Saturday, May 7, 2011

Steps I (Try) to Take to Live Healthier

It’s almost that time of year again - summer! I find that nothing makes me think more about getting fit and healthy than bathing suit season. Here‘s some things that I try to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle:

Drink Lots of Water
Water is important to keep you healthy, and it helps keep your skin and hair looking great too. I always try to drink the recommended amount of water each day.  I have my pretty Reduce water bottles and using then helps me keep track of how much water I'm drinking.

Watch Portion Sizes
My daughter has been studying food labels and was shocked to discover the portion sizes listed on packages. A bag of chips that she was thinking of as one serving was actually three. That adds up to a ton of extra calories that you don‘t even realize that you are taking in.

Here’s my favorite tip for watching portion size: For a couple of meals, use a measuring cup to measure out the serving sizes to be able to see what an actual serving sizes look like on your plate. (You can find serving sizes online) I think restaurant portions have really changed our view of what we think a serving size is. And for me just knowing what a ½ cup serving of something looks like on a plate helps when filling my plate.

Never Eat Directly From the Bag/Box
Another thing I do related to portion sizes is when snacking, I never eat from the bag/box; it’s way to easy to eat way more than you intended. The rule at our house is that if you are snacking, you always get a bowl. That way you eat the amount you meant to, and getting more requires the conscious decision and the effort of getting up to refill your bowl.


Be Happily Active
We all know that you have to be active to stay healthy. The secret is finding something active that you enjoy doing. If you don’t enjoy the exercise you are doing, it’s really hard to motivate yourself to actually do it. Find something you enjoy, whether its running around with the kids, playing tennis with a friend, or taking a class in something. If you enjoy it, it will be easy to keep it up.

Find Balance
One of the things that I think is very important is to find a balance. I don’t cut anything out of my diet completely. To me denying yourself something is the fastest way to obsess over it and then overdo it once the obsession breaks your willpower. I eat chips and ice cream, but in small amounts. Satisfying, yet keeps the empty calories to a minimum.

If you have any tips that work for you to keep fit and healthy, please share them with us in a comment. I’m always looking for helpful ideas because, really, how great would it be to be fit and healthy all year long and to be able to say: “Swim suit season? Bring it on!”

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