Top Health Tips for 2011

  Live Healthy Now

With January comes the same old promise—this year I'll get in shape! While some of us succeed in living healthier, most of us make the attempt for a few weeks and slowly slide into our old habits. As childhood obesity becomes a world-wide epidemic, it's more important than ever to take our health seriously. Our children are watching us, and what they see could have serious effects on their health.

Maximum Effect for Minimum Effort

Let's face it, setting goals and keeping them is hard. That's why so many of us are miserably bad at doing it. Fortunately, there are some small steps that anyone can take that have big benefits. Choose a few of the following health tips, and you'll be well on your way to making a serious change for the better in 2011.

• Cut out Soda: Soda, flavored coffees and fruit juice are full of empty calories. By switching to water or unsweetened tea, you'll drop about five pounds in a year. The weight loss can be even more dramatic in some cases. If you can't live without a little caffeine, choose diet drinks and take your coffee black.
• Switch to Whole Grains: It's no secret that whole grains are healthy. The fiber, trace minerals, iron and complex carbohydrates found in whole grains fuel the body and help you feel full longer. While most of us have no problem eating whole grain bread, we need to think about other grains we eat as well. Make the switch to whole grain breakfast cereal, pasta and rice. Also, try incorporating new grains into your diet including bulgur, quinoa and barley.
• Exercise in Spurts: Not everyone can find an hour a day to exercise, but finding 15 minutes may be easier. While the body will benefit most from 45 minutes to an hour of solid, vigorous exercise, similar benefits can come from smaller workouts spread throughout the day. By taking four 15 minute exercise breaks throughout the day you can get a full workout in without any major adjustments to your schedule.
• Lose a Few Pounds: If you are seriously overweight, the task of loosing dozens of pounds may seem insurmountable. The fact is, even losing a few pounds can have enormous and immediate health benefits. A good goal to shoot for is to lose 5% of your current body weight. By starting out small, you're more likely to feel encouraged and keep going.
• Eat Your Veggies: Vegetables are the missing ingredient from far too many diets. Part of the reason is that they aren't as convenient as processed snack foods that are so readily available. Even if you don't need to lose weight, eating more fruits and vegetables is important because they are a natural source of disease-fighting nutrition. Make a goal to eat a serving of fruits or vegetables with every meal in addition to the ones you already eat. For most people, this is as simple as grabbing an apple at breakfast, some carrot sticks for lunch, and adding a salad to dinner.

Implement any one of these tips and you'll see a dramatic improvement in your health. Try them all and you'll have made a very serious commitment towards your longevity and quality of life. Best of all, when your children see the healthy choices you're making, they'll want to make changes too.