Lead a Healthy Lifestyle

Add exercise and good eating habits to your day-to-day routine.

You’ve been thinking about it, about taking that first step. You’ve been mulling over the right approach and all the reasons why you should: You’ll feel better. You’ll look better. You’ll live longer.

It’s time. It’s finally time to get on the path that will lead you to a healthier lifestyle. Here are some ideas for how to follow a fitness and nutrition plan as well as guidance on staying the course throughout the year. Because this is your year to do something good for yourself.

Starting an Exercise Program and Sticking With It
Regular physical activity and a healthy diet are the cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle. Begin your journey by cutting out junk food, reducing portion sizes and striving to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day.

From there, look for more ways to gradually improve your diet and increase your workout time. Sam’s Club can help you get started with healthy savings on sensible foods and workout equipment. Here are some other suggestions for staying motivated and on track:

Start at the appropriate skill level. If you haven’t run in a while, don’t try to run a mile nonstop your first time back at the track. Start with shorter distances and slowly build up your endurance. Taking on too much too soon isn’t healthy and could cause you to quickly become discouraged.

Make exercise enjoyable. Choose an activity you like, something you’ll look forward to doing. If you dread working out in front of others, don’t join a gym. Take up an individual activity like running or swimming instead. Distract yourself during workouts, if necessary. Do aerobics while listening to music you enjoy or lift weights while watching TV.

Mix things up. Doing the exact same workout routine day after day can become boring, and soon you’ll be looking for an excuse to skip. Try new things and vary your routine. Walk one day; do aerobics the next. Supplement your workout routine by joining a softball or basketball league. The same applies with your healthy eating choices. If you’re sick of salad, try something new. Get creative. Experiment.

Burn calories and build strong bonds. Catch up with a friend while taking a walk, hike with your teenager, or play on the company athletic team to get to know your co-workers outside the office.

To weigh or not to weigh? While weighing yourself daily can help you track your progress and motivate you to reach your goal, some find it discouraging when the number doesn’t drop as fast as they’d like. Be patient, give your body the necessary time it needs to respond, and don’t use your weight as the only indicator of your progress. Look for better muscle tone, looser fitting clothes and an increase in energy, stamina and flexibility.

Give yourself a break. If you’re getting burned out on your exercise regimen, take a little time off. Do something else you enjoy like getting a massage, reading, crafting or gardening. If you’re craving ice cream, indulge in a lower-calorie option. But be wary of reverting back to your old ways, and don’t make breaks a habit.

Establishing a Support System
Fitness, nutrition, smoking cessation, weight loss, stress reduction — health and wellness goals are as multifaceted as you are. Sometimes, the thought of taking even the smallest steps to make improvements in any of these areas can be overwhelming. If you find yourself in this situation, identify a support system — friends, a spouse or family members — to help you stay on track. Oftentimes, they can help when you are facing a tough challenge. It is important that you clearly communicate your desired goals and expectations with them in order to maintain accountability on your end and theirs.

The buddy system. The buddy system can be as simple as finding a walking partner, joining a community weight loss group or signing up for an online support group. Not only will you receive mutual support and encouragement, but you can also learn about what’s worked for others who have goals similar to yours.

Personal trainer. With a personal trainer, you are getting help from a professional who can address your specific fitness goals and hold you accountable. You’ll be less likely to skip the gym if you have an appointment to meet your trainer, and you’ll think twice if you have to explain eating that chocolate cake to someone else.

Wellness coach. Wellness coaches provide one-on-one support specific to your individual needs. Unlike a trainer who might focus solely on your fitness goals, a wellness coach takes a broader, more holistic approach to your overall health and wellness goals. They provide guidance and can be effective in helping you assess your current status in order to help you set realistic goals.

Adopting Healthy Eating Habits
What you eat has a big impact on your health. Not only can eating the right foods help you lose weight, but it can also help improve your skin, mood, eyesight, cholesterol levels and more. Follow these steps to get on the right road to eating healthy.

Get educated. Don’t guess which foods are good for you and which ones aren’t. And don’t estimate what you think is an appropriate portion. Know. Tackle the food groups one at a time. Get informed by reading books, talking with a nutritionist or a dietitian, or doing research on the Internet. Reduce your calorie intake and your spending with helpful health and diet books available at Sam’s Club.

To begin, a healthy diet includes: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts. A healthy diet is also low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium and sugars and stays within your daily calorie needs.

Swap the bad for the good. Replace fatty foods with healthier options. Trade milk with low-fat milk. Pass over ground beef for extra lean ground beef, chicken or fish. Try whole-wheat pasta and top it with marinara sauce instead of Alfredo sauce.

Think about what you drink. Be sure to read the nutrition labels on your beverages, too. Your beverages may be slipping in more calories than you realize. Replace your daily soda intake with water. Beware of adding flavored syrups or whipped cream to your coffee drinks.

Take note. It may help to write down what you’re eating each day to help you identify areas where you need to cut back. You can also look up calories later and compare how you thought you did with how many calories you actually consumed.

Pay attention to food preparation. At home and when dining out, select items that are steamed, baked, broiled, poached, sautéed or stir-fried. Limit your fried foods, which are high in fat.

Control portions. Portion sizes have become extremely inflated over the years. There are many charts available online that compare correct portion sizes of certain food items to a fist or a tennis ball. Compile one for yourself and post it inside your pantry door for quick reference. When you dine out, only eat half of what you’re served and take the other half home to enjoy for another meal.

Don’t go hungry. Eating healthy means making smarter choices and reducing your portion size. It doesn’t mean going without. Letting your hunger get out of hand can cause you to make bad food choices and overeat later on.

Feeding Your Family Healthy Fare
Your children are your harshest food critics, and getting them to eat healthy may seem like quite a feat. Introduce them to healthy staples early in life to get them headed in the right direction. Here are some other suggestions for getting your kids to eat their fruits and vegetables.

Let them play with their food. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes into slices of cheese, melons, pears and apples. Serve low-fat dips they can dunk their vegetable strips into. Let them spread peanut butter on celery sticks and decorate them with raisins. Kids will be much more enthusiastic about eating their own creations.

Serve fruits and vegetables first. Let your kids snack on them while you finish preparing the rest of the meal. Kids are less picky when they’re hungry.

Let them pick. Let your kids choose the fruits and vegetables they want to eat at the grocery store. They’ll be keener to eat the foods they picked out themselves.
 
Start a garden. Whether it’s a full backyard plot or just a few tomato plants in containers, kids will enjoy helping take care of the plants — and eating the fruits of their labor.

Sneak it in. Find ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into items your kids’ already like to eat. Add fruit to gelatin. Enhance spaghetti sauce with mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. Top homemade pizzas with spinach and other veggies. Make a vegetable soup with kid-friendly pasta shapes. For other great ways to sneak extra nutrition into your kids meals, check out Jessica Seinfeld’s book “Deceptively Delicious,” which is available at Sam’s Club and includes recipes, tips on making healthy snacks, and ideas for improving store-bought food.

Plan meals in advance. Eating healthy takes preparation and thought. Plan out your meals before you head to the store. Save time and money by buying your groceries and produce in bulk at Sam’s Club, then think about how you can incorporate produce into several dishes. For example, you can prepare asparagus several different ways and use it as a side item, in an omelet, in a salad or in a pasta dish.

Try, try again. If your child refuses to eat a food the first time it’s served, don’t give up. Don’t force children to eat their fruits and vegetables or bribe them with sweets. They’ll desire more sweets and associate healthy eating with conflict. Encourage them to try at least two bites of a new food. Offer a variety of vegetables, and let them pick and choose. Keep trying. Sometimes it takes several tries to get a child to try something new.

*Consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.