Now that its June, I am gearing up for summer and want to share some of my health tips to get you started on creating a healthier lifestyle, no matter what day it is.
1. Download one of the super cool fitness apps to help you with an in-home workout routine. Remember, you don’t need a lengthy workout plan to achieve heart-healthy benefits and anything you do will be much better than sitting on the couch! I love Zova. Target any part of your body with short circuit routines. Each between 5 and 10 minutes. An example of a combination of exercises that help tone my body is a series of jumping jacks, squats, calf raises, and floor dips in 45-second intervals. Try it!
2. Avoid packaged and processed foods. Shop the perimeter of the supermarket-avoiding the middle only for oatmeal and sugarless cereals. And read labels for hidden ingredients. If a product contains more than five ingredients and you can’t spell most of them, leave it behind.
3. Limit your sugar intake. I say this in every cooking class. IT’s hard to avoid sugar altogether, especially if you have a sweet tooth like me. Start by taking small steps: ask for your coffee drink with no sugar or syrups added. Avoiding high fructose corn syrup is really key in helping you shed the pounds. The singer Adele used to have 12 cups of tea per day with 2 sugar cubes in each. After a new weight loss program that included (among other things) the sugar in her tea, she lost 30 pounds-just sayin.’
4. Get enough sleep. This has been my problem for a while now and I’m finally getting enough sleep and feeling better. I try to be in bed by 10 and lights out by 10:30p. This is hard when your hubby is a night owl, but we are doing it together. Another contributor to my good nights rest-a dark room. We used to leave our blinds up at night and now we close them all the way. It’s made such a difference in my sleep. Figure out what it is that settles you down and brings you peace right before bed. This could be essential oil diffusions that fill your room with scent or stretching. Find what works for you and stick with it.