Being healthy is hard.  It is time consuming. It can be expensive.  For many of us it is an ongoing effort to do something out of our comfort zone.  It takes a long time just to learn what to do. By the time you try to START executing the plan, you are exhausted.  The truth is, being healthy is hard.

Over the years, we have put together a list that we share with our patients that makes things a bit simpler.  This is not a full on workout or meal plan.  These are shortcuts that you can incorporate into your everyday life.

1. Drink two cups of water within 15 minutes of waking up. This is a game changer! Your body is dehydrated when you wake up. This will help get your metabolism going as well!
2. Drink your weight in water.  How much do you weigh? Instead of “lb,” put “oz” and drink that much water each day. Weigh 150 pounds?  Drink 150 ounces of water.  This is hard to do.  You likely won’t do it. But if you try, you may get close.  Effort is everything 🙂
3. Workout first thing in the morning. It is hard to wake up early. However, it is also hard to work out after work.  Doing your exercise first thing in the AM, will get the blood flowing and will bring you confidence throughout the day as you know you got your workout in.
4. Eat 3 meals a day with a few snacks in between. Try to eat balanced meals.  Skipping two meals and then eating all of your calories at dinner is not the way to lose weight.
5. Don’t eat after 8:30 PM. Your body wasn’t built to digest food while you are sleeping.
6. If you sit at a desk, walk every 90 minutes. It is easy to be at the office all day and not move around. Make an effort to get up, even if it’s to walk down the halls.
7. Color your food. Your food should have color in it. I.e. Fruit and vegetables 🙂
8. Eat and drink in moderation. Enough said. It also sounds easy, but it is not.
9. Figure out your goals and execute from there. Half the battle is figuring out what you want for your life.  Audit your food, exercise, and drinking and figure out what you want to accomplish.  Many people go through life without a plan.
10. Take the stairs. I love the elevator, and escalator too! But just going up the stairs is an easy way to burn more calories!