If there were three simple things that you could do every day that would virtually turn
your health around, would you do it? What if all three were easy to do, did not take any time and cost you exactly nothing.
Any one of them will help you live healthier, longer and take years off the appearance of aging skin but together they are
your little secret to your inner universe. Are you ready? Of course you are!
Life Altering Tip #1 Make yours NEAT! We are all strapped for time and
getting to the gym isn't on everyone's wish list anyway. When you think about it, the official exercise regime gets you moving
for one hour per day. It is what you are doing the other 15 waking hours that really counts. Now there is "NEAT"
or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. Making this change is as simple as increasing all the heat creating (aka calorie burning
stuff that you do in a day) and you have a lot of sway in how that goes. Find as many ways as you can to wiggle, tap,
move throughout the day. Walk one bus stop, take the stairs for at least one flight, sit on an exercise ball for an hour a
day while at work or watching tv. The possibilities are endless and they all add up. Add weight whenever you can. Fooling
your body into carrying more weight around (that isn't really your own!) builds muscle. A backpack of books, maybe? Carry
a basket around the grocery store instead of using a cart or strap on a waist belt for the subway ride standing up. Convert
your desk to a standing station to reduce all of the sitting hours in your day.
Life Altering Tip #2 Remove liquid calories. The brain does not process
liquid calories the same way it processes calories that must be chewed. When you chew, your human internal food mechanism
indicates satiety, when you sip...nada. If you added up all the useless calories that come by way of cream and sugar in your
coffee, sodas, alcohol and even juices you would likely find 300 calories each day that you could do without.(Do that for
11 days and you can lose one pound!) And don't go switching to aspartame laden beverages, they are even worse! Try this juice substitute instead.
Life Altering Tip #3 Add ½ cup of beans each day. There is now sound evidence that it takes one small serving to make a world of difference in your cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease.
Beans and pulses (not green beans!) can come in any form and need no longer be the overnight-soaking-pain-in-the-pants they
used to be. Here are some ways to work beans in:
Serve
hummus (made from chick peas) as a dip for an afternoon snack hummus comes in a variety of flavors so you will never
get bored It's easy to make at home in a blender add a tablespoon to every wrap and sandwich instead of mayo Add drained, rinsed canned beans to any pasta dish White navy beans and lentils work best Make a crockpot full
of lentil or minestrone soup weekly store in the freezer in single servings for lunches or appetizers Top salads
with canned kidney beans or chick peas Look for bean based veggie burgers instead of beef burgers Snack on roasted
soybeans instead of nuts or popcorn All it takes is a tiny shift in attitude to improve your health outcome. Make these
healthy habit decisions once and never look back.
THERESA ALBERT, DHN, RNCP, is a registered nutritional consulting
practitioner with a busy private practice in Toronto. Her new book Ace Your Health: 52 Ways to Stack Your Deck (McClelland
& Stewart) is a fun, practical guide to making healthy, weekly changes for improved health using morsels of
information and tasty, healthy recipes. Her television show "Just One Bite" aired on the Food Network for over two
years in a daily time slot and introduced her energetic style to millions. She is also the author of Cook Once a Week,
Eat Well Every Day. Theresa is a recognizable news media and online face as a resource for consumers and marketers who
seek to remove the bologna from their lunchboxes and their news. She prepares a free weekly newsletter to make you laugh,
eat well and be inspired www.myfriendinfood.com
