The 1996 Get-Healthy List

Straight from my journal (Volume 16, Feb. 1996 to June 1997), below is a list of twenty-eight one-at-a-time changes I made in one year to get healthy.  (I mentioned this list earlier in the post "Slow Start.")  I’d read it takes about three weeks to solidify a new habit, so that’s about how often I tackled adding a new one.  I’d look down the list and pick something that sounded good at the time, but I no longer remember the order of the changes I made.  (Therefore I organized the list into four groups when I typed it up for this blog.)  Some items directly affected my weight while some did not, but all added to the conviction that I was improving my health and wellbeing.  By making these changes, I was 30 pounds lighter without dieting at the end of twelve months.

General:

--Started getting ready for bed at 9:30 PM (setting an alarm to remind me that my evening is drawing to a close) and getting in bed by 10:30.

--Started reading reputable health magazines (3-5 per month) and health books (1 per month) to learn more but also keep my enthusiasm up

Food:

--Started drinking 9 glasses of water per day

--Bought electric steamer and wok to help cook healthy foods

--Ate more fruit

--Ate more vegetables (up to 5-9 servings fruit/veg per day)

-- Switched to whole wheat bread

--Switched from white rice to brown

--Switched from regular pasta to whole wheat

--Added more soy to diet (tofu, soy milk, etc.)  [Note…there are now some issues about women eating too much soy, so I would go more carefully with this one now.]

--Added more calcium to diet (dairy, greens) and started taking a calcium supplement

--Reduced artificial sweeteners to 1 to 3 Diet Cokes per month

--Added more fiber to my diet (around 10 grams in cereal each morning plus more whole foods in diet)

--Stopped adding salt to food, stopped using vegetable broth with high sodium and chemicals, switched to light soy sauce

--Stopped eating most sugary foods, eating them rarely and trying to eat them only after eating whole foods (fiber, protein, and fat to slow the rate at which the sugar is absorbed)

Activity:

--Started walking more with friends

--Started walking 1 mile a day, then increased it to 1.5, then finally to 4 miles

--Started hiking on weekends more often

--Began stretching before and after walks/hikes

--Began 40 minutes of strength training twice per week

Body Care:

--Started taking a multivitamin

--Began wearing sunscreen daily

--Began flossing teeth consistently

--Began using moisturizer on skin

--Bought good equipment…quality weights and walking shoes (replaced shoes after 500 miles of walking or about 6 months)

--Started using night cream on my face and hands

--Bought UV protection sunglasses

--Started using rubber gloves with detergents and cleaners