12 Easy Ways To Be Healthier

I’m not a health expert, but I do try to stay healthy and I found these tips to be really helfpul:

1) Drink Less Soda(or none at all!)

To put it simply, drinking soda is like drinking liquid sugar. Imagine filling a soda can almost full of sugar, then drinking it. That’s what you’re doing every time you have soda.
Sugar isn’t the only bad thing though. The acids in soda will eat away at your tooth enamel over time, causing tooth decay. There have been studies conducted proving a link between soda consumption and tooth decay.
Soda also has an addictive property to it. It’s full of caffeine! We’ve all seen how attached to coffee some people can get. Well, the same thing can happen with soda. It also doesn’t quench your thirst at all. The sodium and carbonation actually just make  you thirstier!
Over time, soda consumption can also lead to things like obesity, tooth decay, caffeine dependence, and bone weakening.

So resist the soda! Grab a water instead!

2) Pay Attention to Sodium Content

“A teaspoon of salt contains about 2,300 milligrams of sodium, and the amount recommended by most organizations is between 1,500 to 2,400 milligrams a day. It’s easy to consume twice as much per day, and many Americans do so, averaging from 2,500 to 5,000 milligrams a day.”

Click Here to learn more about the sodium content of everyday foods. This article is very informative!

3) Don’t Eat Until You Get A Food Baby Every Time

We’ve all done it, and we do it too much. Mom makes your favorite dinner, and you just can’t stop eating! Before you know it you have a “food baby”, or that extra little gut you can’t get rid of for a day or two. So when you’re eating a meal or even just snacking, know when to stop. You can tell if you’re too full to eat anymore, or if you’ll be too full IF  you eat anymore. It’ll take some will power at first, but after awhile you’ll prefer the smaller portions.

4) Snack on Fruits and Veggies, Instead of Junk Food

Instead of grabbing for the chips, grab something healthier. A very nutritious snack(and one of my favorites) is to cut up an apple, and eat it with peanut butter. It’s delicious, and it gives you a healthy energy boost if eaten before exercising. Some other good snacks are carrot sticks, celery, any type of berry, cut up cantaloupe, bananas(also delicious with peanut butter!), dried cranberries, or grapes(try freezing them).

5) Walk Your Dogs

It’s an easy way to get in some exercise and get your pet out of the house at the same time. If you think it’s boring, try changing up the route you take, going for longer walks each time, or even taking your dog to the park to walk around there!

6) Hang Out At The Park With Friends

On nice days, get a group together to go to the park! You can play football, basketball, frisbee, volleyball, soccer, just walk around, or even play on the playground! Being outside with your friends is always a good time, and you’ll be burning calories by moving around.

7) Go Swimming A Lot!

Who doesn’t love swimming? The water resistance is a good work out for your muscles, which in turn burns calories. Try different water games like Chicken and Marco Polo. Chicken is where you get into pairs and one person gets on their partner’s shoulders. Then the people on top try to make the other people fall over. The last pair standing wins! And I think we all know how to play Marco Polo!

8) Eat Breakfast

Even if it’s just a bagel or some fruit, eating a good breakfast can significantly help you lose weight. When you eat a little something(preferably a healthy something) in the morning, it gets your digestive system going. That way, by the time you eat lunch, your body is ready and waiting to process the nutrients. Not only that, but eating breakfast will help you wake up. Watch out for sugary breakfast foods though! Go for whole grain cereals, granola bars, or fruit.

9) Drink Water

Over half of the human body is made up of water, but it can get depleted easily, especially in the hot summer. If you’re going to be outside for extended periods of time, be sure to drink plenty of water beforehand. It wouldn’t hurt to take a water bottle with you either. The same goes for exercising. The more water you drink beforehand, the less dehydrated you’ll feel during and after you work out. Water can also help curb your hunger between meals if you don’t have a snack!

10) Look At The Serving Size

You’d be surprised by how small some servings are meant to be, especially on things like cereal and pasta. Simply eating the recommended serving size will help a lot.

11) Get Your Whole Grains

This can be easy and it’s really good for you! It’s as easy as looking for the words “whole grain” on certain food items. Try it in breads, cereals, granola bars, crackers, rice, pasta, and tortillas.  The USDA recommends that we get 3 servings of whole grains a day. Unfortunately, the average American only gets 1 serving a day. Whole grains are a good source of fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

12) Research!

Don’t be afraid to look online for even more, better, and more specific health tips for what you want. The internet is full of useful information, but also has a lot of phony websites. Just be sure you’re on a legitimate website when getting something as important as tips for your body.

Check out this awesome link about the 5 foods you should eat every day. It has some surprising facts about foods that you may already love!

The 5 Foods You Should Eat Everyday