They're easy, they're free and they're straight from wellness guru Dr. Frank Lipman. We're talking stupid simple ways to get healthy for good.
By Linnea Zielinski, Metro
When it comes to health, most of us claim we want the good
guy who treats us well while running after the bad boy who brings
nothing but trouble. You know you should eat greens. You know they’re
good for you and they’ll help you slim down and maintain steady energy —
and you claim you want all those things. But what do you do? Go
straight for the donut, which makes you feel great for two seconds
before pulling the blood sugar equivalent of standing you up for that
date. All that excitement quickly becomes dizziness and nausea. If you
really want to get healthy, these are the stupid-simple ways to do it.
They’re not the bad boys, but they’ll never do you wrong. Even better,
you can start them today.
We all know it’s a long road to get healthy. But that’s why
you should treat today like that date: Who do you want to go out with,
the good guy or the bad? These are the strategies that, like a
relationship with someone good, feel effortless. They make the long
journey a pleasure, not punishment. So do something good for yourself
today. Say no to the bad boy and welcome some of these quick and easy
ways to get healthy into your life. Or at least say yes to a lunch date.
Get healthy with easy strategies from Dr. Lipman
Metro talked with Dr. Frank Lipman, integrative medicine specialist, and author of the new book HOW TO BE WELL,
about improving your health. He’s the man to ask since his book is all
about practical ways to boost your health and happiness daily — and none
of them feel daunting. He dished on those steadfast strategies that
will never steer you wrong if you’re trying to get healthy. But the
beauty of them is just how simple they really are.
Humor us for a minute while we break down why we’re calling
them stupid-simple strategies. You won’t find one on this list about
calories or working up a sweat. There’s no counting or measuring, only
eyeballing. Forget about your purse; there’s nothing on this list he
wants you to purchase. In fact, depending on what’s in your fridge, you
can use all of them by sundown today.
Make Friends with Fat
Holding back from the avocado trend? Don’t! “Eating a diet
of low fat foods is not the ticket to health we once thought,” according
to Dr. Lipman. “Fat is absolutely essential for every function of the
body and brain including healing and repairing functions, and when you
eat enough of it every day, you enjoy a bounty of benefits.” Put down
that low-fat 100-calorie snack pack right now and make sure you heard
that very good reason to double down on the guac: Fat is essential to
basic functions of your body.
What can a day of healthy eating with the right amount of
fat do for you? “Stable, LONGER-LASTING energy and fewer hunger highs
and lows,” are just the beginning, says Dr. Lipman. If your goal is to
lose or maintain weight, you’ll also enjoy a more efficient metabolism
and fewer cravings. Just want to feel great throughout the day? Golden.
You can also thank that handful of almonds for “clearer thinking and
more balanced moods,” he tells Metro. Healthy fats are also a hair, skin
and nails supplement you’ll actually enjoy taking. Sold yet?
Seriously, Eat the Veggies
You know it, so why aren’t you doing it? “If there is one
game-changing action you can start today that will utterly transform
your state of well-being, it’s upping your consumption of
life-supporting, phyto-chemical-packed, mineral-and-vitamin-rich,
fiber-laden vegetables,” Dr. Lipman tells us. Read: There are just too
many benefits to actually eating some roughage to keep ignoring this
one.
To hit optimal levels, which is around two-thirds of your
food intake, focus on adding veggies in throughout the day instead of
taking other things away. It’s not about depriving yourself, but rather
shifting your focus. As Dr. Lipman told us, all you need to do is “shift
the green or crunchy portion of your meal from sidekick to starring
role.”
Enjoy a Big Lunch
We’ve all heard the advice to eat breakfast like a king,
lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper — but some people just
aren’t hungry in the morning. There’s no need to force food down in the
early hours, says Dr. Lipman. In fact, he suggests you “eat your largest
meal of the day at lunch, in sync with when the sun is at its zenith,
and a smaller meal at night, as the sun sinks out of sight.” Bonus
points if you eat your lunch where you can see the sun at its zenith —
more on this in a second.
Your body is most prepared to handle a big meal around this
time, Dr. Lipman tells Metro, because “the ‘clock’ in your GI tract
triggers hormones that set off hunger pangs and cue the liver and
digestive system to get ready to process nutrients.” But he explains
that these processes wind down at night just like we do, “which is why
many people find that digestion and elimination, as well as sleep, are
more satisfying with substantial lunches and lighter (sometimes
soup-based) dinners.”
Rest Like You Mean It
You work hard, you run errands, you get stressed — but you
keep going. We get it, you’re superhuman. But it’s time to treat sleep
seriously since it has such a big effect on your health. So, sorry
supermom, but that means taking care of yourself as well as you do your
family, starting with tearing yourself away from the TV and your tablet.
“The evidence is irrefutable. If you want to sleep better, take back
control of after-dark tech habits,” Dr. Lipman summarized.
Sure, that episode of your favorite TV show kept you
wanting more, but it can wait until tomorrow. That habit of winding down
in front of the TV or your phone “squelches sleep triggers,” he
explains, “not just because of light disruption, but also because it
promotes alertness and mental revving.” Let’s put it this way: You’ll
appreciate the show more and write wittier comments on your friends’
Instagram posts tomorrow if you sign off early and rest up tonight.
Get Outside, Already!
Parks aren’t just pretty — they’re like a stress-busting
prescription for the average person. (Not to be confused with your
actual anti-anxiety or depression prescription if you need one.)
Spending “intentional time” outside — as in, paying attention to your
surroundings — “restores something of your original human condition,”
Dr. Lipman tells us. This includes “a calm body with an optimized immune
system, and a brain in a state of restful awareness, alert to
surroundings but unencumbered by constant thought.” Those bird sounds
act to quiet down those anxious thoughts constantly running in the
background of your brain — but only if you tune in and pay attention.
Ready to get healthy? Grab your hearty lunch packed with
veggies and filling healthy fats, go outside and listen to the branches
swaying in the breeze while you eat tomorrow. You’ll have checked four
of the five boxes for a better you in a matter of minutes.
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