Posted from LiveStrong.com

Small Changes Can

 Yield Big Results

When you set and 
accomplish small, 
tangible changes, 
you get an immediate
 sense of gratification,
 and that is self-motivating.

Make Minor Adjustments 

That Will Pay Big Dividends

Showering with your eyes closed can
 help stimulate the mind by blocking one
 of the senses, according to studies. 
Try eating with a blindfold, as well. - 
Hoby Finn/Digital Vision/Getty Images

By Chan Tran

Quit cold turkey. Run a marathon.

 Cut out carbohydrates. Reduce 

calorie intake by half. You may believe that 

drastic changes are the only ways to 

achieve the results you want, but that's

 hardly the case.

"When changes are too big, they

 may be too overwhelming," said

 registered dietitian Ellie Krieger, 

author of "Small Changes, Big 

Results: A 12-Week Action Plan

 to a Better Life." "People don't

 want to start, or they don't know

 where to begin so they don't at all."

Small lifestyle changes are easier

 to achieve and maintain. When

 successful, they are more likely 

to become habits and can lead 

to increased self-confidence.

"Most successful goals or 

changes are things you can

 literally check off and say, 

'I did this,'" Krieger said.

 "If you say, 'I am going to

 eat better,' you can't track

 or net that goal. But when

 you set and accomplish 

small, tangible changes, 

you get an immediate 

sense of gratification,

 and that is self-motivating."

So whether you're looking

to improve your finances,

 health, fitness or relationships,

 focusing on frequent, achievable

Confuse Your Muscles

Ellie Krieger, registered dietitian
 and author of "Small Changes,
 Big Results: A 12-Week Action 
Plan to a Better Life

When it comes to building

 muscles, a few tweaks to

 your fitness routine may be

 all you need to change your body.

"You don't necessarily have to 

change your entire workout; 

you would only need to change

 how you complete the exercises," 

said Jeff Plasschaert, an

 exercise physiologist at the 

University of Florida.

Some simple changes are doing

 an exercise bilaterally 

(working both limbs), adding 

in balancing, changing the

 mode of exercise (from machines

 to free weights), and grouping 

multiple exercises into one

 movement. Adjusting your grip

 can help get in a few more reps.

 Plasschaert suggests adding

 variations to these basic

 exercises to take your workouts

 up a notch.

Lunge: Add a twist or rotation;

 lunge onto unstable surface

(Airex Balance Pad or Bosu ball);

lunge with rotation using bands.

Biceps Curl: Switch between a

 palms-down and palms-up grip;

 use bands or cable machine; 

stand on one leg for balance; 

incorporate a lunge with biceps curl.

Triceps Extensions: Switch between

 a palms-down and palms-up grip; 

vary between single arm and double arm.

Plank: With marching feet; with

 elbows on a stability ball; with 

elbows on a stability ball and 

tracing the alphabet with your elbows.

Pushup: Vary width of hands;

 put hands on unstable surface; 

 little goals will lead you to success.

put a band around your elbows;

put one arm on top of a medicine ball.

You're Full
Stop Before 

"On a scale of one to 10,

 with one being you're 

famished and 10 being 

you're Thanksgiving full, 

stop eating when you're

 at a five or six," said Krieger.

To stay satisfied yet

 never stuffed,

 give your snack or 

meal undivided

 attention. So-called

 "mindful eating" 

means not eating

in front of the TV or 

anything that would 

distract you from

 the food.

Take small bites.

Chew slowly.

 Smell your food.

 Focus on

 the texture and taste.

 After

 a few bites or one 

serving,

 ask yourself if you 

want

 more or are satisfied.

Using smaller plates and 

bowls can also help.

In a Cornell University 

study 

published in the 

September

 2006 issue of the 

"American

 Journal of Preventative

 Medicine," 

85 nutrition experts

 were given

 either a small or a 

large bowl

 for ice cream. Participants

 with

 the larger bowl served 

themselves

 and ate 31 percent 

more calories

 than those with the

 smaller bowl.

According to Brian

 Wansink,

 Cornell Food and 

Brand Lab

 director and lead

 author of the 

study, people are 

likely to serve

 themselves 22

 percent fewer

 calories if they use a 

10-inch 

plate instead of a 

12-inch plate.

Portion half of the

 dinner plate 

with vegetables and

 fruits, says

 Elisa Zied, registered

 dietitian

 and author of "Nutrition

 at Your 

Fingertips." This way you

 fill up

 on fruits and veggies

 instead of

 the high-caloric food.

Take aRelaxing Bath
If you're struggling to fall
 asleep at night, Harvard
 University sleep experts 
suggest establishing a 
soothing pre-sleep routine. 
Read a book, practice 
relaxation exercises or take
 a bath (the rise and fall in 
body temperature induces 
drowsiness). Keep your room 
slightly cool, and avoid the
 glow of your computer at night. 

After all, sleep is important for

 your well-being as well as

 your waistline. A study 

presented at the 2011 

meeting of the Associated 

Professional Sleep Societies

 shows that not getting 

enough shuteye may make

 junk food more tempting. 

Researchers say daytime

 sleepiness may impair your 

brain's inhibitory control

 when viewing tantalizing,

 high-caloric food.

Shower With

Your Eyes Closed
Blocking or combining one
 or more of your senses, such
 as showering with your eyes 
closed or eating blindfolded,
 can improve memory and your
 mental fitness, according to the
 Franklin Institute. 

When you use your senses

 in unexpected ways, you're

 stimulating nerve cells in the

 brain so that pathways and

 circuits get activated.

Listen to the rain and tap 

your fingers, or smell flowers

 while listening to music. Close

 your eyes when buying fresh 

produce and rely only on your 

spatial reasoning and sense of 

smell and touch.

Eat More, Drink Less

Whether it's a 140-calorie can of 

soda can or a 190-calorie soy latte, 

"liquid calories add up," said Zied.

Limit beverages that add to

 your daily caloric intake yet

 do little to make you feel full.

 And although low in calories, 

diet soda is not the solution.

 Researchers from the University

 of Texas Health Science Center

 in San Antonio reported that 

drinking diet soda is associated

 with a wider waistline. And a

 second study found that aspartame

 -- an artificial sweetener in diet

 sodas -- raised the blood sugar levels in mice.

Stick to water or unsweetened 

coffee/tea, or make fresh-fruit-infused

 water: Blend two cups of water with 

a cup of melon and pour over ice.

Sprint Your Workout

Burn fat, build muscles, boost

endurance and improve your 

cardiovascular health in the 

shortest time possible with

 interval training, or short bursts 

of high-intensity exercises, says

 Jeff Plasschaert, an exercise

 physiologist at the University of Florida.

An effective way of incorporating

 interval training is to make part

 of your workout a circuit, such as

 a six-exercise set completed for

 one minute each with 30-second 

rests and repeated three times for

 a 30-minute workout. Be sure to

 include a warm-up and cool-down routine.

"If you know how much time you 

have to work out, then you can pick

 a set number of exercises and

 repeat those exercises for the 

duration of the workout," said Plasschaert.

Spend 15 Minutes Saving

The average U.S. family carries

 $8,000 in credit-card debt. Rather 

than making drastic sacrifices --- such

 as downsizing from a two-car to 

a one-car household --- financial

expert Ellie Kay suggests small,

 workable changes that add up to major savings.

Before you shop, Kay recommends

seeking online coupon codes and 

promotions. Cut your grocery bill in

 half with deals from the newspaper

 or other online coupon sites, and 

before traveling, use sites that let

 you know where the cheapest gas 

is along your route.

"Devote 15 minutes a day to saving,

 and determine to never pay full price 

for anything," said Kay.