Stay Healthy

Drink more water. Walk more. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Avoid fast food. Get on an exercise program...

Any of those sound familiar?

If you want to become more active and incorporate some healthier choices into your lifestyle, start small, and mix it up. We all have habits that are tough to break, and by trying to make all those healthful changes at once, we can set ourselves up for frustration and failure. Better to make one or two modest changes, and then build on success.

• Try any of these small changes, or identify your own:
• Add just one fruit or vegetable and one glass of water to your diet each day.
• Add a short after-dinner walk to your routine once or twice a week.
• Use smaller plates and bowls to avoid large portions.
• Get off the bus a few blocks before your destination and walk.
• Ask the restaurant to remove the bread basket after you’ve enjoyed one treat.
• Take the stairs (instead of the elevator or escalator).
• Eliminate “extra-”, “super-”, and “mounded high with” from your vocabulary.
• Don’t watch the kids play, play with them!
• If there’s a food you love, don’t deprive yourself. Keep the portion small and savor every bite.

Don’t watch the kids play, play with them! YMCA Sudbury offers member only family swims and open swim times throughout the week and on weekends.

A mother’s participation in physical activity increases the likelihood that her child will be physically active by 22% and a father’s participation increases his child’s likelihood by 11%. A statistic that may make you pause and think.

Best snacks: fresh fruit, raw vegetables, whole wheat or graham crackers, cheese, peanut butter, nuts, yogurt, trail mix, whole grain bread, baked tortilla chips with salsa, unsweetened cereal, hard boiled eggs, plain popcorn, fruit juice or yogurt popsicles, dried fruits.