5 Super Small Changes You Can Make To Live A Healthier Lifestyle

We get carried away sometimes.

We tend to think that in order to make changes in our lives, we need to take these giant drastic measures.

Unhappy at work? Quit your job and travel the world!

Need to lose weight? Join some kind of fitness cult, spend every day at the gym, and never again eat pasta!!

But that’s SO NOT TRUE!

Truth is, drastic measures aren’t usually the key to long-term results. Quite the opposite, actually.

You see, a little bit goes a long way guys, and it’s particularly true of living a healthier lifestyle.

So here are 5 super small changes we can all make to live a healthier lifestyle. Because ain’t nobody got time for huge life changes at the moment!! Am I right?? And the easier we make it on ourselves to go about positive change, the more likely we are to stick to it.

1. Force Yourself To Drink More Water

It’s really not that hard. Buy a water bottle, or jug, or just anything pretty that holds water and take it with you everywhere you go! That’s it. Yes, I get it. You’re busy. You’re on the go, 24/7, but you need to stay hydrated! What’s the recommended daily water intake these days? Still 8 cups? Even if you don’t drink the full 8 cups, that’s okay. Don’t be like me when I was 10. When I was 10 years old and not really smart, I found out that it was recommended to drink 8 cups of water a day. I found out at 9pm, on a Sunday. And then, I went into panic mode because I hadn’t drank any water all day. But I was a genius, and so I decided to fill up these giant Flannigan’s cups I had in my kitchen with 8 cups of water, and I chugged away. LOL.

I know, thankfully I’ve acquired more brain cells since then. So the point of my story is that no, you don’t need to drink 8 cups of water every single day. Just make it a habit to include water as part of your daily routine. They’ve even got cute to-do lists these days that have a water checklist to help you keep track of how much you’re drinking!

2. Take The Stairs

Every day, I park on the 5^th floor of my parking garage at work and take the stairs. If I said I don’t dread that every morning, I’d be totally lying to you, but I don’t give myself an option. That’s just what I do. Now granted, if I find a spot on the 3^rd floor by some miracle, I don’t pass that up. But I do still take the stairs. It’s a super simple adjustment to your day that does have good results. You gotta work those leg muscles, people! And what? It takes you a whole extra minute or so? That’s not a bad deal.

And actually, taking the stairs is so much better because you don’t have to make awkward elevator conversation. Like, oh….hi…then reach for your Iphone and start looking like you’ve got something important going on. You know the drill. Or God forbid someone asks you how your day’s going and then you have to think of a response. You’re so clever though, so you resort to the standard….it’s going…just another Monday…man it’s hot outside. I don’t know why we become such awkward humans in elevators. But regardless, taking the stairs helps you avoid that situation and it’s good for your health, so just do that from now on.

3. Stretch In The Morning And Before Bed

We don’t move enough anymore. This is one of my biggest complaints about the corporate world, and one of the reasons why I’m looking into purchasing a standing desk. I sit on my butt for close to 8 hours a day. And then, when I get home, I’m so exhausted from work that all I want to do is throw myself onto my bed and not move the rest of the night. Complete hermit status. And I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think that’s good for us. My back is sore all the time. I feel tightness all over my body. Long story short, I don’t feel like an agile twenty something at the prime of her life. Nope, not even close. It’s so depressing.

But I’ve found that stretching is the easiest thing I can do that produces the best results. I don’t always have time for a full-on workout. I don’t even have time for quick at-home yoga session on most days. So on those days when I have no time at all, I stretch for 2 or three minutes. I stretch in the morning and right before bed. YOU CAN DO 2-3 MINUTES. If I can do it, you certainly can. Just plop yourself on the floor next to your bed before climbing into it, and try to touch your toes. Grab your hands and reach for the ceiling. You’ll feel so much better.

4. Be More Grateful

When we think about being healthy, we often forget that living a healthy lifestyle isn’t only about the physical stuff. It’s not only about eating right and working out. It’s about your mental well-being too! These days, it’s so easy to get caught up in what we don’t have. We scroll through social media and see everyone else traveling and kicking butt in their dream jobs, and it’s really easy to think to yourself, “man, I wish I had that.” And then we end up spending more time focusing on what we don’t have, rather than loving all the good stuff we DO have! Yea, we all go through rough patches. Points in our lives when we’re unhappy with a relationship or a job or a project we’re working on. That’s normal. It happens. But regardless of how crappy we think our lives are, if we’d spend more time being grateful for what we DO have, I think we’d find that our lives aren’t all that bad.

Living life with a tremendous sense of gratitude is one of the easiest things you can do to alter your mood and therefore affect how you feel. This one doesn’t even cost you a thing. You don’t have to go buy a water bottle. You don’t have to take a few extra minutes to climb the stairs. All you have to do is change what you think about. When your brain starts focusing on the negative stuff, stop it right then in there. Tell yourself, “Hey, stupid! Quit complaining! Your life is awesome.” And you’ll see how much lighter and healthier you feel after that.

5. Add Some Zing™ To Your Life

Having enough time in the morning to make my coffee before heading out to work totally brightens up my day. And these days, I’ve been adding some Zing™ to it! No, I’m not adding vodka to it (although that might make my workday a little more bearable)! Instead, I’ve been using Born Sweet® Zing™ Zero Calorie Stevia Sweetener and I love it! Why?? Well, my coffee gets sweetened (because I just CANNOT drink my coffee black) and my sweetener contains ZERO calories! Yes!! More calories to spend on other delicious things I find throughout my day.

Zing™ Zero Calorie Stevia Sweetener is made with only real ingredients, nothing artificial, and it doesn’t leave a funny aftertaste. Having a zero-calorie sweetener around has also helped me enjoy other healthy snacks more often. I can pour some fruit in a bowl, pour a little bit of Zing™ Zero Calorie Stevia Sweetener on top and in 2.5 seconds, I’ve got a low carb snack that’s sweet and satisfying. So try it! Add a little Zing™ to your life! Give your taste buds something new to be excited about, and try new Zing™ Zero Calorie Stevia Sweetener for yourself! Get a Free Sample of Zing™ Zero Calorie Stevia Sweetener here.

What else? What other small changes can we make? Feel free to share in the comments below!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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• #GirlBoss
• Leave Your Mark: Land Your Dream Job, Kill It In Your Career, Rock Social Media
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Books to help you deal with your twenties: 

• 101 Secrets For Your Twenties
• Life After College
• The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter & How To Make The Most of Them
• Adulting: How To Become A Grown Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
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