By walking one makes the road. No matter how long the distance may seem, every little step makes you closer to the goal. We suggest learning about the 17 simple steps that will help you lose weight, become more efficient, improve health and strengthen the spirit. The main thing is that you will not have to overload yourself because all the tips are easy to accomplish.
It is very important to set global tasks for yourself and create workable plans the implementation of which may require months, years, and decades. But look at those little changes in your life that will require less time of you, but will give a strong effect.
Place a bowl of fruit
The study by Professor Brian Wansink of Cornell University (USA) has showed that the presence of a vase filled with fruit in the house has a positive effect on weight loss. Put it in the middle of the most well-trodden path in your home – on the way to the fridge – and resist the temptation to eat everything that comes to your hand with the help of this useful snack.
The data suggest that in this case you have a chance to lose 3.5 kg of weight in comparison to the situation with no apples, oranges or other beneficial fruits.
Eat breakfast
It is a mistake to believe that refusing to eat breakfast leads to consuming fewer calories and respectively – to weight loss. Foreign scientists say those who do not skip breakfast weigh less than the people who prefer not to eat in the morning. Of course, you must keep in mind that breakfasts can be different. You may not know what useful dishes can be prepared. Study our infographic about the healthiest breakfasts around the world.
Do not ignore the opportunity to move
According to office workers, they are so busy with their official duties that they do not have time to get up from the chair, shake the dust off them and make a dozen or two steps. Gentlemen, you are lying. Under any circumstances, you will still have to be distracted by phone calls and wait for your turn at a microwave oven. Why not move your body a little?
By the way, brushing teeth should not take place in the static position. Performing steps at every opportunity, you will walk a very decent amount of miles every month, not to mention the period of the whole year.
Make a plan for tomorrow
Usually, your efficiency has the greatest potential in the early hours of the day. But you cannot set efficiency records, if you do not have a clear action plan before you. Do not waste your precious time inventing the schedule of your affairs in the morning! It is better to do this at the end of the previous working day. In addition to saving some gold minutes, you will not forget what was left undone yesterday.
Think about the weekend on Wednesday
Waiting for interesting events often becomes a part of happiness itself. Therefore it is useful to adopt the following rule: plan your weekend recreation on Wednesday evening. This can presuppose ordering concert tickets or calling a friend with an appropriate proposal. Spending just a couple of minutes will produce positive impact on the remaining working days. Pleasant sensations will accompany you, as if the weekend and the related events have already happened. On top of that, preparation for the weekend will not undermine your plans as in the case when you start to deal with them on Friday night.
“Give it some slack” on Monday
A morning is never good. Monday mornings are twice terrible. The thoughts about the futility of existence are not the best way to affect your life. Therefore you should take care that the journey to work will not turn into a torture for your brain. Download an interesting podcast or an inspiring track on Sunday evening for the road to become much more interesting. The ideal situation would be to do it every night, especially early in the week when you should not miss such an opportunity.
Spend some time outdoors
You should not turn into vampires that are expected to appear on the street only at night. “Escaping” from your limited space during the day improves your mood and increases concentration. Volunteer to take the documents to the post office, accompany your colleagues when they go to fetch coffee and do not spend your lunch at the computer. Remember that sunlight is useful for your spiritual and physical health.
Take care of plants
Try to find some desk space for a plant among your stationery. Scientific research has proved many a time that the presence of greenery in the work environment stimulates attention, increases productivity, improves psychological stability and just pleases the eye with a beautiful picture.
Limit your friendship with TV
Even in the age of the Internet, TV remains the main source of news and entertainment for billions of people around the world. It is pointless to recommend everyone to simply break the close friendship with the blue screen. But it is equally meaningless to switch channels infinitely when you have nothing to do.
Try to change your approach to watching TV. For example, write down on paper (underline in the TV program) everything that you expect to watch. Firstly, the contemplation of the list will clearly help you understand whether you are not watching TV excessively. Secondly, you will get rid of the constant switching of TV broadcasts back and forth.
Set the alarm clock for the sleeping time
We will not once again dwell on how important it is for human health to have a rest in the form of sleeping. Each of you knows about the normal period of sleep, after which you feel well. But not everyone manages to stick to it. So we suggest taking the good old alarm clock and setting it half an hour before going to sleep and not at the time of awakening. Having heard the signal, you will know that you have 30 minutes for everything. This good habit will help you get up easily and not to feel tired in the morning.
Think about the best way to use the alarm clock
The first step is to move your alarm clock away from the bed. This step will help you avoid the opportunity to easily postpone the alarm for ten minutes. You will have to make a physical effort and get out of bed to turn off the alarm clock. By the way, you can use all sorts of alarms in smartphones, but we recommend using a mechanical version or a simple electronic clock. Why? The reason is to save yourself from the temptation to check your email as soon as you open your eyes.
Send your letters with benefit
Every day, you are sending dozens (or even hundreds) of messages to a limited circle of people. Develop the habit of sending one letter to a person with whom you have not kept in touch for a long time. This may be a school friend, a childhood friend, a former colleague, or anyone else! You should not think about a special occasion – it is enough to just ask how the person is going on. The response letter is likely to arouse pleasant emotions or produce another positive effect.
Collect pocket money and help those in need
As you come back home, remember to draw all the excess ringing coins from the pockets and put them in a piggy bank. A similar daily ritual will have virtually no impact on your financial well-being, but it will help you save quite a normal amount of money after half a year. Money can and should be sent to the charity, but in this case try not to get hooked by fraudsters. It is possible to involve your children in the process of saving money. By the way, they can help determine the future recipient of the money collected.
Do not waste time
Endless traffic jams and incessant queues turn people into inactive quarries. Is seeking out flaws on plastered walls more useful than calling your parents? No! There are as many as 15 ways to make good use of 5 minutes.
Use a dental floss
Probably, you brush your teeth twice a day. Maybe, you even try to brush your teeth for two minutes and not 30 seconds. You deserve being praised. But in order to make your next visit to the dentist a merely preventive measure, it would be nice to use a dental floss after every meal.
This inexpensive hygiene item will allow you to maintain the health of teeth and at the same time save a decent amount of money that is never superfluous.
Stick to the chosen strategy
Applying the tips given above will only have an episodic effect. To be rewarded, you must be more demanding of yourself. And this is where reports and accounts will be helpful. Try to report to yourself on Friday about the plans that you have managed to accomplish. Implementing these goals may be accompanied by a promotion or reward. The point is that under the “burden” of the forthcoming report it will be easier to repeat the steps that will eventually lead to the development of habits. The latter will not be so easy to get rid of.
