New Beginnings: 10 Super simple steps to healthier living

Dione Chen 24 Jun 2016

1/10
Take the stairs
This little tip probably hasn't been emphasised enough, because so many of us still insist on taking the elevator or escalator when we're heading up to our offices or when we're exiting the train station. Climbing a single step helps burn roughly 0.17 extra calories, in comparison to almost nothing standing still in the lift. This means you would easily be burning double the amount of calories if you just chose to expend a little more energy taking the stairs.
2/10
Lower the volume
The 60/60 rule goes like this: no more than 60% of the max volume, no more than 60 minutes a day. This refers to the headphones you use daily, while travelling to work or while you're exercising. Playing your music too loud can result in hearing loss over time, which is something you wouldn't want to experience for obvious reasons. You don't have to crank up the volume for some pleasant musical accompaniment when you really need it, and you can enjoy it from a speaker when you're resting at home.
3/10
Replace the unhealthy snacks
With healthy ones. If you often find yourself reaching for the potato chips, sugary cookies or rich chocolate bars, you're probably not feeding yourself well. Watching your diet does not mean starving yourself when you're craving for the munchies, but rather preventing those unnecessary cravings by indulging in nuts, yoghurt or even saltine crackers and tuna that will help you tide through until your next meal. There are lots of recipes for simple, healthy and delicious snacks online, so you have no reason to say otherwise.
4/10
Move
If you already work at an office desk job and sit in front of your computer for six straight hours in the day, it's probably not wise to go home and sit some more, watching TV or surfing the net. A sedentary lifestyle shortens your life span considerably, but exercising only in the evenings every day is not going to do the trick. What you'll need to do is to get up, move around and improve your blood circulation, advisably every 30 minutes or less.
5/10
Drink water
The funniest thing about this tip is that it's been going around for decades past, but there are still many people out there who are drinking less than 500ml of water a day - and, no, flavoured drinks like coffee or tea do not count. If you prefer to have your drinks sweetened, you can always opt for the healthier version of fruit-infused water, which brings you not only the benefits of pure water but the nutrients that the respective fruits contain as well. Whatever you choose, it's important not to let yourself get thirsty. That's how you tell you're not getting enough hydration for your body.
6/10
Use healthier oils
You don't have to change up your cooking routine, you just have to change the type of oil you're using. From swapping out butter, for example, to canola oil, you'll be reducing your risk of heart disease by a huge margin - and that's just one of the many benefits this action can do for you. If you're not sure of which oils to use for which purpose, check out our guide here for a list of options and explanations to go along with it.
7/10
Eat plenty of vegetables
It's not difficult to add just a bit more vegetables for lunch and dinner, alongside some healthy meat or fish choices. Vegetables contain a whole load of nutrients and vitamins that your body needs each day, which you cannot afford to lose out on. What's more, they can be delicious too if prepared well. All you need to do is to find out exactly how you like them, and it won't seem like a chore at all, ever again!
8/10
Savour your food
During your meals, besides eating and perhaps holding a good conversation with the people around you, you shouldn't be doing anything else that might distract you from taking your time to appreciate the food in front of you. Not only will you be able to stop yourself from overeating, you'll also feel more satisfied from the experience instead of trying to accomplish many things at once when you multitask.
9/10
Spend time with people
You may need your alone time, but you also need to get out there and socialise for a healthy balance. Hanging out with like-minded people who make good company is going to help you feel better about yourself and also encourage you to maintain a healthy perspective about life, especially when you have problems that you cannot solve by keeping to yourself.
10/10
Go to bed one minute earlier
Sleep does wonders for your body. The benefits range from being more alert in the day to losing weight in the long run. Going to bed one minute earlier every day means that you'll be gaining one hour of sleep daily in just two months. When you start to feel better about yourself, you'll see that sleep is in fact much more important than whatever you thought you had to do in place of it.

No more excuses! Give yourself a good stretch and get ready to implement some lifestyle changes for good!

We all know healthy living doesn’t just mean jogging around the block for 15 minutes once a week. But it also doesn’t necessarily refer to committing to a vigorous exercise routine and a strict low-calorie diet every single day. In fact, the littlest things matter, such as your posture, the ingredients you choose to cook with and the amount of water you drink.

If you think about it, these are actually very simple details that, if slightly tweaked, would result in a huge change to the way you feel about yourself. And the most significant part lies in the fact that you don’t have to do much at all, just to live a bit healthier each day. Don’t worry, we’re not going to tell you things like “cycle to work instead of taking the car”. No, we won’t be giving you pieces of advice just to receive more excuses from you guys not to do it. We promise extremely simple and convenient measures you can take that will have your body thank you for it in the end.

For a list of changes we recommend for your lifestyle, head up to our gallery and browse through our explanations on what you should be doing from now on and why you should be doing it. Let us know how you feel in three months’ time.

Dione Chen

Photos: Getty Images

Body Hacks: 10 Best ways to boost your metabolism

Hydro Therapy: 10 Surprising benefits of taking cold showers every day

Purrr-fect Places: The cat cafes in Singapore you...

Effortless Style: Shanghai Tang Autumn/ Winter 2016...

New Beginnings: 10 Super simple steps to healthier living

React to this post Cancel reply