It is fairly common knowledge that lack of physical activity has a direct impact on our health. Living a healthy lifestyle, however, does not have to be a chore. There are some very simple techniques that can be employed in our daily life that will increase energy, alertness and help overall health.

The first technique and perhaps the most obvious is to make sure that you get a relaxing good night sleep. Sleep rejuvenates the body. You need to look at sleep the same way you look at any other important daily tasks. You must make time for it. The adage “I don’t have time to sleep” is simply wrong. You must make time.  

The second technique is to walk the dog daily. If you do not have a dog, then walk yourself. Walking will help reduce stress and depression along with anxiety. There is perhaps no simpler exercise than walking, but it is also effective. If it has been a while since you have walked for a long period, then start out slow and work up to at least a half hour 3 times a week. You will feel better and start dropping pounds. As you increase your stamina try to increase the pace, maybe even jog.


Kill the caffeine:

Try to limit the intake of caffeine after mid day. Caffeine can stay in the system for hours and will prevent you from getting a good night sleep. This is easier said than done. You really have to watch your drinking habits. I have a friend, for example, that constantly complained about not being able to get to sleep at night and dragged at work all day. So, he had to drink caffeine to get through the day. He told me that he drinks sodas and coffee only at work. In the meantime, while he was telling me this he was drinking his favorite beverage, ice tea. His daily ritual was to come home and brew a fresh batch of homemade Texas style Tea with plenty of sugar. He would drink the tea throughout the evening. It may be hard to believe, but he never did realize that all that tea accumulated to quite a bit of caffeine. He just figured that Tea had only a “little.” I told him tea might have a little compared to the soda, but drink 4 glasses of it, plus all that sugar and no wonder you can’t fall asleep.

My friend was hesitant to break his tea habit and he never did. I guess he prefers to just drag at work all day and perpetually repeat the cycle. But, the moral of the story is to be aware of what you are putting down your throat. Realize that what you eat effects how you sleep.

If you can do these simple three steps, make time to sleep, walk at least 3 times a week for a ½ hour and keep building, and watch your caffeine intake you’ll be on your way to taking major step toward being healthier. Of course, these are just pieces of the overall puzzle. But, I think that once you begin to see some results, once you begin to feel better, then you can begin to really watch your diet and ramp up the exercise. But we all have to start someplace.