It's the little things that add up to make the biggest difference, right? So, as we approach the week ahead with the extra stress factors of the holidays, colder weather, shorter days of sunlight and comfort food & sweets popping up everywhere to tempt us, it can be even more challenging to prepare to eat healthy and make time for exercise.

To help sustain our energy levels and simply maintain our health, fitness and weight I recommend these two simple, small steps to try and focus on this week:

1. STAND UP FOR YOUR HEALTH AND FITNESS

Stand up once an hour from your office/home office chair,  the car seat you're traveling in or the place your find yourself sitting for more than an hour. I've shared before that Sitting Is The New Smoking, meaning it is a direct link to early mortality rates, disease and obesity. A recent study (Oxygen) showed that sitting for long periods of time puts enough pressure on fat cells that they can actually expand and spread up to 50%! So, sitting too long on a regular basis can actually make your bottom bigger and expand, and not in a good way! Studies continue to show that people who stand more everyday have significantly less chance of dying from cancer and heart related diseases, in addition to being leaner than those who sit more.

Set the alarm on your smartphone to remind you to GET UP once every hour and walk around - go to the bathroom, refill your water bottle, stretch, or simply take a few steps to the end of the hallway or step outside to instantly refresh and re-energize.

2. SIP TO SUSTAIN AND HELP NOT GAIN

I coach my clients that for every cup of coffee and glass of wine/beer /cocktail, drink 1 glass of water in between, before and after. I've posted many reasons why drinking water benefits the mind, body and spirit and helps us stay leaner, have clearer minds and skin. The simple, small step of being sure to sip your water from the moment you wake, throughout the day can not only help sustain energy, cleanse of toxins, boost energy levels by combatting hydration, but standing up to refill our water once an hour has double the benefits - less sitting and more water drinking!

So just for this week , add these two healthy habits to your day and STAND UP AND SIP for your health and fitness. On the days when you don't have time for exercise or haven't prepared to eat clean and healthy, these two small changes will reap big rewards.

Standing Applause and Water Cheers To Making it a Healthy Week!