Realistic "Get Healthy" Tips

In a fantasy world, we could all just work out to our heart's content, only have healthy foods in our lives, always feel stress-free, and sleep until we woke up on our own. Unfortunately, it is quite the opposite.

I want to give you some ideas of how to realistically add more healthy habits to your life.

Let's start with exercise:

Walk more! If you don't have a pedometer, you might want to invest in one, just to get a realistic idea of how many steps you really do take in a day. Whatever your starting point, try to increase it first by 2,000 steps, eventually bumping it up by 5,000. How in the world do you get in all those steps? Try to park farther away from your destination and walk fast if you are in a hurry. While you are on the phone, walk around your house and chat. During commercials of your favorite show, get up and walk in place. Better yet, do a few pushups, crunches, and squats.

>Lift weights! No, you will not bulk up and turn into Hulk Hogan. What you will do is get more muscle, which burns fat faster and revs up your metabolism. It is one of the best things you can do for your body. Challenge yourself! Don't be content to lift one or two pound weights, and not even break a sweat. After about 10-15 reps, you should not be able to lift the weight one more time if you are using a hard enough weight. And please, don't be afraid of push-ups! They are awesome, and when you can do them well, you will feel like superwoman!

Let's move on to eating smarter:

No real food is off limits! Now, notice I said real food. Don't eat anything you cannot pronounce. Fuel your body with food that will help it, instead of hurt it. You can eat chocolate. You can eat pizza. You can eat cheese. But, don't go crazy. Eat until right before you are full, and make sure you have included lots of fruit and veggies.

Cook at home more often! I know, I know. You have every excuse in the books about why you can't cook at home. No time, no skills, no creativity. Throw those excuses away and let's talk about all the benefits. First of all, you know what you are eating. Do you even know what is in the food at restaurants? Nope. Also, you are going to burn more calories cooking than you will sitting in a booth waiting for who knows what to be brought to you. Can I say portion control? At home, eat on smaller plates. You can have seconds, but it is proven to help you eat less if you use smaller plates. At restaurants, the portions are monster-size! For healthy recipes, check out www.yourworldnatural.com or www.cinchplan.com/caranitz



Good sleep will help you feel refreshed and energetic:

Gotta get your sleep! If you don't get your seven to eight hours a night, you are putting yourself at risk for heart disease and weakened immunity, not to mention adding to weight gain. You may think you have too much to do, but if you go to bed earlier, you will get twice as much done the next day because you will have gotten enough rest.

Keep distractions out! No TV watching or laptops in bed! You want your bedroom to be a haven, not a reminder of all you have to do. Allow yourself 30 minutes to wind down before shutting off the lights. If you still have trouble sleeping, try counting up to 300 and back down again. That helped me the other night when I felt like I just couldn't get comfortable.

Try adding one of these tips into your life every couple of days, and you will notice a difference, not just in your weight, but in your overall health!