Get Started
Getting started is usually the hardest part for most people. But it can be done in “baby steps.” For instance, if you are watching TV, start by just standing during the commercials. That’s right. You can watch your favorite show and just stand during the commercials. This simple act of movement can get you started. Then you can stand on one leg, lift soup cans, take small walks around the room. Anything is a help. Just get up! Even better is to use commercials as time to do things. Go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, walk to another room and back. If you have a two-story house, walk up one flight of stairs and down. They are finding that these simple movements can really add up over time. For extra credit you could do a few push-ups and sit-ups during this time. If you were watching an hour long program, you could even promise yourself to move during the commercials of the first half hour and just stand during the second half hour.

This doesn’t have to be rocket science. It is very simple. The benefits of exercise have been listed and studied for decades. What the scientists are finding now is that ANY movement is a help. There are statistics that say you can even lose x amount of pounds in a year just by doing these simple movements and nothing else. Of course if you see the pounds start coming off, even slowly, one would hope you would be motivated to do something else. Everyone has heard about someone who lost a ton of weight simply by starting to walk around the block and then progressed to marathons! People don’t have to carry it that far. Maybe you don’t even want to or care to lose a lot of weight but just want to be healthier. This is the place to start. Now stand up!

Eat Healthy
Eating healthfully is another concern of people. This does get tricky. One day you will read in the news or hear on TV, that a certain food is good for you. Then a week later you might hear that it is bad for you. What is a person to do? Again, this isn’t that difficult. Fruits and vegetables should be the first line of defense. The goal is to try to get some servings of each every single day. Two to three servings of fruit and three to five of vegetables is ideal. Not many people can do that every day. Here are some easy ways to do this. Who doesn’t love a fruit smoothie in the morning? If you don’t, then have it for lunch. Anyway, take a small container of low-fat yogurt, a handful of blueberries, strawberries, and a half of a banana. Blend them together in the blender. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top and enjoy. If you need to crunch something, have a piece of whole-wheat or rye bread. You have just gotten your fruit servings for the day. For lunch have a salad (probably two servings of vegetables) and a high-fiber brownie. For dinner maybe some grilled chicken, green beans, half of a baked potato and you’re there. You have reached your fruit and vegetable servings without a lot of pain. For snacks think a handful of nuts and another fruit or vegetable. Even a small can of V-8 can be a vegetable serving. You don’t need to shun carbs or eat nothing but soup. It can be done very easily if you just do a little planning.

To be Beautiful?
Ahhh, beauty. Who doesn’t want to be beautiful? The above steps of exercise and healthful eating are two great places to start. Exercise can give your skin a glow and the fruits and vegetables can help to keep your skin clear. Another thing that will help keep your skin clear is to drink a lot of pure water. Yes, people have said that you don’t have to drink 8 glasses a day as used to be “prescribed.” But water does so many things. It can keep you regular (which will definitely help with the skin) and replace other maybe not so good for you beverages. We Americans drink so many useless calories per day. That is a big part of all of our problems. Maybe, if you are serious about a health overhaul, you can make a deal with yourself. You know, little promises. If you exercise 3 times a week, then you get to buy a favorite lipstick. Remember we are talking baby steps here. If you ran a marathon, then we would consider a new wardrobe! If you exercise 3 times a week and reach your fruit and veggie servings 5 days, then a movie it is. Speaking of movies, of course you wouldn’t eat that fat laden popcorn. But a good snack to make at home is popcorn. Dr. Oz endorses it as an approved snack IF you make it a certain way. Put popcorn in a plain brown paper bag. Microwave it. Then put it in a bowl and spray butter-flavored Pam over it. Then top it off with plain salt or kettle corn salt or, as Dr. Oz says garlic salt. You can have 3 and a half cups of this compared to just 9 potato chips calorie wise. That sounds like a pretty good deal. The idea is that if you want to get healthier, start by making some SMALL changes. They can add up to a new and improved you.

I have been making small changes with my friend, who is in school learning how to become a project manager, and we have made some great changes.

Healthy
Now that the kids are out of school for the summer, it will be up to you to make them healthier meals and snacks. You do not want them to be eating all that bread or too many deep fried foods because these are not good for them. So what will you give them? For breakfast, why not try giving them some fresh fruit? You could give them strawberries with whipped cream and some cereal. If your children aren’t too big on cereal, you could opt to make them fluffy pancakes and put the strawberries and cream on top of the pancakes. This certainly is a far better alternative than soaking the pancakes in heavy syrup. You just want to make sure that whatever they eat is balanced so that it provides them with a good start for the day. If they get hungry throughout the day there are many types of nutritious snacks that you could give them. Carrot sticks and celery sticks with dressing are a great option. Some tortilla chips with either hummus or guacamole are also a great choice because they are tasty and fast. You may find that the guacamole even comes in 100 calorie packs.

Dinner
For dinner, there are many options! You should always make your family something with protein in it because their bodies will depend on that. Hamburgers on the grill are a great meal! If you want to have some fresh sides with your hamburgers, try cutting up some summer squash and steaming it. Corn on the cob is another great side and you will find that it is so delicious, you won’t even have to butter it. A salad is always a great choice as well. Try to use spinach rather than lettuce for added nutrition.

Staying healthy can be hard, especially during the school year, but it doesn’t have to be! Now that the summer is coming, you can learn how to become a nutritionist for your family and make them healthy meals that they will enjoy so much. Take advantage of the fresh fruits and vegetables that are now in season and try to provide some fresh produce at all meals. You will also find that there are so many creative ways to provide these fruits and veggies to your kids if they are picky. Enjoy the summer and enjoy the healthier eats that are now available to you!

It’s all about health, fitness, and exercise!