Careers  |  Contact Us  |  En Español   |  
 
Click to View
100+ Small Steps
 
Take Small Steps Today!
 
Here are more than 100 small steps you can take today to start you on the path to a healthier life:
  • 1. Walk to work.
  • 2. Use fat free milk over whole milk.
  • 3. Do sit-ups in front of the TV.
  • 4. Walk during lunch hour.
  • 5. Drink water before a meal.
  • 6. Eat leaner red meat & poultry.
  • 7. Eat half your dessert.
  • 8. Walk instead of driving whenever you can.
  • 9. Take family walk after dinner.
  • 10. Skate to work instead of driving.
  • 11. Avoid food portions larger than your fist.
  • 12. Mow lawn with push mower.
  • 13. Increase the fiber in your diet.
  • 14. Walk to your place of worship instead of driving.
  • 15. Walk kids to school.
  • 16. Get a dog and walk it.
  • 17. Join an exercise group.
  • 18. Drink diet soda.
  • 19. Replace Sunday drive with Sunday walk.
  • 20. Do yard work.
  • 21. Eat off smaller plates.
  • 22. Get off a stop early & walk.
  • 23. Don't eat late at night.
  • 24. Skip seconds.
  • 25. Work around the house.
  • 26. Skip buffets.
  • 27. Grill, steam or bake instead of frying.
  • 28. Bicycle to the store instead of driving.
  • 29. Take dog to the park.
  • 30. Ask your doctor about taking a multi-vitamin.
  • 31. Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching TV.
  • 32. Use vegetable oils over solid fats.
  • 33. More carrots, less cake.
  • 34. Fetch the newspaper yourself.
  • 35. Sit up straight at work.
  • 36. Wash the car by hand.
  • 37. Don't skip meals.
  • 38. Eat more celery sticks.
  • 39. Run when running errands.
  • 40. Pace the sidelines at kids' athletic games.
  • 41. Take wheels off luggage.
  • 42. Choose an activity that fits into your daily life.
  • 43. Try your burger with just lettuce, tomato, and onion.
  • 44. Ask a friend to exercise with you.
  • 45. Make time in your day for physical activity.
  • 46. Exercise with a video if the weather is bad.
  • 47. Bike to the barbershop or beauty salon instead of driving.
  • 48. Keep to a regular eating schedule.
  • 49. If you find it difficult to be active after work, try it before work.
  • 50. Take a walk or do desk exercises instead of a cigarette or coffee break.
  • 51. Perform gardening or home repair activities.
  • 52. Avoid laborsaving devices.
  • 53. Take small trips on foot to get your body moving.
  • 54. Play with your kids 30 minutes a day.
  • 55. Dance to music.
  • 56. Keep a pair of comfortable walking or running shoes in your car and office.
  • 57. Make a Saturday morning walk a group habit.
  • 58. Walk briskly in the mall.
  • 59. Choose activities you enjoy & you'll be more likely to stick with them.
  • 60. Stretch before bed to give you more energy when you wake.
  • 61. Take the long way to the water cooler.
  • 62. Explore new physical activities.
  • 63. Vary your activities, for interest and to broaden the range of benefits.
  • 64. Reward and acknowledge your efforts.
  • 65. Choose fruit for dessert.
  • 66. Consume alcoholic beverages in moderation, if at all.
  • 67. Take stairs instead of the escalator.
  • 68. Conduct an inventory of your meal/snack and physical activity patterns.
  • 69. Share an entree with a friend.
  • 70. Grill fruits or vegetables.
  • 71. Eat before grocery shopping.
  • 72. Choose a checkout line without a candy display.
  • 73. Make a grocery list before you shop.
  • 74. Buy 100% fruit juices over soda and sugary drinks.
  • 75. Stay active in winter. Play with your kids.
  • 76. Flavor foods with herbs, spices, and other low fat seasonings.
  • 77. Remove skin from poultry before cooking to lower fat content.
  • 78. Eat before you get too hungry.
  • 79. Don't skip breakfast.
  • 80. Stop eating when you are full.
  • 81. Snack on fruits and vegetables.
  • 82. Top your favorite cereal with apples or bananas.
  • 83. Try brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.
  • 84. Include several servings of whole grain food daily.
  • 85. When eating out, choose a small or medium portion.
  • 86. If main dishes are too big, choose an appetizer or a side dish instead.
  • 87. Ask for salad dressing "on the side".
  • 88. Don't take seconds.
  • 89. Park farther from destination and walk.
  • 90. Try a green salad instead of fries.
  • 91. Bake or broil fish.
  • 92. Walk instead of sitting around.
  • 93. Eat sweet foods in small amounts.
  • 94. Take your dog on longer walks.
  • 95. Drink lots of water.
  • 96. Cut back on added fats or oils in cooking or spreads.
  • 97. Walk the beach instead of sunbathing.
  • 98. Walk to a co-worker's desk instead of emailing or calling them.
  • 99. Carry your groceries instead of pushing a cart.
  • 100. Use a snow shovel instead of a snow blower.
  • 101. Cut high-calorie foods like cheese and chocolate into smaller pieces and only eat a few pieces.
  • 102. Use nonfat or low-fat sour cream, mayo, sauces, dressings, and other condiments.
  • 103. Replace sugar sweetened beverages with water and add a twist of lemon or lime.
  • 104. Replace high-saturated fat/high calorie seasonings with herbs grown in a small herb garden in your kitchen window.
  • 105. Refrigerate prepared soups before you eat them. As the soup cools, the fat will rise to the top. Skim it off the surface for reduced fat content.
  • 106. When eating out, ask your server to put half your entrée in a to-go bag.
  • 107. Substitute vegetables for other ingredients in your sandwich.
  • 108. Every time you eat a meal, sit down, chew slowly, and pay attention to flavors and textures.
  • 109. Try a new fruit or vegetable (ever had jicama, plantain, bok choy, starfruit or papaya?)
  • 110. Make up a batch of brownies with applesauce instead of oil or shortening.
  • 111. Instead of eating out, bring a healthy, low calorie lunch to work.
  • 112. Ask your sweetie to bring you fruit or flowers instead of chocolate.
  • 113. Speak up for the salad bar when your coworkers are picking a restaurant for lunch, and remember calories count, so pay attention to how much and what you eat.
  • 114. When walking, go up the hills instead of around them.
  • 115. Walk briskly through the mall and shop 'til you drop ... pounds.
  • 116. Clean your closet and donate clothes that are too big.
  • 117. Take your body measurements to gauge progress.
  • 118. Buy a set of hand weights and play a round of Simon Says with your kids - you do it with the weights, they do without.
  • 119. Swim with your kids.