That's Fit

It can sometimes be rather difficult to live a healthy lifestyle. Between work, school, kids, and -- oh yeah, how about having a social life -- setting aside time to exercise or even fix a healthy meal usually seems like an impossibility.

That's why making these healthier changes in your life shouldn't be based on rash, drastic decisions. The "Crash Diet" is the perfect example of this very mistake. Not only is this approach to weight loss unhealthy, but it can actually lead to long-term weight gain. The same goes for an exercise program. If you're new to resistance training, for example, you would do well to ease your way into a routine, rather than jump into a program that would make most professional bodybuilders sleep in. The point is that the best approach to health and wellness it to take things slowly at first.

Taking on fifteen new changes to how you go about your daily life may not be realistic, and carries a high risk of attrition. Two changes, however, is probably something we all can manage. To that end, here are two changes that may be enough to get you looking and feeling better.

The first is to add 2,000 steps (approx. 1 mile) to to your day. This is probably easier to achieve that it may first seem. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Perhaps walk to your car in the off-site parking lot instead of hopping on the shuttle (besides, you don't really want to ride in the "Loser Cruiser," do you?). Or maybe you could even take a leisurely walk around your neighborhood. Whatever method you choose, just try to be consistent with doing it every day.

The second is to cut a mere 100 calories from your diet, which is the equivalent of a tablespoon of butter. Now, I realize that you probably don't actually wolf down a tablespoon of butter a day But, you likely get this many calories from a myriad of other possible sources. These days, just about everything has over 100 calories in it, so just pick one of your regular treats and eliminate it from your diet. Cutting 100 calories may not seem like a lot, but over a year's time, this will result in the loss of a decent amount of weight.

We have to crawl before we can walk. This same basic theory also applies to our health and fitness. Starting off too strong can lead to frustration, burnout, and even injury. Starting off nice and slowly, however, will help your body adjust to your new lifestyle. Then, as you progress and your body becomes acclimated to these changes, you can ramp things up a bit to effectuate even greater change.