5 Tips to Help You Live a Healthier Lifestyle

Disclosure: This post was written in affiliation with Fiber One, I have received compensation and the Fiber One New Products free of charge from Fiber One. 

I love to eat. I really, really love to eat - and I hate exercise only slightly less than doing my taxes. As you can imagine, a love of eating and a dislike of exercise is a horrible combination and has devastating consequences: a not so healthy chick. As I find myself deeper and deeper into my 30s, I've become more and more conscientious of my health and have taken small steps towards better health overall, but specifically with regards to what I am eating. Small changes in your lifestyle are easier to make than the big, drastic ones and they can slowly add up and make a big improvement in your overall health.

For me, it's all about the baby steps!

5 Tips to Help You Live a Healthier Lifestyle

Find an Exercise That You ENJOY doing. I will never be a gym rat. I will never be a marathon runner. But getting outside and hiking, or pushing myself to do athletic things like kayaking, rappelling and white water rafting? Sign me up! If you aren't inclined towards the traditional way of exercising, that doesn't mean that you can't get any exercise at all. Just think outside the box! What do you enjoy doing? Find what works for you and do it.

That might mean doing yoga, spending time at the gym, running, joining a dance class, go hiking, surfing - even walking the dogs counts as exercise. The important thing is to get your body moving and get those muscles working!

Get A Good Night's Sleep. One of my biggest problems with my health is that I have poor sleep habits. I've struggled with insomnia since my teens and if I don't take a nightly sleep aid, I don't fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning. Do you know what happens when you're sleep deprived? You have zero energy to get through the day (which renders exercise almost impossible) and you make poor food choices. When I'm tired and cranky, I tend to go for heavily caffeinated and sugar-laden products. Not only do they give me headaches later in the day, but they're not exactly good for you! There are many reasons why we get a poor night's sleep, but there are ways to change that. Set a nighttime routine, turn off the TV and electronics early in the evening, don't drink caffeinated beverages in the evening, and if you find that you really need help falling asleep, talk to your doctor about natural sleep aids.

Stay Hydrated. With our busy go-go-go lives, it can be difficult to drink the suggest amount of water on a daily basis. I've been making a concentrated effort to drink more water and you should too!

My personal rule is to drink at least one 8 ounce glass of ice water for every other beverage I drink. I keep a glass at my desk while I am working and sip throughout the day, refilling it often.

You can also buy a reusable water bottle to take with you while you run errands so that you're less likely to sneak through the drive-thru lane and pick up a sugary soda.

Do Something That Makes You Happy. There's this saying, "Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out alive." As we find ourselves struggling with achieving a healthy work-life balance, our health suffers because all we do is work work work. If we aren't working, we are spending time with the family or running errands. When is the last time you took a day for yourself - even just an afternoon to spend relaxing, reflecting, or having fun?

You NEED time to yourself to be healthy and happy. It doesn't have to be a fancy vacation or a brand new wardrobe; we can do little things every day that make us feel good and make us happy. Sit down and read a book. Snuggle up to your cat and take a nap. Call a friend for a long overdue chat. Paint your nails or take a long bath.

Make Better Food Choices. I love fruits and vegetables, but I also love sweets. A LOT. My biggest downfall when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight is my love of baked goods. Even though I make all of my goodies from scratch, they're still full of sugar, which wreaks havoc on my waist. I recently started a new exercise and weight loss plan and was surprised to see just how many points my favorite cookies count towards my daily intake...it was a very depressing moment. Of course I can reduce the amount of goodies that I eat, but I still need help with finding sweets that fit into my eating plan that don't use up all of my daily allowance.

The new Protein Cookies & Crème, 90 Calorie Mint Fudge Brownies and Chocolate Chip Crunchy Cookies are the latest dessert craving solution from Fiber One and offer the perfect way to indulge this resolution season. Resolve to eat dessert in the new year instead of giving it up.

The new Protein Cookies & Crème, 90 Calorie Mint Fudge Brownies and Chocolate Chip Crunchy Cookies from Fiber One make it so much easier for me to indulge without breaking the bank when it comes to my eating plan!

The Chocolate Chip Crunchy Cookies and Protein Cookies & Crème bars are sweet and satisfying, and I love that I don't have to worry about portion control - which is usually an issue for me when I make my own baked goods. They're perfect for throwing your purse or travel bag when you're on the go to help you avoid eating over-indulgent goodies at the airports and vending machines while you're out and about.

These snacks are so tasty and pack so much protein and fiber that they help you feel full so that you're not tempted to grab junk food! The cookies have 20% of your daily value of fiber and and 5 grams of protein. The bars also have 20% of your daily value of fiber and 6 grams of protein, and are only 140 calories each. My homemade cookies really can't compare!

As much as I like the cookies and bars, the 90 Calorie Mint Fudge Brownies is my absolute favorite! The 90 Calorie Mint Fudge Brownies by Fiber One™ only have 90 calories and pack 20% of your daily value of fiber.

I love the combination of chocolate and mint flavor, these really hit the spot when I want something sweet and chocolaty. My favorite part? They fit so nicely into my daily food tracker because of all of that fiber!

You can find out more about Fiber One™ products on FiberOne.com. Also check out Dessertify.com for helpful recipe ideas using Fiber One™ goodies for those days when you want a fancy dessert without overdoing it on the calories!

Do you have any tips or tricks for living a healthier lifestyle in 2015?