When I graduated from college, I felt great about most things, but my health wasn’t one of them.
After a year of restrictive calorie counting and excessive cardio, I felt frustrated. I knew I couldn’t maintain those habits forever.
I didn’t realize at the time, though, that those habits weren’t even healthy.
I was probably eating enough calories, but they were coming from the wrong sources. Running is good for you, but not when you suffer from chronic shin splints and fatigue.Luckily, in the few weeks I had between graduating and starting my job, I discovered the power of small changes—little things I could tweak about my lifestyle and my attitude one at a time. I felt cautiously optimistic at first; I knew I wasn’t doing much, but I also felt far less frustrated and stressed about my choices.
And two years later, I can say with confidence that these small changes have added up, and I feel the healthiest and happiest I ever have. They are all things I know I can maintain or start up again easily if I have an off day or week. Plus, I know I can continue this for the rest of my life. I can always add in new small changes to make my quality of life better.
Here are the changes that have worked best for me. Some are new healthy habits, some are changes in the way I approach fitness and nutrition and some are just reality checks that are nice to remember.
Fitness
10 minutes is better than nothing. I used to think that if I didn’t have at least an hour to go to the gym, it wasn’t worth it. But 10 minutes a day can make a big difference.
Yes, I still prefer to have a longer chunk of time to workout, but there are days when that can’t happen. The 7-minute HIIT workout is perfect for those days. I like to do it in the morning right before I shower or when I get home from work before making dinner.Embrace YouTube. You don’t always have to go to the gym or the spin studio or even put on sneakers to get in a good workout. There are so many resources online, and many are free. One of my favorite online instructors is Jessica Smith. Her videos are high energy and easy to follow, and her dog Peanut makes frequent cameos.
Strength training doesn’t have to mean pumping iron. I’m afraid of weights at the gym. I’ll get over this fear someday (a small change for the future, maybe), but in the meantime, body weight exercises are awesome. Sworkit is one of my favorite free apps. It allows you to choose the length and type of workout. Their strength workouts use all bodyweight moves (like pushups, squats and burpees) and it’s easy to follow at home or at the gym.
Start the day with something. And by something, I mean something small—like 10 pushups. That has been my go-to for about the last year, and it’s great to know that if nothing else, I have at least added a little arm strength to my day. You could do 10 squats, 10 burpees, a 30 second plank or if you’re really feeling motivated, a combination of all of the above.
Walk all the time. Walking is my favorite way to get around Boston. I’m lucky to live in a very walkable city. No matter where you live, take advantage of walking opportunities. Get off the subway one stop earlier than you need to and walk the extra half mile. Plan a walking date with your friends. You don’t need a destination! Now that spring is coming, you’ll love the extra outside time anyway.
Nutrition
Sneak in veggies. We all know vegetables are important, but it can be daunting to cram in all your servings at dinner. One of my favorite sneaky ways to add in vegetables is to put shredded carrots in my oatmeal. It sounds gross, but they don’t add a noticeable flavor, and I actually really enjoy the texture. You could also add chopped veggies to your scrambled eggs, make a green smoothie or snack on some baby carrots with your cereal.
Set positive nutrition goals. Instead of saying you will never have sugar, decide that you will have 6 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Or that you will have at least one serving of vegetables with every meal. Or that all of your snacks will be homemade. It’s a lot more fun to build towards a positive accomplishment than it is to dread messing up on a goal based around “never” or “I won’t.”
Start a basic meal prep routine. Meal prep can be incredibly intimidating if you try too much too fast. When I first started meal prepping, all I did was chop some bell peppers and put them in individual baggies. That meant I had at least one vegetable in my lunch bag every day. Other ideas: cook one Crock-Pot recipe you can reheat for dinner, put spinach in Tupperware containers as salad bases so all you have to do is add the toppings, make homemade granola bars or hard-boil eggs. Anything you can make grab-and-go on Sunday will help you make healthier choices during the week.
Figure out your nutritious staples. I don’t try all new recipes every week. I have my go-tos that I always make sure to have in stock. Even if I have nothing else in my fridge, I know I can put together a basic and nutritious meal. For me, those staples include sweet potatoes, spinach, apples, oats, frozen green beans, eggs and salsa. If I have those, I know I can make something quick, healthy and satisfying.
Other
Eat the cookie. Desserts will always be around (as will Netflix, vodka, cheese and other indulgences). Remember, the best thing you can do is to embrace lifestyle changes, not temporary diets. And a world with no cookies is not a world I want to live in.
Accept that it won’t be perfect. There are always going to be people out there eating more vegetables, running more miles, doing more yoga—just doing this “healthy living” thing better than you and better than me. It’s not a comparison game, though. If you’re taking any baby steps to make your life healthier, you are doing the right thing. You are the only one who gets to live in your body, so treat it in a way that makes you feel best. That’s all that really matters in the end.
Feature Photo via We Heart It