Many people feel daunted by the prospect of getting healthier because the goal seems so hard to achieve. For me, I wanted to lose 10kg. I thought that goal was going to be impossible to achieve. It came down to breaking a bad habit. The thing I’d noticed that was in common for the slimmest people I knew was that they ate salad for lunch. One of my colleagues brought a massive salad to work – the size was like a family sized amount to me – and she was really slim. My lunch consisted of sandwiches, a large muffin, a full sized yoghurt and some fruit! So I started by eating a large salad at lunchtime instead. That one change meant I swapped a meal consisting of high calories, with one that had healthy vegetables and was only around 150 kcal.

So the start of changing any unhealthy habits, including weight loss, stopping smoking, or reducing alcohol intake, is to start with one thing. My one thing was swapping out my lunch with a healthier option. One of my relatives changed drinking beer with a vodka and soda and started losing weight. To stop smoking, many people stop the habit that they do along with the smoking, for example if they normally drink coffee and have a smoke, they stop drinking coffee and that can help them stop smoking because there isn’t that trigger anymore.

New habits can be gained as well. I started walking up the 4 or 5 flights of stairs at work. At the beginning I could barely breathe at the end of it and my heart was racing for the next 15 minutes. Over time I have improved my stamina, to the point that my husband and I could walk up to 19000 steps a day on our recent holiday to Japan, and climb Mt. Mison while we were there.

So if it seems too hard at the beginning, start by just changing one thing – start a new healthy habit by swapping one thing with another. It can lead to other changes and the end goal will become that much easier to achieve.

Small Changes You Can Make Today

Some examples of small changes that you can make today, that will lead to a healthier lifestyle:

• Take a salad for lunch instead of getting take away food,
• Walk the stairs at work instead of taking the lift,
• Have fruit instead of a muffin or cake for morning tea,
• Eat breakfast instead of waiting to eat until mid morning,
• Don’t eat after dinner,
• Eat a snack sized chocolate instead of a full sized bar,
• Don’t drink soft drinks. Drink water instead.

If you enjoyed this short article, more information is in the following:

• How to make goals that will stick – a few habit changes can lead to the end goal by using these principles
• 13 plus ways to get more colour in your diet – increase your intake of fruit and vegetables easily
• How to make a healthy burrito – your favourite comfort food reimagined

All healthy lifestyle articles may be found at this link. Please share and comment if you enjoyed this article.