Your Gift This Season
photo credit: Axel Bührmann
During the holidays we are so busy running around to find those perfect gifts for the kids, our parents, our friends, and other loved ones. This season, stop for a moment and consider giving a gift to yourself, specifically to your body.
I encourage you to take some time this week to stop a few times during the day and think about what your body would ask for if it could. Perhaps some more sleep? A nice tall glass of cool, clear water? Maybe a little walk to stretch the muscles and get the heart beating a bit. How about some fresh fruit for fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants!
What could you give your body this season that would do you so much good in the long run? Many of us do not get enough of some necessary healthy elements. Consider what you could do each day to get your body in better shape. Perhaps even make a New Year’s resolution to keep it up! Here are a few simple ideas you can try:
1) Drink an extra two or three glasses of water each day. If you can’t make it up to eight, don’t worry about it. Coming closer will be better than changing nothing!
2) Have an extra serving or two per day of fruits and/or vegetables. They don’t even have to be fresh! Try frozen vegetables or canned fruits. These will give you vitamins A and C, fiber, and other vitamins and minerals, especially the dark green and orange ones.
3) Increase your fiber intake. The pyramid guidelines suggest you start with a goal of half the starches you eat coming from whole grains. This means you don’t have to switch to whole wheat bread, high fiber cereal, and brown rice all at once. Just replace one or two at a time. As you get used to whole-grain pasta and healthier cereals you’ll be giving your body more fiber to help maintain bowel regularity and prevent some types of cancer. And you won’t be suffering because you can still enjoy a few of the refined grains once in a while if you prefer.
4) Exercise. This doesn’t mean jogging if you hate it, or joining a gym if you don’t belong to one. It means finding an activity you enjoy and setting aside 30 to 60 minutes each day to warm up your body, get your blood flowing, and get your heart pumping. It can be walking, dancing, roller-blading or playing a game of ball with your kids. Think back to what physical activity you enjoyed when you were a kid, and chances are you’ll still get a kick out of it.
Those are some simple starter ideas to get you going. Choose one or two that are easy for you and start giving your body the gift of health. Let us know what you choose to do and keep us updated during the year as you strive to continue these healthy habits. Your body will thank you for it!
Written by Laurie Beebe
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About The Author: Laurie Beebe has been a registered dietitian for 25 years and is certified in adult weight management. Laurie currently serves as a Related posts:
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