Simple steps week 8
It’s time for week 8 of the Simple Steps program. Each week the program introduces 4 new habits, one each for nutrition, fitness, home and self. The trick is that they accumulate, so obviously, you have to keep doing the ones from the previous weeks. This week’s habits are:
1. No night eating
If you are trying to lose weight, stop eating as early in the evening as possible. A lot of night time snacking is mindless, in front of the TV, and unnecessary. Eliminating night snacking gives our digestive systems a rest. In our home we have changed our dinner to earlier this year, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much more I can get done in the evening, simply by planning an earlier and lighter dinner. Try not to eat at least 2 hours before going to bed.
2. Add strength training exercises to your fitness routine each week.
Strength training has many benefits. It can help fight osteoporosis. It can increase the quality of our sleep. It makes our bodies stronger and more toned, improves balance, posture and alignment, and muscle burns more calories than fat. Since I don’t have time to make it to a gym, I’ve been working out at home with hand weights for many years. I use Joyce Vedral’s 12 minute daily program. It alternates the parts of your body you are training, so that each day you are working on different muscle groups, and you get a day or two rest until you work that muscle group again.
3. Make your bed every day.
Starting each day with a nicely made bed really does make a difference. Making our bed encourages us to buy nice linens, and to keep our bedroom organized and tidy. A crisp and tidy bed creates a peaceful place to sleep and can improve sleep. Every one to three months, flip the mattress and vacuum it. Make sure your mattress and pillows provide the support that you need for your head, neck and back. If you haven’t incorporated this step into your day yet, my advice to start would be simply, when you get up in the morning, as soon as you stand up, turn around and make the bed.
4. Get at least one-half hour more sleep every night.
This one will be challenging for me. I enjoy the house when it is quiet and use late nights to catch up on my reading. I know that sleep is important, and there are many reasons to make it a priority. Here are some tips for getting a better night’s sleep.
Hubby and I are trying to eat early but it is very tough because here most people are late (9 pm for instance) so hubby is used to that
while I was used to eating at 6 or 7 pm…I have tried to tell him that if we eat late the body has less chances to digest…Oh, well, I will keep on trying to convince him 
Great tips as usual!
I never eat past 7, but I do need to work on strength training and better sleep. And the mattress! I’ve been meaning to flip it for months!