HACK YOUR WAY TO HEALTHY
For those of us who are looking to make small, gradual adjustments to our lifestyle to promote health and wellness, here are a few tips & tricks to hack your way to a healthier lifestyle without even realizing it!
1) Carry water with you. Simply by having water available to you, you will drink more throughout the day. Even though you won't consciously be increasing your intake, the extra water will flush your system to help you drop some of that stubborn weight. Can't carry a water bottle with you all day? No problem! Just have a few glasses before bedtime to achieve the same benefits.
2) Park in the back of parking lots. Although this may seem like a trivial adjustment, the extra distance you log in walking will help you get fit. Over the long run, each 100 ft trip can add up to a major accomplishment. Plus, your car will stay pristine!
3) Don't keep tempting foods in your pantry. We all know the feeling; you go to the pantry looking for an innocent snack, but those chips or those cookies are begging us to eat them. You can't help it! Your blood sugar is low and your body knows that tasty snack will get your levels back up. But what is doesn't know is that those carbs or that sugar will spike your insulin levels leaving you feeling tired and bloated later. If you don't keep it in the house, it won't tempt you!
4) Never go to the grocery store hungry. This is SO important! Hunger is our body's way of telling ourselves that we need to refuel. When we let ourselves get too hungry, our blood sugar drops and we begin to crave unhealthy foods. Going to the store hungry means going to the store with low blood sugar and being swayed by our body's cravings rather than what's really good for us. When you go grocery shopping satiated, you are able to think more clearly and make better, healthier decisions.
5) Find an active hobby. Being active doesn't have to be a chore. Activities like tennis, golf, or even sightseeing can be entertaining ways to raise your heart rate. If you enjoy it, you are more likely to not only continue the habit, but also to not associate it with another item on your to-do list.
6) Sleep in. Sleep is key in maintaining ideal hormone levels. When we get enough sleep, we lower our cortisol and epinephrine levels which allow us to keep off pounds and prevent us from craving carbs.