Nail these basics for better health

It doesn’t have to be complicated! Forget the fads and the trends and stick with these overlooked and underused classics.

It is so easy, especially with social media and online advertising, to get caught up in the latest fad, the best new diet, the most effective workout.

What's important to keep in mind, though, is that the fitness/nutrition/wellness industry is about profit. Continually coming up with a "next best thing" is the way companies continue to get consumers to spend money -- and promoting diets or workouts that will get fast results that don't last is one key way to get people to keep spending, again, and again, and again.

When people are motivated or just desperate to see and feel a change in their bodies, those "quick fixes" guaranteeing results are really appealing.

The reality is you don't need supplements, you don't need a super restrictive meal plan, you don't need to do two-a-days or three-a-days every single day. Those things might help short-term, but they aren't sustainable and won't help you feel better in the long run.

What most of us actually need -- including me, a fitness and nutrition professional who literally does this for living -- is to spend more time focusing on nailing the basics consistently.

If you're struggling to get motivated, or you're working really hard and not seeing the results you want, take a good hard look at how consistently you're hitting these health and fitness fundamentals:

#1 Eating Enough Veggies

Most of us don't get enough fruits and especially vegetables in our daily meals. The USDA currently recommends 2 cups of fruits and 2-2.5 cups of veggies per day, but more is better, and more variety is even better. Eating fruits and vegetables in a range of colors provides powerful antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, and are associated with lowered risks of cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and common eye diseases. The high fiber and water content helps you feel full longer, which can promote weight loss, and improves gastrointestinal health.

If you're wondering about supplementing with vitamins, powdered greens, or fruit and vegetable juices rather than the real thing, remember that "supplement" means "something that complements or enhances something else when added to it." Reach for whole fruits and veggies as often as possible to reap the most benefit from the plant -- including that important fiber and water!


#2 Drinking Enough Water

Yes, some of those fruits and veggies can count toward your water intake for the day. So does sparkling water, flavored water, and even caffeinated beverages (yes, really).

How much do you need? It depends. The general rule of thumb is 8 - 8 oz. cups of water a day, but eating foods with high water content, like salads, citrus fruits, etc. count towards that total. People who lose a lot of water through sweat will need more, while those with certain health conditions or who are on certain medications might need less. (See more here.)

Drinking one glass of water with every meal, and before and after exercise, is a good starting place. Then, check in with how you feel. Mild dehydration can cause headaches and dry skin -- my two tell-tale signs that I need to drink up!

Then, monitor the color of your urine. Pale yellow signals ideal hydration, while bright yellow or darker is a sign you need to start sipping.


#3 Moving Throughout the Day

This one's not about the gym. It's not about workouts. It's about putting your phone down, turning the tv off, looking away from all the screens, and simply moving your body.

Getting up from your desk, kitchen table, couch, or wherever you're working/relaxing throughout the day to walk around, fold laundry, have a mini-dance break, clean up around the house, etc. can have as great an impact on your overall health as a workout.

When I'm teaching and training clients at the gym, I get a ton of steps and I'm on my feet a lot, but when I'm at home, if I'm at the computer or on my phone, I get basically 0 steps. Steps alone don't necessarily indicate health or activity levels, but if your daily movement is nearly nothing, you probably need to get up and move around.

Movement like this is referred to as "Non-Exercise Active Thermogenesis," or "N.E.A.T." This is the energy we expend throughout the day when we're not sleeping or doing intentional exercise, and it usually makes up the bulk of calories burned each day.

When it comes to the "calories in, calories out" equation, many diet programs focus on the "calories in" and restrict. What's even better for you is to focus on the "calories out" side, not by spending three hours doing HIIT training at the gym, but by simply moving around more throughout the day. Park at a parking spot further away. Take the dog for a longer walk. Play with your kids.

And bonus: The more you move around throughout your everyday life, the more mobility you'll have and the better your muscles and joints will feel, in and out of the gym!


#4 Getting Enough Sleep

Remember what I said about stepping away from the screens in order to boost your overall movement? Same goes for sleep.

The average adult requires 7-9 hours of sleep, but 1 in 3 Americans gets under 6 hours per night. Why does it matter?

Sleeping less than 7 hours a night is associated with higher risk of chronic health conditions, and those who reported sleeping less than the recommended amount were more likely to be physically inactive.

One night of sleep deprivation can increase blood pressure, and when the body is sleep deprived, it screws with the hormone levels that affect hunger and fullness. Levels of the hormone ghrelin, which signals hunger, increase, making you feel hungry. On the flip side, the hormone leptin, which signals fullness, drops.

Simply put: Sleep deprivation = more hunger + less fullness.

So sleeping less can lead to eating more...and moving less. When you feel exhausted, the last thing you want to do is take a walk or hit the gym, but doing so can actually boost energy levels. If you respond to that tired feeling by sitting on the couch and looking at a screen (no judgment, I do it, too!) you're likely to continue feeling exhausted, and the cycle continues.

The bottom line: It's so easy to overthink health, fitness and nutrition, but there are some completely basic and affordable ways to improve overall health and get better results; most people just overlook them. If you're struggling, start here.