Jane Webber Nutrition
- Sep 8, 2022
- 3 min read

Hands up for easy steps to good health!

10 Small Steps to Improve Your Health

Recently life has been a bit of a rollercoaster with moving from my home of over 23 years, being a nomad during the Summer as we made the change from living in the countryside to living in a small coastal town.

Even my healthy eating choices went out of the window on occasions when I didn’t have cooking facilities, moving around 3 times in less than a week and sleeping on an airbed in an empty house. That’s why I didn’t blog in August as my brain was all over the place.

So what I am doing to get back on track?

Well, I am certainly not going to do everything at once. Many of us make health-related resolutions, such as losing weight, stopping smoking or joining the local health club. While it is common to set high goals, experts say that setting smaller goals could do more for our health.

My hero James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits speaks about small steps leading to giant gains. Small steps are more achievable and fit easier into your daily routines. They are less overwhelming, and you will feel better for achieving these small steps rather than failing at the larger goals you have set for yourself.

Here are 10 to try:

1. Keep an eye on your weight and work on making sure you are not gaining extra lbs. Even if you gain just a pound or two every year, the extra weight adds up quickly.

2. Take more small steps. Use a pedometer, mobile phone, or smartwatch to count your daily steps; then add 2,000, the equivalent of one extra mile. Keep adding steps, 1,000 to 2,000 each month or so, until you take 10,000 steps on most days.

3. Eat breakfast. Breakfast eaters tend to weigh less and have better diets overall. For a filling and nutrition-packed breakfast, porridge with fruit, seeds or nuts or plain yoghurt with fruit or eggs (any way but fried)

4. Switch whole grain. If you're like the average Brit, you eat less than one whole grain serving a day. We need more fibre in our diets, so this will help.

5. Have at least 3 salads a week. Eating a salad (with low-fat or fat-free dressing) is filling and may help you eat less during the meal. It also counts toward your five daily portions of vegetables and fruits.

6. Trim the fat. Fat has a lot of calories, and calories count. Purchase lean meats, eat poultry without the skin, switch to lower-fat cheeses, and use a non-stick pan with only a dab of oil or butter.

7. Consider calcium by including two or three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free milk or yoghurt. Diary alternatives are good as well but just check the labels. Calcium is good for bones and may also help you lose weight.

8. Downsize. The smaller the bag, bottle, plate or bowl, the less you will eat.

9. Lose just 5 to 10 per cent of your current weight. The health benefits are huge-lower blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides.

10. Keep track of your eating. Write down what you eat over the next couple of days and look for problem spots. Often, just writing things down can help you eat less.

Remember you can work with me in 3 main ways