Alright, I admit it. I have formed some bad habits.   I am finally at the point where I can accept it and decide to do something about it. I have decided that if I make some changes, I need to change my ways and not be sedentary, so here are 10 solutions for the couch potato.

It’s taken me many years to develop unhealthy habits, and change will not come overnight, but it can come a little at a time. Here are a few things I plan to do to help me in my quest for a healthier me.

The Fitbit Watch –  I think the Fitbit Inspire 2 device is comfortable and valuable. These fitness trackers also come in many colors. A bright idea and valuable for people like meIt; it is undoubtedly the way to get started on the right track to good health. Here are some of the features of this watch.

• Get continuous, automatic, wrist-based heart rate and simplified heart rate zones
• Track workouts, heart rate, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, active minutes, and steps
• Monitor your sleep automatically and wake with a silent alarm
• See call notifications, daily stats, and time of day on the OLED display
• You can sync stats wirelessly and automatically to your computer and over 150 leading smartphones.

The Smart Scale – Most scales give weight, and if health is an issue, it’s good to look at more than this. A better scale costs a little more money, but it’s well worth it. The FITINDEX Body Fat Scale can hold up to 400 lbs of weight. It measures the percentages of body fat, body water, muscle, and bone mass. It also stores information for up to 8 people so the whole family can be healthy.

Exercise Videos – It is hard for me to go to the gym, so I use exercise DVDs at home. One DVD that works well for me is Leslie Sansone’s walking videos. I like this one because there are four workouts on one DVD, and I enjoy the workouts.   It does not require fancy steps and moves, just walking. It’s beneficial if you are a beginner. During these sessions, a mile goes by quite quickly, and you can soon do two miles quickly. She is a great motivator, and I feel revived afterward.

Amazing Grass Green Superfood – Green Superfood is a powerful blend of nutritious greens, phytonutrient-packed fruits, veggies, cereal grasses, digestive enzymes, and probiotics that increase energy, promote detoxification, and boost your immune system. Amazing Grass Green Superfood is an excellent resource for someone wanting to get off the couch. Along with sitting comes unhealthy snack foods. I believe that Fresh fruits and veggies are best, but Green Superfood is an excellent choice if you need to supplement a little.

Prescription for the Couch Potato

Focus on today, not tomorrow. Take baby steps, and get moving! Some think they need to join a gym, exercise for long hours daily, or spend an hour a day to begin exercise. Neither of these things is true. All it takes is baby steps. I know someone so heavy they couldn’t walk two houses down from their home in a subdivision.

She started by just going to the mailbox. She did that until she could without panting for her next breath or stopping. She then walked to the home next door until she could do so without being out of breath. She then increased her activity slowly until she reached the block’s end.

After a while, she was able to walk a mile. She lost significant weight by concentrating on today and not trying to do too much at once. What activity can you do today that will start you on the journey to making life changes? Just pick one thing and do it consistently until you are comfortable, and add another activity. Here are a few suggestions:

Walk – it’s free. No membership is required. You don’t need any fancy equipment, just some comfortable walking shoes.

Start Gardening – This is one of the most therapeutic ways to relax, get in touch with nature, and exercise simultaneously.

Use a pedometer – This is a much cheaper alternative than fitness watches. Some years ago, my church started a walking program where we track daily steps. I noticed that I take more steps when I wear the pedometer. It constantly challenges me to do more or to reach a specific goal.

I started increasing my walking to 10,000 steps per day, and I noticed I was deliberate in how many steps I took. I would park far from my workplace, church, or store and take more steps to reach the goals I set for myself. Try it; pedometers are inexpensive. Here is the one I use. On your breaks at work, walk. It’s better than sitting or being a couch potato and relieves stress.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator. I walk along the hallway at work, sometimes back and forth two or three times for short power breaks.

Take five-minute exercise breaks and do wall push-ups, squats, or other arm or leg exercises.

It doesn’t take much, just a little effort and a whole lot of determination. So go ahead, get moving. Don’t be a couch potato, be active. Decide to change your life, not tomorrow but today.