Start Small

In honor of National Chiropractic Health Month, the American Chiropractic Association offers tips for a healthier lifestyle:

Start small. If all you can manage is a five-minute walk, do it. Eventually, you’ll be able to work your way up to 30 minutes or more, and you’ll be taking a big step toward maintaining the flexibility and mobility of your joints and burning calories at the same time.

For those on a time crunch, take short breaks from work. Simply getting up from your desk and walking around the office or the parking lot, or going up and down the stairs a few times, is enough to get your blood flowing and to trigger feel-good endorphins to get you through the rest of your day.

As for your diet, choose foods high in fiber—fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes—as fiber curbs hunger. Also reduce your simple carbohydrates—candy, pizza, chips, cookies and bread that is not made from whole grains. In some people, simple carbohydrates can trigger overeating, as well as blood-glucose slumps, which can lead to fatigue, headaches, craving sweets, depression, irritability and a host of other symptoms.

Keep a good variety of low-calorie snacks available to satisfy cravings. Having carrot sticks, apple slices, whole-grain granola, fruit and raisins on hand can prevent you from running to the snack machine or picking up fast food.