My message has always been that health changes do not have to be (and probably should not be) drastic to be effective. Many people assume that to improve their health they must spend five days a week at the gym and cut all foods out of their diet that they love. By making this assumption you may be setting yourself up for failure.
I was recently reading responses on a health message board to the question, “What small changes have you made that have worked?” I loved reading what people wrote because most of them are simple things. The one thing I noticed is that while there were some items that repeated themselves (drinking more water) most of the things were unique to each person. The message here is to find what works best for you, then go out and do it.
You should also make sure that the change(s) you make are ones that you can live with for the rest of your life. There is no point in changing a habit that you will want to go back to later. If you are ready to take control of your health, think of one or two small things that you can begin to change today.
If you are not sure where to start, some of these suggestions may help you. All of them are from people who are succeeding at getting healthier. What works for some may not work for all.
• Switch from half and half to skim milk in your morning coffee
• Ride your bike to work rather than taking the bus or driving
• Only steam or grill your meat
• Eat off of smaller plates
• Drink less soda
• Drink more water
• Eat more fruit and vegetables
• Get 8 hours of sleep
• Write down what you eat
• Step up the intensity of your workouts
• Improve your attitude toward yourself
• Set
SMART goals
• Cut back on processed food
• Eat slower
Rachel Lukasavige is a Health Coach at Lukas Coaching. Visit
www.lukascoaching.com/resources.htm for a ton of free tools to help you improve your health, finances, business, career & life!
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