Four Small Changes That Can Have Big Health Results

With the dawn of the new year comes new year’s resolutions. Following the indulgence of the festive people, many people have resolutions focussed on improving their health and fitness.

However, it is easy to become overwhelmed by such large goals and quickly stray off track. Fortunately, you can easily experience huge health benefits by implementing a few simple changes to your lifestyle. To help you out, here are four small changes that can have big health results.

• Use your kitchen as your gym

Your kitchen can be more than simply the room in which to prepare and eat meals – with a bit of imagination; it can also become your home gym! Use tinned goods instead of dumbbells for your weightlifting: a tin of baked beans has a similar weight to a small dumbbell. You can also use heavy kitchen equipment such as a cast-iron skillet when doing weight-based floor exercises and even suspend yourself between your countertops when doing push- and pull-ups.

• Eat seed butters instead of nut butters

For many people, peanut butter is a store cupboard staple, whether you spoon it straight from the jar or use it to make a classic all-American PB and J sandwich. You might have attempted a healthier swap by choosing almond butter over peanut butter, but there is an even healthier spread option to nut butter available.

Seed butter provides a delicious, nutritious alternative higher in protein but lower in carbs and sugar than traditional nut butters. As an added bonus, seed butters are allergy-friendly, meaning that even those who are allergic to nuts can enjoy this delicious taste.

• Walk whenever possible

Going from a sedentary lifestyle to a 6 km run every morning can be quite a shock to your system, and your body may not physically be prepared for such strenuous exercise, despite your best intentions. However, it is possible to reap the benefits of introducing just a little more exercise into your daily routine if you have not previously done so.

One way to do this is to try to walk whenever possible. Assess whether a journey can be made on foot rather than automatically hopping into your car – walking home with a bag of groceries will help with increasing your strength. If you habitually use public transport, try getting off a stop or two earlier than your usual one to increase your walking. A pedometer app will help you to assess how many daily steps you are getting in and give you something to aim for.

• Use an air fryer

There is nothing quite like the taste of deep-fried foods like fries and chicken; however, it is a well-known fact that although this method of cooking is delicious, it is not the healthiest. As an alternative, why not use an air fryer? This kitchen gadget gives you the delicious crispy flavor of traditional frying without the excessive use of oil, making it a healthier cooking alternative to deep-frying.