What is the ONE thing you can do to improve your health?

The quick answer is ...  start now.  Whatever healthy change you choose to start with, what will make the most difference is to just start!

Each person's situation is different, and sure, we know that we should eat more healthy foods, stop smoking, exercise more, etc..  It could get overwhelming, but there isn't a rule that says we can't start small.  In fact, any healthy change is a change in the right direction, and it's never too late to start.  Our bodies are amazingly responsive and keeping up the small, healthy changes will make us feel better and contribute to a healthier, more enjoyable life.

Some tips that work for us

Eating healthy:

Psst, we love our food!  We've also found ways to enjoy what we like and still be healthy:

• Don't overdo treats - and what works for us is to avoid the treats aisles so that we don't stock up.  It's easier to have a healthy snack when there aren't treats in the house.  We do get a little bit at a time though!
• Take smaller portions - it's always possible to get seconds, so starting with a smaller portion and not loading up our plate completely helps.  This is something that can work at big meals (like Thanksgiving dinner!), where we take a little bit of everything and then go back for a little bit more of veggies, whole grains, or what we like.

Exercising, keeping active:

• Easing into being active - observers might think that what we start with is so small it's actually nothing, but we know that for example, the longer walk to the other side of the parking lot is actually making a difference for us.  Or that the 2 measly push ups we manage to fit in before our shower can actually make our upper body stronger over time! 
• Finding physical activities that we like to do and switching it up from time to time - helps to keep it from getting boring.

De-stressing:

• Finding a few minutes here and there during the day to do something we enjoy, to take the time to think about something (or to daydream!), or to just to do nothing - helps us to de-compress and not let stress accumulate.
• Friends - we love to meet up with friends!
• Sleep - we jealously guard our sleep time, which is of course a lot easier for people without babies or small kids.  Parents can also, depending on their specific situation, figure out ways of getting sufficient sleep so that they feel refreshed.  Since sleep affects immune function, cognitive function, mood, etc., everyone benefits!

As someone once said, I take care of my health and leave it to the medical professionals to take care of illnesses.