Healthy Living Made Simple

A few Sundays ago, my eldest daughter was bumming around on the couch. I was naturally

giving her a hard time - after my workout, dog walk, meal prep and several loads of laundry –

and trying to motivate her into doing anything more productive. I asked my normal questions: Have you eaten? Did you drink any water today? Have you been outside?

After a few mumbled responses, I made her promise me that one day, when she is away at college or living alone, feeling tired, sad or just lazy, to make sure she goes through this checklist on her own. It’s not that hard – it is just simple daily functions I continue to remind her. So here is everyone’s reminders on how to make healthy living simple.

Start with the 3 pillars of health – nutrition, movement and sleep. Most often fatigue keeps

you from doing more. And fatigue, or lack of energy is one of the biggest barriers to exercise. But exercise actually gives you more energy, as does proper nutrition and good sleep. So not only do these improve your health, but will give you more energy too!

Nutrition is complicated. There are so many fad diets, fasting diets, supplements, gadgets, products out there it is nearly impossible to know what to do. Starting with whole foods is one of the easiest ways to improve nutrition. Whole foods are those that are unprocessed, or unrefined – left in their most natural state. Look at what you are already eating that is a whole food and that you like. Then see what you can swap out for whole food choices.

Exercise. Exercise. Exercise. This is probably the simplest. If you are not moving, just start.

Anything is better than nothing. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just adding a 5-10 minute walk per day will improve overall health, mobility and brain function. If you are already moving, can you move more? Can you add structure – squats, wall push ups, weights? More movement is always better than less, but some is always better than none.

Sleep is tough. There are many factors that affect our sleep. One of the biggest and easily controllable is limiting screen time, especially 1-2 hours before bed and first thing in the morning. Another big sleep help is early morning sunlight exposure. This can be as complicated as a walk first thing in the morning, or as simple as your coffee in a sunny spot in your kitchen or couch. Sunlight exposure helps to control our circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle. Blue light from your phone, Ipad, computer or television overrides that, giving your brain false signals. In other words, tells your brain its 6 a.m. and ready to start your day when it is 9 p.m. and you are scrolling on a device.

Starting with one change to each of these pillars a day can make a big difference. Just try one. If it doesn’t work, try a different change until you find one that sticks. Then slowly, by creating an environment or routine that reinforces these behaviors regularly, they will become a habit that improves your overall health.