The key to staying healthy: Celebrate smaller steps!
| 2 min read
Between long work hours, family obligations, and weekend trips to Lake Michigan, it can be difficult to find time to complete a full workout or to cook every meal from scratch. But that doesn’t mean you haven’t made progress toward your health goals! There are many simple choices you can make throughout a day that add up to a big health boost.
That’s why you should aim to stop focusing on the healthy tasks you didn’t do and instead start celebrating the wholesome choices you did make. Below are just a few of the little things that you can celebrate:
- You walked to work or took the stairs: Though less intense than sprinting on a treadmill, walking and climbing stairs can provide quick and effective cardio and lower body exercise in a pinch. In fact, just two to three minutes of climbing stairs a day can be enough to kick start your metabolism and burn calories.
- You ate breakfast: Studies show that eating breakfast before you start your day’s tasks can make you healthier and more productive. Plus a morning meal can help you avoid common diet pitfalls throughout the day.
- You stood up while on a conference call: During the week, some people spend as much as 12 hours a day sitting down. This lack of activity can lead to excess blood glucose levels and potentially increase risk for diabetes and heart disease. By standing, you burned calories and probably felt more alert and productive.
- You substituted water for your typical third cup of coffee: While drinking a cup or two of coffee a day can keep you alert, overdoing it might make you feel more anxious or irritable. Plus, those extra creamers and sweeteners mean additional fat and sugar for your diet. Going for a glass of cold water will help you stay hydrated and energized.
- You snacked on fruit: It may seem like common sense, but don’t forget that all of those high-calorie office snacks can start to add up around your waistline. Instead of digging into the candy jar to satisfy the two o’clock sweet tooth, noshing on an orange or banana boosts your energy without the refined sugar.
- You took a different route home: It can be easy after a long day of work to switch off during your commute home. But by taking an alternative route or mode of transportation, you keep your brain sharp and boost memory and mental processing. Now that’s a productive commute!
Photo credit: Michael McCauslin
