errands on foot, taking the stairs, parking farther
away from your destination, or getting off the subway one stop earlier
and walking the rest of the way. It may not seem like much, but that
extra movement does make a difference. U.S. News & World Report
recommends standing at least once every 30 minutes while you’re at
work. During that time, find work activities you can do standing
up, like taking telephone calls or discussing a project with a
co-worker.
4. Add vegetables to everything
Vegetables are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting phytochemicals, states Joy Bauer.
The nutrients in vegetables can reduce your risk of cardiovascular
disease, slow bone loss and decrease the risk of fractures, keep your
skin healthy as you age, maintain blood pressure control, and keep you
feeling full, Joy Bauer explains. With health benefits as noteworthy as
these, it’s important to eat as many vegetables as you can each day.
Gaiam Life
suggests aiming for five servings of vegetables a day, noting that many
of the most powerful phytonutrients are in the veggies with the boldest
colors, such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, and leafy greens. Greatist
recommends getting a tad creative with your veggie consumption: add
spinach to your smoothies, cauliflower to your scrambled eggs, or a
variety of produce to your mac and cheese. Just remember, every time you
prepare a meal, ask yourself: “What vegetables can I toss into this
dish?”
5. Get a good night’s sleep
A
little extra sleep can drastically improve your health. Not only will
it cure your under-eye circles and boost your energy, but Health
states that getting adequate amounts of sleep can improve your
memory and quality of life, curb inflammation, sharpen your attention,
help you maintain a healthy weight, and lower your stress.
WebMD explains
that an average adult needs between 7.5 and 8 hours of sleep per night,
but does note that some people can function with 6 hours of sleep,
while others need 9 or more. To determine how much sleep you should be
getting each night, the National Sleep Foundation suggests experimenting
with your hours of sleep and assessing how you feel each morning.
Make
note of whether you are productive and happy when you get seven hours
of sleep; if you aren’t, bump it up to 7.5 hours, and continue doing so
until you begin to feel energized and healthy throughout the day. If you
have trouble sleeping, Gaiam Life recommends
trying relaxation techniques, such as yoga and meditation, before going
to bed. Eating a small snack, like whole grain cereal with milk,
oatmeal, or cherries, can also help, and it’s important to keep your
room dark and free of electronics. If you can’t imagine going to bed an
hour or two earlier each night, start small. Go to bed 5 or 10 minutes
earlier for a week or two and gradually increase the time. Once you
notice the boost in your energy and mood, you won’t want to go back to
feeling sleep deprived!
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