Health Tips: Healthy Lifestyle Changes + Rice Krispy Treat Recipe (Ironic? Maybe, but you'll understand) #GreatStarts

The New Year is here! That means it’s a great time to focus on health tips and creating a healthy lifestyle. We all know that when we are healthier; we are happier. Sometimes we think we have to be perfect right away. But habits don’t change within a day. It takes time, and repetition of action. The best health tips are simply the ones that allow us to make the needed lifestyle changes one step at a time.

We can’t change everything all at once. But we can take a few baby steps that will put us on the path toward a healthy lifestyle. When you follow these few health tips; then all other lifestyle changes become much easier.

Health Tips for  Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Always carry a water bottle! We all know how important it is to drink a min. of 8 glasses of water a day. But did you know that when you are drinking water that also means you aren’t drinking calories. It is easier to resist sugar. It is easier to resist fatty and greasy foods. It is easier to not overeat. And you have more energy and often times it helps with headaches as well. So always carry a water bottle! This makes it a lot easier to get in all 8 glasses of water a day!

Make breakfast Paramount! We’ve gone a full night without food. We wake up with our bodies on empty. If you skip breakfast; it is as though you are trying to drive to work with your gas tank on empty. Then when you see those fast food stops, the bakery or that sugared drink; it is a lot harder to resist. And when you finally do eat; you often over eat to make up for what you missed out on in the morning. Try these easy breakfast on the go ideas if you are short on time.

Don’t skip meals. Even though breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should be the first priority in the mornings; each meal is also important. You need energy to keep your brain working at optimal levels. When you skip a meal; you are depriving your body of nutrients it needs to function. Don’t skip any meal and you will have more energy and binge eat a lot less.

Keep healthy snacks handy. When you get an urge to snack; grab some fresh fruit or vegetables to munch instead of higher calorie snack options.

Move! If you have an office job; your find that you sit a lot more than you move throughout the day. This often leads to a sedentary lifestyle. It is important to make sure you get in your daily exercise. But even when time is short; take a timer to your desk with you. Every 10 minutes make sure you stand up and walk around the office or your desk for a minute or two. This not only helps your body to not become too complacent; but it also invigorates your mind so you are able to concentrate better.

Enjoy life! When you enjoy your food and life around you; you are better able to handle stress, unpleasant events that may arise and resist those urges for unhealthy foods. Having a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean you can never enjoy a sweet treat ever again. It means having moderation. And if you eat and are active 80% of the time; it’s ok to indulge about 20% of the time.

A great light treat for that 20% of enjoyment is a tasty Rice Krispies Treat! These are a favorite not only of kids, but Moms too! I don’t think you are ever too old for a Rice Krispies treat!

I traded out the traditional butter for coconut oil in our recipe. Now this isn’t a means to make it “healthy” by any means. But with the added benefits of coconut oil it simply makes these treats a little less of a guilty pleasure with less “bad stuff” inside. Plus I love the added hint of coconut in our Rice Krispies treats.

Be sure to visit Kelloggs.com/GreatStartsTips to view more Tips and read more from Team Kellogg’s on great ideas for a healthy lifestyle!

What are your best Health tips to get moving in the right direction this year?

Which Health tips do you need to improve this year?

Kellogg’s® believes that From Great Starts Come Great Things®. So we’re helping Moms start every day with a tip from the top athletes of Team Kellogg’s™ and Team USA dietitians. The thirty days leading up to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games will each feature fun pieces of advice to help families fuel just like the athletes of Team Kellogg’s. To see all 30 tips, visit Kelloggs.com/GreatStartsTips

Compensation was provided by Kellogg’s via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kellogg’s.