• It’s a Cookbook
    It’s a Philosophy
    It’s a Resource
logologologologo
  • FoodTrients 101
  • News
      • Age Gracefully with Grace O
      • Ginger Hultin, Nutrition
      • Mark Rosenberg, MD
      • Robert Tostado, MD
      • Anti-Aging
      • Beauty
      • Food
      • Health
      • Exercise
      • Celiac
      • Life Extension
      • Books We Love
      • FoodTrients Guides
      • Newsletter
      • woman doing yogaSecrets of the Lymphatic System
      • Fresh-RosemaryRosemary Improves Memory and Cognition
      • fish on slateAnti-Inflammatory Foods: the Top 10
      • capsule full of good foodAre Supplements Safe for You?
  • Recipes
    • SEARCH BY:

      • Category:

      • Starters
      • Soups
      • Salads
      • Main Dishes
      • Sides
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Extras
      • Spice Mixes
      • All Recipes
      • Or Search By:

      • Anti-inflammatory
      • Antioxidant
      • Beauty
      • Detox
      • Disease Prevention
      • Gut Health
      • Immunity Booster
      • Mind
      • Strength
      • exotic fruit and granolaExotic Fruit Salad with Granola
      • buffalo meat slidersTry Buffalo Sliders with Sweetened Cranberries
      • chocolate mousseIt’s a Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate Mousse 
      • Green Tea NoodlesHeart-Healthy Green Tea Noodles Ramp Up the Flavor
  • Resources
  • About
  • Shop
  • Media
  • Home Page
  • News
    • Age Gracefully
    • Anti-Aging
    • Beauty
    • Food
    • Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO
    • Health
    • Newsletter
  • Recipes
    • Starters
    • Soups
    • Salads
    • Main Dishes
    • Sides
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Extras
    • Spice Mixes
  • Resources
    • Anti-Aging Resources
    • Health
    • Eating Well
    • Books We Love
  • About
    • About Grace O
    • Experts and Advisors
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest
  • Shop
  • Media
    • In the Media
    • Press Releases
    • Videos
            No results See all results
            ✕
                      No results See all results

                      Simple Health Hacks To Get You on Track

                      Published by FoodTrients
                      doing yoga

                      Life can get in the way of you doing the things you know you should do to be healthy. Luckily, there are simple hacks you can try to get back on track and stay there.

                      As a person who prioritizes wellness, you already know you should prioritize healthy foods, stay hydrated, move your body often and get plenty of sleep for optimal health. But following a healthy lifestyle is a juggling act full of distractions and diversions. Sometimes you drop the ball on healthy habits. You may have to work through lunch and end up eating from the vending machine. Or, you may have trouble falling asleep at night and then fail to get up for your morning exercise class.

                      Young woman stretching body after jogging, sunset at the end of the road; female stretches body in nature

                      It can be tempting to just give up on healthy habits when your plans go awry, but there’s generally something you can do to reroute your course when things get off track. The secret is to address glitches in your wellness routine as they happen rather than letting them spiral into days, weeks or months of derailed healthy habits. Just as one unhealthy action can lead to another, one healthy action can give you the confidence and motivation to tackle other healthy habits.

                      Here’s help navigating ten real-life scenarios, complete with ways to make the healthy choice the easy choice by having the strategies and tools you need at your fingertips.

                       

                      [Icon] Insomina

                      INSOMNIA ATTACK

                      It’s 9 p.m., and you crawl into bed to watch a couple of episodes of your favorite TV show that you downloaded on your tablet. Four episodes later, you decide you’d better get some sleep. After turning off the lights, you toss and turn, struggling to fall asleep. Frustrated, you reach for your tablet and start checking your social media accounts.

                      Quick fix: Using social media at midnight can be too mentally stimulating. Instead, get up and do something relaxing, such as reading a paper—not digital—book. Or, wind down with an adult coloring book.

                      Long-term hack: If you binge-watch shows, at least take a break between episodes to give your mind a rest, and turn off all screens at least 30 minutes before bed. Additionally, download f.lux (justgetflux.com) on your tablet and other digital devices to reduce your evening exposure to blue light—wavelengths of light especially prone to suppress your body’s production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep.

                      [Icon] Supplements

                      SUPPLEMENTS SLIP YOUR MIND

                      There’s a growing collection of dietary supplements in your cabinet that seems to be collecting dust rather than fortifying your body. You have multivitamins to fill nutritional gaps, vitamin D to boost immunity in the winter months, an omega-3 fish oil pill, a probiotic for gut health, curcumin for inflammation, a bone health supplement and more. You just can’t seem to remember to take them regularly.

                      Quick fix: Get a pill container that breaks doses into time of day and day of the week. Divvy the pills into the container based on the label instructions or advice from your health practitioner.

                      Long-term hack: Use your smartphone to create a photo inventory of each supplement bottle, capturing both the front and the Supplement Facts label.

                      Next time you’re considering adding a new supplement to your regimen, cross-check it with what you’re already taking to make sure you’re not duplicating.

                      [Icons] TeethPeppermint

                      TAKING TIME FOR TEETH

                      During a dental checkup, you’re told you have gingivitis, meaning you have red, swollen gums that bleed easily. Fortunately, it’s a mild form of gum disease that you can likely reverse. Your hygienist reminds you to brush twice a day and floss daily. You’re consistent about brushing but have never mastered the flossing habit. It just seems like such a chore.

                      Quick fix: Set a goal to floss just one tooth after you brush your teeth tonight, and then celebrate your achievement with a little happy dance. It may sound silly, but it works, according to research by behavior scientist BJ Fogg, PhD, at Stanford University in California. He advises tackling new behaviors by making them so tiny and simple that you can’t help but do them.

                      Long-term hack: Once you’ve tackled the initial hurdle of starting to floss, every night add another tooth (or more) to your flossing routine. Continue to celebrate your efforts until you’re flossing your entire mouth every night. Try this approach with other new health habits, too. Get tips at tinyhabits.com

                      HOME DETOX

                      You’ve heard that many products used in homes contain ingredients that can potentially harm health and the environment. As you look around your house and take stock of the chemical-laden detergents, hand sanitizers, air fresheners, perfumes, body lotions, hair products, deodorants, soaps, cosmetics and bathroom cleaning agents, you become overwhelmed.

                      Quick fix: Build your motivation and know-how for ridding your house of potentially toxic products by watching a documentary on the topic, such as stinkmovie.com.

                      Long-term hack: Decide whether you want to donate products or gradually replace them with natural alternatives as they’re used up. Research clean product choices at ewg.org/guides/cleaners and ewg.org/skindeep, and download an app such as Detox Me at silentspring.org/detoxme to walk you through the process and track your progress.

                      [Icon] FoodTies

                      FAMILY FOOD TIES

                      You come from a close-knit family and see your parents and adult siblings often. Here’s the rub: Their eating habits don’t mesh with your get-healthy goals. Mealtime gatherings often involve carryout pizza, fried chicken, bratwurst, chips, soda and sugary desserts—so you end up eating such foods a lot more often than you’d like.

                      Quick fix: The next time your family gathers for a meal, don’t try to change the whole menu, but try to get at least one healthy item on the table. For example, bring a big, leafy-green salad or a colorful tray of fresh fruit to share.

                      Long-term hack: Invite your family over for meals, and subtly show them how good it can taste to eat healthy. Consider getting them involved in helping you make meals, too. For inspiration, flip through old issues of Delicious Living or peruse recipes at deliciousliving.com, take a cooking class or watch a cooking channel on TV.

                      FOOT FLARE-UPS ON FLIGHT

                      Your connecting flight on a cross-country business trip is delayed by two hours. As you walk to your next gate, you notice your shoes are feeling tight and you’re thirsty. Anxious to get off your feet, you head into a Mexican restaurant near your gate and enjoy a margarita with chips and salsa while you wait. After polishing off half the basket of chips, you notice you’re feeling even thirstier than when you sat down and now your ankles are swollen.

                      Quick fix: The salty snack, alcohol and air travel is a triple whammy to your hydration and increases risk of foot and ankle swelling. Walk around the airport to get the blood flowing in your limbs, fill up your water bottle and drink it while putting your feet up for a bit.

                      Long-term hack: The day before your next flight, drink plenty of water and limit your sodium intake as much as you can, which will reduce the fluid retention that contributes to swelling. Also, consider starting a supplement of the well-researched pine-bark extract Pycnogenol (take 50 mg three times a day) three days before your next flight to minimize ankle swelling during travel.

                      [Icon] CrummyWeatherWorkout

                      CRUMMY-WEATHER WORKOUTS

                      You love fitness walking outside in the fall, but when the temperature nose-dives you’re prone to put exercise on hold. You live in a small town, so there’s not a mall where you can walk inside. There’s not even a local gym to join. You’d buy a treadmill, but you don’t really have space for it.

                      Quick fix: Try a walking video you can do in a small space in your home. Check out youtube.com/walkathomemedia to start.

                      Long-term hack: Though you can exercise indoors in colder months, it’s healthy to get fresh air when you can, too. Dress in weather- appropriate layers, and explore new ways to exercise outside when the sidewalks aren’t clear, such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or simply walking in snow boots.

                      [Icon] Caffiene

                      CAFFEINE ADDICT

                      You work two jobs, take college classes in the evenings and help care for a wheelchair-bound parent. Most of the time you feel frazzled and on edge. You rely on caffeinated drinks to keep you going when you’re tired and stressed. Your doctor says you need to get your blood pressure under better control or you may have to take medication.

                      Quick fix: Stress and anxiety can increase your body’s excretion of magnesium, a mineral important for controlling blood pressure. Supplement with 300–500 mg of magnesium (such as magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate) daily in divided doses with meals.

                      Long-term hack: Drinking highly caffeinated beverages, such as energy drinks, can increase anxiety and blood pressure in some people. Gradually wean off the energy drinks and caffeine, and replace them with a stress-reducing tea, such as ashwagandha or decaffeinated green tea.

                      THE LUNCH CRUNCH

                      Your late-morning meeting ran long, leaving you just 5 minutes to eat before your next meeting. Though you planned to visit the salad bar at your local natural foods store, this is no longer an option. With a sigh, you buy a granola bar from the office vending machine. You munch it hungrily and peer at the wrapper, noticing it contains several common GMO ingredients, including sugar, canola oil and soy lecithin.

                      Quick fix: Though you can’t take back the GMOs you just ate, you can balance out the sugary carbs. Pick up some peanuts at the vending machine to keep your blood sugar from dipping halfway through your next meeting.

                      Long-term hack: Assemble a lunchtime emergency kit with organic and non-GMO items such as freeze-dried fruits and veggies, grass-fed beef sticks and single-serve nut packs. You’ll be prepared the next time your lunch plans derail.

                      [Icon] MomMissedWorkout

                      MOM MISSED HER WORKOUT

                      As a full-time working mom with young children, your workouts are hit or miss—mostly a miss. Before kids, you used to love going to the gym after work. Now, even if you could manage to get out of the house to exercise in the evening, you’re usually too exhausted to consider it. The mornings aren’t a great option, either, as getting everyone fed, dressed and out the door already feels so chaotic.

                      Quick fix: The few minutes of extra sleep you get in the morning between hitting the snooze button generally aren’t very restful, so retrain yourself to get up as soon as your alarm goes off the first time. To boost motivation initially, think of something you really love to do—such as reading a novel or watching a reality TV show—and get up to do that first thing in the morning.

                      Long-term hack: Once you’ve retrained yourself to enjoy getting up earlier, start using the early-morning hours for quick exercise, whether it’s doing a workout video in your living room with the kids or setting up a home gym in your basement. If it’s more motivating, invite another mom to join you—in person or virtually.

                      Author Credit: Marsha McCulloch, RD

                      Marsha McCulloch is a registered dietitian and freelance writer.

                      Art Credit: New Hope Network

                      This post (or portions of this post) was provided by New Hope Network. I am a member of the New Hope Influencer Co-op, a network of health and wellness bloggers committed to spreading more health to more people.”

                       

                      Share
                      FoodTrients
                      FoodTrients
                      Combining her passion for food and a lifelong commitment to promoting a healthy lifestyle, Grace O has created FoodTrients, a unique program for optimizing wellness. Grace O is a fusion chef with a mission: to cook up recipes for sustaining a long and joyful life that are built on a foundation of anti-aging science and her work in the health care industry. Mixing foods and unique flavors culled from a lifetime of travels from Asia to Europe and America, Grace O encourages young and old to celebrate a full life that embraces diversity. Lifestyle tips, age-defying recipes, and secrets of the healing properties of food are the centerpiece of FoodTrients-–all available through cookbooks, e-newsletters, and this website.

                      Sign Up to get our
                      NEWSLETTER FREE


                      By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

                      Exercise

                      • Young Woman Doing Push-Ups
                        Take the Strong Path To Aging Better
                        March 6, 2025
                      • Woman working out
                        Top 50 Foods To Support Muscle and Metabolism
                        August 13, 2024
                      • Eat To Build, Repair and Maintain Muscle
                        June 1, 2024
                      • woman with exercise gear
                        Just Move: New Approach To Fitness After 50
                        June 1, 2024
                      • Top 50 Foods for Energy and Performance
                        August 30, 2023

                      SEE MORE EXERCISE

                      ABOUT

                      • Grace O
                      • Our Experts
                      • FoodTrients
                      • Board of Advisors
                      • FAQs

                      EXPLORE

                      • Age Gracefully by Grace O
                      • News
                      • Recipes
                      • Our Guides
                      • Resources
                      • Shop
                      • Media

                      CONNECT

                      • Contact Us
                      • Subscribe
                      • Facebook
                      • Pinterest
                      • Instagram
                      • Twitter
                      • YouTube

                      SIGN UP for our NEWSLETTER

                      Nourish your week! Get the latest wellness news and delicious recipes to help you age better.


                      By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

                      FoodTrients Trademark™ and copyright © 2011-2024 Triple G Enterprises. I Terms and Conditions I Privacy

                      This website is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. FoodTrients – A Recipe for Aging Beautifully Grace O, author and creator of FoodTrients® -- a philosophy, a cookbook and a resource -- has a new cookbook dedicated to age-defying and delicious recipes, The Age Beautifully Cookbook: Easy and Exotic Longevity Secrets from Around the World, which provides one hundred-plus recipes that promote health and well-being. The recipes are built on foundations of modern scientific research and ancient knowledge of medicinal herbs and natural ingredients from around the world. Since the publication of her first anti-aging book, The Age GRACEfully Cookbook, Grace O has identified eight categories of FoodTrients benefits (Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Disease Prevention, Beauty, Strength, Mind, and Weight Loss) that are essential to fighting aging, which show how specific foods, herbs, and spices in the recipes help keep skin looking younger, prevent the diseases of aging, and increase energy and vitality. Grace O combines more exotic ingredients that add age-fighting benefits to familiar recipe favorites.

                                No results See all results