Little things

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9 years 3 months ago #173425 by
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I need to be healthier, I know that. I want to work on that but I don't always have time to do things like go to the gym or do home workout DVDs. One thing that I came up with was thinking of little things to add to or alter in my regular routine to make it a healthier one. I figured that if they didn't change my daily life that much that it would be easier to stick to them as they'd integrate easier.

These are some of the things I came up with.
  • Park further away in parking lots
  • Always take the stairs if it's less than five floors or I'm not carrying anything large and/or heavy
  • I bought a reusable water bottle (with a filter in it!)
  • I bought one of those hand grip strengtheners (no idea of the proper name) and use it while at work
  • I eat my meal from healthiest food to least healthy and I eat all of each item as I go. Leaves less room for the least healthy things.
  • If I'm bored in my office I get up and walk around, go visit coworkers, etc.
  • I have some small hand weights by my spot on the couch. Randomly I'll do some curls or something else with them while watching TV.
These things won't give me drastic results, but they help on days when I can't get to the gym or when I let my diet slip.

Are there little things that you do to make you're everyday routine healthier?

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9 years 3 months ago #173429 by J_Roz
Replied by J_Roz on topic Little things
I am trying to do a lot of little things :D

One of them is cutting out sugar almost entirely from our diet. My husband is diabetic and that darn plain white cane sugar is really awful. Instead I use honey and maple syrup to sweeten almost everything, even my coffee. I find I don't drink as much coffee and everything truly does taste better without the huge sugar crashes. I can't let go of coffee though, or chocolate but chocolate is only a very rare treat now.

I also banned myself from drinking soda with HFCS and caramel color. It will be a year the end of December siince I have had a coke/pepsi/any cola type soft drink. Occasionally I will still have a ginger ale/sprite for tummy troubles and I have had some mountain dew to help with migraines but that is it.

I also cut out ALL fast food. I have had no actual fast food in a year too. End of December is the one year anniversary. I walk my dogs at least twice a day, try to be active on my wii and ride my horses as often as I can.

I also am an active gardener. My long time goal is to be able to produce enough food to go an entire year until the next crops come in. I've gotten about 6-8 months. So I'm not too far off in my goal, the food is amazing, and it continues to encourage me to be outside and active.

Those are just a few things I have done.

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9 years 3 months ago #173438 by
Replied by on topic Little things
I've got an office job, and it's easy to be lazy.

One strategy I use to combat laziness is I make playlists of songs on my computer that last about an hour. When the playlist ends, I get up and walk around the office. I'll check in on fellow employees, check my mailbox, and use the restroom if I have to. When I return to my desk, I drink a big glass of water and fire up the next playlist.

I miss a few walks when I get busy, but it really helps to remind me to get up and move. My coworkers have started calling this strategy "MBWA" meaning "Managing By Walking Around". It keeps them on their toes too, which is an added bonus :cheer:

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9 years 3 months ago #173439 by Edan
Replied by Edan on topic Little things
I have an office job but the filing room, the photocopier and the offices for both my bosses are on the upstairs floor... I actually don't get to sit down as much at work as I'd like, I'm always running up and down the stairs to confirm things, finding files, helping other colleagues. It does make for reasonable exercise at work though.

Otherwise I try and make sure I have a walk during lunch.. get out into the fresh air and into real light!

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9 years 3 months ago #173452 by
Replied by on topic Little things
I also have an office job. I work 10-12 hours shifts 5 days a week and that makes it difficult to get to the gym as much as I'd like. Granted, I'm military and my office building is populated with mostly military or prior military so it makes my solution easier because nobody looks at me funny, but every hour I do 30 pushups. Usually I just knock em out all at once, but sometimes I do 15 then wait a few minutes and do 15 more. I also make sure to limit how much I eat at work. I bring food with very low fat content so that I can eat the good stuff when I know I'll be a bit more active. If you have a coworker that also wants to be healthier, maybe challenge them to a pushup contest. See who can do the most pushups each day (or every other day) from the time you start work to the time you end it. Loser buys drinks or something.

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9 years 3 months ago #174430 by Hitira38
Replied by Hitira38 on topic Re:Little things
Not to intrude but how old are you?

HN

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9 years 3 months ago - 9 years 3 months ago #174701 by Cyan Sarden
Replied by Cyan Sarden on topic Little things

Goken wrote: I need to be healthier,

Are there little things that you do to make you're everyday routine healthier?


I'm in the same boat as you. I bought one of those fitness trackers (Jawbone Up24) - and found out that I was nowhere near the recommended 10'000 steps-a-day goal (I maybe get to 6000 on a busy day). I'm a teacher and walk around all the time (in the classroom, from classroom to classroom, I never take the elevator etc. and it still wasn't enough). So one of the things you can do is just walk more - from your car to the office probably won't cut it. I've started walking around the building 2-3 times during lunch break, that really helps to get the count up. Food-wise, there are a few things I'll be trying after the Christmas food-frenzy (I got these from a gym teacher who also does nutrition counseling):

- substitute carbs with protein. No need to go all-out Atkins here, but instead of eating high-carb snacks in between etc, eat low-fat chicken breast, tofu snacks or (if you don't have a fridge at work) dried meats (chicken jerky etc.). Don't eat carbs at night. Protein will keep you from getting hungry.

- try to sleep longer (people who sleep enough apparently weigh less on average)

- focus on muscle mass and, if you want to exercise, choose a mixed exercise program. Doing too much endurance training will get you fit but will lead to your body storing every bit of fat it can get its hands on

- eat your five a day (don't substitute juice for fruits - juice is sugar water)

- don't drink soda (neither sugared nor diet versions). Refined sugar intake should be kept to a minimum. On top of that, sodas contain some really nasty stuff, such as sodium benzoate etc. Diet soda doesn't work in reducing body fat and contains additional nastiness (aspartame and other controversial artificial sweeteners).

- One day per week: ignore all of the above and eat whatever you want. That way you'll keep your body from going into emergency-mode and immediately storing everything you throw at it, messing up your diet.

Cyan

Do not look for happiness outside yourself. The awakened seek happiness inside.
Last edit: 9 years 3 months ago by Cyan Sarden.
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