Stacked Intent: Be Authentically YOU!
The Stacked Intent podcast explores topics such as healthy relationships, finance, and nutrition, all backed by research. It aims to guide listeners toward intentional living and building confidence. Stacked Intent is a Family Life Education business that helps individuals discover their authentic selves and make impactful decisions regarding money, time, and energy. The initiative was inspired by a pivotal question about fostering healthy relationships, emphasizing the need for education on true relationship boundaries. Through podcasts, courses, and other resources, Stacked Intent promotes understanding and practicing healthy relationships and self-reflection.
Stacked Intent: Be Authentically YOU!
90: Micro Habits in Your Health
Micro habits are small, everyday changes that can significantly enhance health. Key areas include:
Micro Habits: Water
- Always carry a water bottle to stay hydrated, aiding digestion and brain function.
- Drink water after sugary or caffeinated drinks to counter dehydration.
- Use flavored water packets if plain water is unappealing.
Micro Habits: Food Choices
- Include fruit with every meal for essential nutrients and fiber.
- Choose whole grains over refined grains for better nutrition.
- Reduce salt intake by opting for low-sodium options and seasoning with herbs.
Micro Habits: Physical Activity
- Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity weekly, breaking it into short bursts.
- Increase daily activity by taking stairs and parking farther away.
Incorporate resistance training using household items to maintain muscle strength.
Challenge: Try to implement one microhabit at a time and begin to build a healthy nutrition and physical activity routine. Pretty soon, making healthy choices will seem like second nature to you!
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Micro habits are small, simple, everyday changes that can have a lasting impact on your health and your life. Today we will talk about some small simple habits when it comes to your nutrition and physical activity choices that can aid in improving your overall health.
Topic 1: Micro habits: Water for your health
Point 1: Have a water bottle with you, always! Sometimes we forget that staying hydrated and drinking water are important in our overall nutrition. Water aids many functions in our body such as nutrition absorption, digestion, cell repair, and brain function. It is not hard to find a spot to re-fill a water bottles these days, if you have one handy. An additional micro-habit would be to set an alarm or reminder on your phone to drink water every hour. They even make super cute water bottles now that have the times of the day labeled on the side to remind you to drink throughout the day! Carrying your own refillable bottle also has the added benefit of saving money from having to purchase bottled water and is better for the environment by reducing the amount of plastic waste.
Point 2: If you are choosing to drink something other than water (soda, tea, sports drink, coffee), make a point to drink a glass or bottle of water after each to stay hydrated. Sugary drinks and caffeine can serve as diuretics or can cause you to become dehydrated quickly. Supplementing with water can also help you feel satisfied to the point where you may not reach for a refill of anything else to quench your thirst.
Point 3: Unsweetened water flavors are available if you just can’t stand the taste of plain water. Make sure if that is a barrier for you that you keep some flavor packets with you in a purse or your desk, so you aren’t tempted to skip out on your H20.
Why is water even important as a micro habit?
Topic 2: Micro habits: Food choices
Sometimes making better food choices can seem overwhelming. The good news is that you don’t have to make any big life-altering changes to improve your nutrition choices.
Point 1: Have some fruit with every meal. Fruits are packed with tons of essential nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy such as vitamin C, vitamin A, and fiber. Some fruits also contain antioxidants, which have been shown to possibly reduce the risk of certain cancers and chronic diseases. Fruits are naturally sweetened, and their high fiber content allows your body to digest slowly, helping you to stay fuller for longer. Fruit is a great option for dessert to help kick your craving for something sweet!
Point 2: Make half your grains whole. There is a common misconception that grains or carbohydrate containing foods are bad. Our body prefers carbohydrates as its main source of energy, so completely cutting out bread, pasta, rice, or cereal again is not recommended (or enjoyable!). When you do decide to eat grains (rice, pasta, cereal, muffins, bread, etc.) choose a whole grain option. Whole grain foods are those that are less processed or refined, meaning that the bran, germ, and endosperm are all intact, This is the part of the grain that contains important B Vitamins, like Niacin, and fiber. Whole grain options would be oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, bread, tortillas or crackers, quinoa, and popcorn. Not sure if it’s a whole grain option? Check the ingredients list! The first ingredient should say whole ______. This is a micro habit that can easily be incorporated into your daily choices, knowing that if you are going to choose a grain for breakfast, choosing the oatmeal over the grits or a whole wheat wrap for lunch, and brown rice over white rice for dinner.
Point 3: Skip the salt. Whether you are cooking your own meal at home or out to eat, excess sodium can be hiding in unexpected places. Too much salt can contribute to high blood pressure. If you are using canned vegetables, choose the option that says “reduced sodium” or “no salt added” or rinse and drain the vegetables using a colander or strainer. There are also many herbs, spices, or no salt added seasoning blends available. Most people keep their saltshaker on the table, reaching for it without tasting the food first to see if it even needs it. Leave the saltshaker in the cabinet. Sometimes out of sight, out of mind can be your friend!
Topic 3: Move more. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends getting 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week.
Point 1: Break your movement up into short bursts or increments throughout the day. Start your morning with a 10-minute walk either before breakfast, before you begin work, or sometime mid-morning. During lunchtime, get a few more minutes if you can, or when you get home from work for the day. While the recommendation is 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week, it doesn’t all have to be at once! Get your 30 minutes however (and whenever) you can!
Point 2: Look for ways to be more active. Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs. Rather than looking for a parking spot close to the door, park further away to get a few more steps in. If you have a child participating in sports, take that time to walk around the field or track yourself. You’ll be ready to watch them at gametime! Been wishing you had more time to read or call family members or friends? Multitask and download and listen to an audiobook or work through your list of who you need to call while you are walking laps. Just make sure to pay attention to where you are going!
Point 3: Resistance training is important for muscle and bone strength. As we age, our muscles and bones can begin to atrophy, meaning they if you don’t use it, you lose it! Even if you don’t have a set of dumbbells at home, you can use a few household items to add some weight. Canned goods, gallon jugs, and laundry detergent can all be used for resistance training. While you’re in the kitchen cooking, do three sets of 12-15 reps of curls, triceps kickbacks, front and side arm raises. A stretchy band is also good for at-home resistance training! If you’re not sure how to do these exercises, check out YouTube for some good examples.
Objectives:
Objective 1: Discuss how small habits can affect your water intake.
Objective 2: Discuss how you can make health eating habits a part of your overall nutrition lifestyle.
Objective 3: Discuss how you can incorporate physical activity into your busy everyday routine.
Challenge: Try to implement one microhabit at a time and begin to build a healthy nutrition and physical activity routine. Pretty soon, making healthy choices will seem like second nature to you!
