Easy Diet Tips

Healthy Bread and Lewis Bakeries offer these tips to lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle:

*Diet and exercise with a group of people to hold each other accountable for meeting goals and to motivate one another.

*Eat small meals throughout the day that include a variety of healthy, low-fat, low-calorie foods.

*Keep a food diary. This will help you keep track of what you are eating and help you cut out bad foods in the future.

*Drink plenty of water. Water is important for flushing toxins out of the body. It can also lessen your appetite by filling you up. Everyone needs different amounts depending on age, exercise level, environment, etc.

The Mayo Clinic suggests drinking 64 ounces of water a day to be safe. Use the 8 x 8 rule to get eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times to remind you to drink more.

*Limit sodas and other high calorie drinks. Check calories and serving size before you buy and ask yourself if you want to sacrifice the calories. Sodas, both diet and regular, provide no nutritional value, only empty calories.

*Be positive. Accept the things that you have no control over and change the things that you can control. Carol Ryff, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison states, “individuals with higher levels of well-being have lower cardiovascular risk, lower levels of stress hormones and lower levels of inflammation, which serves as a marker of the immune system.”

*Get enough sleep. Between seven and eight hours of sleep is optimal for the average adult according to the Mayo Clinic. However, some people need more or less depending on age, activity level, etc.

*Move! Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. To lose weight aim for 60-90 minutes a day. Time can be split during different parts of the day, but make sure they are at least 10 minutes.

1.Wear a pedometer to track your steps—get at least 8,500 steps a day
2.Take the stairs instead of the elevator
3.Park far away at the back of the parking lot and walk to your destination
4.Clean the house or wash the car
5.Use a push mower to mow the lawn
6.Take the whole family on a bike ride
7.Go on a nature walk
8.Ask a co-worker to go on a walk during your break
9.Limit how much television you watch per day and get moving

*Individuals should consult a health care provider for help in designing a safe physical activity program.

Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the President’s Challenge, USA Today