Taking just one “small step” to improve your lifestyle choices can drastically enhance your health.
Here’s an example: to prevent weight gain of one pound a year, eat ten calories less per day on average. Here’s another example. Walk one – half mile five days a week for three months to burn the calories found in one pound of body weight.
One small food choice change that improves health is to eat breakfast more regularly. Eating breakfast helps you have energy to start your day.
What is the simple formula? Pair carbs with proteins. The carbs give your body energy to get started and your brain the fuel it needs to take on the day. Protein gives you staying power and helps you feel full until your next meal.
In addition, adding more whole grains to your diet. Whole grains are packed with nutrients including protein, fiber, B vitamins, antioxidants, and trace minerals (iron, zinc, copper, and magnesium). A diet rich in whole grains has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some forms of cancer
Next, you might snack more often on fruits and vegetables instead of selecting foods high in added salt or sugar. You might choose to read the Nutrition Facts labels on foods; replace most soft drinks with fat free milk; add cooked legumes to salads; or replace 80-percent lean ground beef with 95-percent lean.
Similar to making gradual improvements in food selections, being more physically active enhances well-being. You might begin to walk during part of your lunch hour, or park a little farther away from your office and stores. Over time, you could increase the minutes per week spent in planned physical activity sessions, such as stretching, using light hand-held weights or bicycling.
Recent research confirms that losing ten pounds of excess body weight and getting 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise, such as walking, greatly reduces the risk of getting type 2 diabetes, or at least postpone the risk.
The first step in this change process: Be aware that you don’t have to make lots of changes in food selections and physical activity all at once. That can lead to feeling overwhelmed. Instead, start by improving just one or two of your lifestyle choices. Nudge your food and physical activity habits toward better health. You can expect measurable benefits to your health and quality of life.
