If your life is hectic and your schedule is demanding, then the task of making changes to get healthy can seem almost insurmountable. But that doesn’t mean you should just give up and hide in your closet with a package of cookies.

Just take one cookie and continue reading.

I know that making the changes to have a healthy diet and home can take time. There are lots of factors involved. Finances and budgets may need to be adjusted to prioritize spending. Schedules may need to be rearranged to make time for exercising and cooking. Tastes need to be developed and new flavors may need time before they are really appreciated. Spouses and kids may need to be convinced that changes are even necessary. Then there is the learning curve of shopping for and cooking with real food. It can be a lot. And it can be overwhelming.

If you have ever been discouraged that you aren’t doing enough, then you are not alone! But rather than biting off more {kale} than you can chew, plan to take simple, doable baby steps. 

Right now is always a good time to start to take steps to get healthier.

That hectic life you have? A healthy body fed on a diet of real food is going to be better equipped to face those demands. Those little children clamoring for your attention (constantly)? Now is the time to give them habits of exercise, fresh air, and a diet suited for their growing bodies.

Here are three ideas to help you along on your journey of getting healthy.

Three Healthy Changes You Can Do Today

1. Change the way you snack.

There are some people who advocate no snacking in between meals. In fact, I’m pretty sure that is a thing for a whole country of people. I’ve heard that no one snacks in France…

Simple Bites’ recipe for homemade Wheat Thins and cheese crackers.

Me? I’m not giving up my mid-afternoon snack. I’m pretty sure I would be a lethargic puddle on the couch by 5:00, listlessly gazing at my kids and husband imploring me to please get up and make dinner.

A snack serves a purpose. And we should choose our snacks with purpose.

Instead of reaching for a snack that is just empty calories with no real ability to give your body the boost it needs to make it until the next meal, reach for something better.

Are you hungry?  Reach for something with protein or fiber that will fill you up.

Are you lacking in energy?  Grab something with natural sugars that will give you a shot of energy.

Are you craving a tasty treat?  Satisfy that craving with something that not only tastes good but that leaves you feeling good.

Ideas for Better Snacking:

• Fresh Fruit. Seriously, so simple. Apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, grapes. Full of vitamins, fiber, and natural sugars. I also really appreciate the fact that keeping the fruit basket within reach means that my kids can grab a piece of fruit themselves without needing any help from mom (after asking). We don’t snack on fruit all day, though. For budget and diet reasons, we typically limit ourselves to one fresh fruit snack and then pick from a different food group if we have another snack later on.
• Hummus and whole wheat crackers. Hummus is a good source of protein and my kids love anything to do with crackers. Change it up more with green pea hummus, which only takes a few minutes to make in a food processor.
• Yogurt. We love yogurt because it is filling but also because it is easily diversified. Add fresh berries or peaches if you have some. Throw in frozen blueberries. Sprinkle the top with granola or honey (or both!).
  
  
• 5-Minute Pudding Cups. These are delicious and they are a great option for when you want something rich and sweet without all the processed additives. They really do take about five minutes to prepare, then 4 hours to chill in the fridge. Make it during breakfast so it will be ready when that mid-afternoon sweet craving hits. (I know I can’t be the only one who gets those…)
• Peanut Butter Popcorn. Protein, honey, whole grain, coconut oil, chia seeds. It feels indulgent but it’s a great snack and kid friendly too. In fact, get your kids to help you make it and talk about why snacks (and healthy foods) are important for our bodies.
• Smoothies. Combine the goodness of yogurt with vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables in your blender for a truly satisfying and healthy snack.

Find more ideas on my Pinterest snacks board.

2. Start reading the labels.

Another bite-size change is to simply read the labels on the food you buy at the grocery store.

Two good rules of thumb to follow:

• Less is more. Generally, the fewer ingredients a product has, the better it is. More processing usually means more additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients.
• Cut back on sugar. Avoid foods that have sugar as one of the first few ingredients. Sooooo much food has added sugar now and it’s really taking a toll on our health. (Read more about that here, here, and here). You can avoid it completely by making your own foods at home, but a faster, easier route is just to try to pick foods at the store that are not loaded with a lot of extra sugar. Learn to recognize the other names that sugar goes by too, because there are a lot.

3. Find a handful of resources to help you along.

There are so many resources that can be found online. This is likely one of the biggest reasons why we can get so overwhelmed when we try to take on something new.

So where do you start?

• This blog. I hope that this space is an encouraging place for you. I am also working on building up an archive of recipes and posts that are healthy and helpful. I’d love for you to stick around a while!
• Other blogs. Pick a few other blogs to follow, and then follow them on Pinterest too. It is hard to keep up with a lot of blogs because, really, there is only so much time in the day. Find a few reliable ones and keep up with them. My favorite blogs to follow? Simple Bites, Keeper of the Home, Frugal Fun for Boys (so full of Biblical parenting wisdom from a mom in the trenches), and The Humbled Homemaker. Each of these are full of recipes using real food and/or great encouragement when I need a little push to press on.

Now is also the perfect time to invest in an incredible resource that will help you along on your healthy living journey. For the next few days, Stephanie from Keeper of the Home and Erin from The Humbled Homemaker have put together a bundle of dozens of books and e-courses. And they are selling them for a ridiculously good deal (over $1000 worth of resources for just $30).

The bundle has real food cookbooks, books on meal planning and budgeting, and recipes for those who follow special diets. There are also books on kids’ health, fitness, gardening, green cleaning, and more.

Basically, it’s a healthy living library that you can download onto your e-reader to access as you need it. Plus, there are great bonuses that come with the bundle ($200 worth of offers!).

Enormous savings aside, it’s just a really helpful tool to make something that can be overwhelming and challenging a lot more manageable. Getting healthy in bite-sized steps. You can click the link below to purchase your bundle, or the picture above to take you to the website to find out more about it.

What is one change you have made to help your family get healthy? Share in the comments below!

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