We all want quick fixes right? Truth is – quick-fix promises hardly pan out to work for the long haul. It takes time, consistency, and managing the inevitable ups and downs.
However, there are many “simple” changes that you can make to your day that will lead to a healthier life, and take minimal effort. The following are the 5 favorites that I have implemented myself, used with many of my clients, in-person and online.
1. Drink Minimal Calories
Liquid calories are mostly worthless. At least this is what I have come to think. When it comes to health, high-calorie drinks provide no health value. Soda and juice are pure sugar, leading to blood sugar spikes, crashes, headaches, depressive feelings, insulin mismanagement, and weight gain.
Sports drinks like Gatorade are just sugar with electrolytes – and aren’t needed by most recreational trainees.
Alcohol – yes I drink it – but if we distill it down to the facts (pun intended) – alcohol is a high-calorie toxin.
Minimizing these drinks can be as simple as swapping them out with calorie-free drinks, especially water – and setting some rules for alcohol intake so you aren’t throwing down an extra 400 calories every night.
2. Walk
What is the easiest, most fundamental movement you can do for your health? Walk.
Just get out and walk. Even a 10-minute walk outside can have so many benefits.
- Improves digestion
- Improves heart health
- Improves blood sugar management
- Improves joint health
- Improves blood circulation
- Improves mindset and mood
Seriously, if you don’t already walk once per day, start now – even just 10 minutes can go a long way if you make it a habit.
3. Perform mobility work for 5 minutes
What is mobility work? Essentially it can be anything you choose – moving your body and joints through their normal range of motion.
Wake up, slam a glass of water, and perform a 5-minute mobility session from head to toe. This will get blood flowing, joints lubricated, and help wake you up!
If you are heading into your workout, do some specific mobility work for your workout. Lower body focus? Open your hips, hammies, and ankles.
Going to work the upper body? Open up your chest, mobilize your back and thoracic spine.
4. Eat veggies or fruit at each meal
Yes, even fruit. Produce provides tons of vitamins, minerals, and fiber for keeping our insides nice and healthy. It also fills up a ton of volume with minimal calories, especially vegetables.
Look at a typical dinner of yours. Do you have veggies on the plate? If not, take away half of your carb source and replace it with vegetables. Simple swap, mega savings on calories.
Adding fruits to meals instead of only having a starchy carb will help balance out your meal, balance out your gut health, and fill you up easier on lower-calorie options.
5. Focus on the positive – forget the negative
This is more of a mindfulness practice but can make big changes to your mental, emotional, and even physical health.
Focussing on the negatives, in our day, in our life, and about ourselves can have a serious trickle-down effect on our mind and lead us to start overthinking things, being hard on ourselves, and thus managing these negativities with self-medication – i.e emotional eating.
Instead – remind yourself of all the positives that you have in your life, what can you be thankful for, and what do you have going well for you. I promise that even if you feel like you have none of these things – I promise you do, just think deeper.
The fact that you were born and are reading this is extremely fortunate – the odds of you being born as you are 1 in 400 trillion. So I’d say you are pretty lucky.
Take these 5 tips for what you will – they might not change your life, but they might! If you haven’t tried them, then give them a try and see what happens – I highly doubt that the results will be negative.
If you need help getting started, look no further than online coaching. Training and nutrition! Let me help you find the best plan for you – from anywhere in the world.
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