All Arc, All the Time

New year, new you.  We hear that phrase all the time but did you know that with just a little dedication and work on your part, it can be true?  Healthy living starts with one simple thing, a decision to change your life.  For a lot of people, it takes a life changing event, such as a health problem, to start making better healthy choices but making that choice before something goes wrong puts you at least one step ahead of everyone else.

Here are just a few tips to help you get started on your journey this year:

• Start small, little changes can make a huge difference
  • Say bye to sugar filled sodas and drinks.  Most soft drinks provide a diet or “no sugar” option that have a very similar taste.  I personally started with Coke Zero.  Try half regular and half no calorie until you adjust.
  • Turn that smoke break into a walk break.  Even if it’s cold outside, take a few minutes to get up and walk the halls of your building.  Any activity level increase can and will make a difference.
  • Look at the calorie counts of your food.  Most restaurants now list the number of calories in your meal.  Start adding them up, it may make the way you order totally different.
• Stay committed
  • Any activity that you want to remain constant in your life must be repeated.  Stay committed to living healthy.  It won’t all be easy but the end results are worth the small challenges.
  • Partner up!  Having an accountability partner can make a huge difference in your success.  Talk to each other at least once a week and use that time to encourage or challenge your partner in their healthy living walk.

One of the hardest parts of healthy living is “sticking with it”.  Many times, we succeed at major weight loss but then fall back into our old habits and routines, regaining much of the weight we worked so hard to lose.  Here are just a few tips to help you stay on track with healthier living.

• It’s a lifestyle, not a diet – Don’t treat eating healthy as a “diet”.  Dieting makes it seem like a chore and you are less likely to stay on track.  Living and eating healthy really is about changing your mindset and moving to a new lifestyle of making better choices about the foods we eat and the activities we participate in.
• Have a positive attitude – Dreading the gym or going on a walk isn’t going to help.  Think of your exercise time as a chance to break away from your day to day stresses and relax your mind.  Look at your times of exercise as relaxation, not a chore.
• Rely on and encourage others – Support groups are a great way to help keep you on track and your healthy choices may also lead to a lifestyle change for others.  One of the greatest rewards of my losing 100 lbs was one of my coworkers at our Dallas office also doing the same after he saw me!

• It’s a lifestyle, not a diet – Don’t treat eating healthy as a “diet”.  Dieting makes it seem like a chore and you are less likely to stay on track.  Living and eating healthy really is about changing your mindset and moving to a new lifestyle of making better choices about the foods we eat and the activities we participate in.
• Have a positive attitude – Dreading the gym or going on a walk isn’t going to help.  Think of your exercise time as a chance to break away from your day to day stresses and relax your mind.  Look at your times of exercise as relaxation, not a chore.
• Rely on and encourage others – Support groups are a great way to help keep you on track and your healthy choices may also lead to a lifestyle change for others.  One of the greatest rewards of my losing 100 lbs was one of my coworkers at our Dallas office also doing the same after he saw me.

Getting up and moving around is not only a part of a basic exercise routine but it can also increase your focus and attention.  Stanford researchers found that walking boosts creative inspiration. They examined creativity levels of people while they walked versus while they sat. A person’s creative output increased by an average of 60 percent when walking¹.  Most of us sit at a desk all day so how can we incorporate walking into our job?  There are a couple of options to help you get up and moving throughout your day.

• Replace smoke breaks with walking breaks – Take advantage of your morning and afternoon break by taking a quick walk.  You can easily fit in at least half a mile by walking 10-15 minutes, event at a slower pace.  If it’s nice outside, a quick couple of laps around the parking lot make a great escape from the indoors.  If the weather isn’t so nice, most buildings have hallways that allow for easy walking loops.
• Try a walking meeting – Having a meeting that doesn’t require you to take notes, walk it out!  A walking meeting is great for meetings with 1-2 people or a phone conference that you could dial into from your cell phone.  (Just keep in mind if you’re discussing sensitive information, the office still may be a better choice.)

¹Source: Stanford News 04/24/14

Many people believe that you have to make huge sacrifices to lose weight.  In some cases that’s true but, for most people, a small change in your lifestyle can make a huge impact on weight loss and healthy living.  Here are a few tips you can use to help spark your weight loss fire.

• Cut or reduce your sugar intake – The biggest area that most of us can cut our sugar intake very easily is by cutting out the sugary sodas.  Diet drinks have come a long way in taste and many of them have almost the exact same taste as their high octane counterparts.  If you’re a Coke lover, try Coke Zero or Pepsi, give Pepsi Max a try.  You can even ease yourself off of the full calorie equivalents by mixing the two together until you’ve reached the point you’re on the no sugar version.  For cooking, try a sugar substitute such as Truvia.  Once you’ve gotten used to them, you really don’t miss the taste.
• Do something with those smoke breaks – During lunch or one of your morning or afternoon breaks, take a walk.  Even a small increase in your physical activity can show results.
• Hydrate – Drinking water not only helps keep our system clean but also can help boost your metabolism and decrease hunger.

Calories don’t count, right?  Well actually they do!  Besides being active, one of the easiest ways to help to lose or maintain weight is by tracking your caloric intake.  Technology has really made this easy for us.  There are numerous apps for your smartphone that make tracking your caloric intake simple.

One of those apps is called “myfitnesspal.”  Myfitnesspal allows you to enter your start weight and the weight you’re trying to reach and then recommends a maximum daily caloric intake.  The app also maintains an enormous list of foods to help you track those calories.  If your smartphone is equipped with the right sensors the app will also track your steps!

So give it a try.  The app is free and what do you have to lose (except those pesky extra pounds)!