What small change made the biggest difference to your health?

[Wajeehakamran]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been thinking a lot about how small, consistent habits can sometimes have a bigger impact than drastic changes. There’s so much advice online about diet, exercise, supplements and wellbeing that it can be hard to know what’s genuinely made a difference for people.

If you could recommend just one change that noticeably improved your health, what would it be? It could be anything from getting more sleep, walking every day, changing your diet, managing stress better, drinking more water, or something completely unexpected.

I’d love to hear real experiences rather than general advice. Sometimes the simplest tips are the ones that stick.

Walking, stretching

Walking. Over the past 20 years or so, I've lost about 8 stones in weight. That's mostly down to walking 8-10k steps per day, consistently probably 350 days per year, even when on holiday! Only heavy rain days are when I won't achieve it. I still eat the same crap food that got me to weigh over 20 stones in the first place! Nothing else has changed. It just takes a loooooong time - just a pound or two every month or so, so not for people wanting a quick fix. On rainy days, I just stand at my office standing desk instead of sitting, so whilst not walking, I do keep the body and fluids moving.

Not just weight loss though. I feel a lot more healthy, look healthier, feel more active generally, and don't have any joint/limb pain that I used to suffer from when other 20 stones!

Not looking at my phone whilst lying down in bed. It's made so much difference to my back problems.

Magnesium glycinate at night half an hour before putting the lights out. Zzzzz all the way now instead of tossing and turning. Wake refreshed and ready to go! That and intermittent fasting. I use 16/8 and it's not for weight loss, just a kind of maintenance and the discipline to keep me out of the snack box in the evening.

Sorry that's two things. 😊

Vitamin D supplement every day. I'm surprised the difference it's made to how much stronger I feel.

Also, at least a couple of squats a day to maintain my leg muscles. Very low effort but little and often really compounds.

Joined my local authority leisure programme and now regularly do aqua aerobics and pilates.

Giving up alcohol. No more day after sloth and headaches, lost three stone.

I’m currently watching what I eat due to a high cholesterol reading.
I’ve only cut out biscuits, crisps and obviously fatty food, and am losing 1kg per week with near zero effort.

How many biscuits and bags of crisps did you eat previously? I assume a huge amount t to be able to lose a kolo per week.

Small change: Finding a yoga teacher I liked and going once a week - for eight years now.

Big change: finding a way to practise law that wasn't going to kill me/make me very unwell with stress.

Small changes are all very well but if you don't tackle the elephant in the room it will only ever be tinkering around the edges.

Walking and I’ve had to cut out all refined carbohydrates & sugars due to severe inflammation & IBS type symptoms. I was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome & POTS last year. Think menopause made it much worse although I’ve always had symptoms throughout my life. Honestly these two things have given me my life back and greatly reduced symptoms so they’re very manageable (except in the extreme heat). Prior to that I was basically sofa-bound, in terrible pain and felt awful. So glad I forced myself down this path and didn’t take the Pregabalin I was offered by my GP. I also easily lost the 2.5 stone I had gained which has really helped my health & particularly my hypermobile joints. The effort & restrictions with my diet, is definitely worth the hassle to feel well.

I only eat sourdough bread. I find I eat way less bread as a result. I just don't have a craving for it that I used to.

Low intensity fitness classes.
Yoga, Pilates and body balance have totally changed my body and wellbeing.

Getting a dog. I’ve spent a fortune on personal trainers over the years but nothing is as motivating as a dog who is excited about going for a walk

Lifting weights eating protein and taking supplements daily. I think the routine of all of it leads to a healthier stronger life

I've gone from being severely depressed, borderline suicidal to really quite content over the course of a few years. No drugs but essentially changed my lifestyle completely. Some little and large changes below.

Exercise 6 times per week. 3x weight, 3x cardio and intervals with one rest day.

Stoped eating junk food. More or less while foods only, no added sugar etc.

Daily meditation and qi gong.

Stopped all social media. This site is as bad as it gets for me.

Stopped watched porn and masturbate a lot less (I'm male), which has drastically directly and indirectly improved my emotional and sexual connection with wife.

Volunteer weekly at a charity I believe in.

Work a lot less (sacrificed money) and this am way less stressed.

Eat a healthy breakfast, same one each day..I used to skip / intermittent fasting which just meant I crashed in the evening and ate a load of rubbish that made me fat and sad.

Lots of others but these changes have really changed my physical and mental health.