Through our decades of helping people transform their lives, we have learned this valuable truth:
Transformation does not need to be complicated!
That's why we created this list of simple SWAPs you can do today to help transform your life and get one step closer to achieving your goals!
Each SWAP is broken down into categories, with a short explanation of why it will benefit your health.
MINDSET SWAPs
1. Swap focusing on only the number on the scale for focusing on the bigger picture of overall health and amazing Non-Scale Victories.
Weight loss at 40+ is different than in our 20s due to metabolic changes. Focusing on overall health (like energy levels, strength, mobility) keeps motivation high.
2. Swap focusing on what you can't control for focusing on what you can control.
Aging introduces factors like hormonal changes that are outside of your control. Focusing on controllable aspects, like daily movement and nutrition, empowers you and keeps progress within reach.
3. Swap going at weight loss blindly for clarifying your specific motivation (your WHY) to lose weight.
A clear motivation-whether it's improving energy, supporting your family, or reducing health risks-provides a purpose that sustains you through challenges and plateaus.
4. Swap going about your journey alone for accountability by reaching out to a friend, family member, or our TransformHQ Facebook Community.
A support system can provide accountability and encouragement, making it easier to stay motivated. People thrive in communities where they can share experiences and tips.
5. Swap taking on everything all at once for mastering just one habit at a time and building momentum.
Overhauling your entire routine can be overwhelming. Focusing on one habit at a time makes change manageable and builds momentum for long-term success.
MOVEMENT SWAPs
6. Swap choosing the most convenient option, like taking the elevator or parking close, for taking the long way to add more movement.
These small, intentional choices help increase daily activity, strengthen muscles, and support bone density while supporting cardiovascular health.
7. Swap sitting for long periods for taking movement breaks or walks throughout the day.
Breaking up sitting time can help to improve circulation, reduce stiffness, and lower the risk of metabolic issues as you age.
8. Swap only doing cardio for mixing in strength-building exercises with weights, resistance bands, or bodyweight moves.
Strength training helps combat muscle loss, supports bone density, and is vital for overall health, especially as we age.
9. Swap skipping exercise because it feels daunting for starting with just 10 minutes of movement and building from there.
Short workouts are less intimidating, easier to fit into a busy day, and help establish consistency for long-term success.
10. Swap ignoring flexibility training for incorporating yoga or stretching routines regularly.
Flexibility exercises help maintain joint mobility and reduce stiffness, which naturally increases during aging.
SELFIE SWAPs
11. Swap staying up late for going to bed earlier to help you get enough quality sleep.
Quality sleep helps support mood, mental clarity, and reduce stress, making it easier to stay motivated and focused.
12. Swap eating a sugary snack for a brain-healthy snack like berries, nuts, or dark chocolate.
Brain-healthy snacks can help provide nutrients that support cognitive health, and avoiding sugary snacks can help prevent crashes and fatigue.
13. Swap working at your desk indoors for a couple hours for working outside.
Time outdoors can help break up sedentary routines and boost serotonin, improve focus, and also help reduce stress.
14. Swap your normal exercise for engaging in an active, fun hobby.
Enjoyable activities like dancing, hiking, playing pickleball, etc. not only help get your heart rate up and burn calories but can also help boost endorphins, making movement feel fun, exciting, and not forced.
15. Swap out a night in for an activity with friends, family, or the community.
Social connection is a powerful way to help combat stress and loneliness and help improve mood. Strong social ties also foster a sense of belonging, community, and help provide emotional support and accountability.
NUTRITION SWAPs - Protein
16. Swap beginning your day with food and drinks loaded with sugar for protein-rich foods that help you to feel full, increase your energy, and control your blood sugar.
While you sleep, your body burns calories to keep you alive. By morning, most of your stored carbs (sugar)are used up, so your body starts burning fat for energy-exactly what you need to lose weight and tone up. Avoid foods loaded with sugar like cereal, pastries, fruit juices, muffins, etc.
17. Swap having sugary snacks on hand for having high-protein snacks available.
Protein snacks generally have significantly fewer calories than sugary snacks, from 50 to 200 calories less per serving. In addition to reducing the calories you consume, protein snacks make you feel full longer, satisfy hunger, boost your energy, build lean muscle, and help reduce high blood pressure.
For your convenience, we have created a list of high-protein snacks that is available in the Transform At Home App.
18. Swap your meals and snacks to have at least one source of protein in them. Spread your protein throughout the day.
The Mayo Clinic has published this very interesting statement about protein intake: "Studies show that higher intakes-those more than 40 grams-in one sitting are no more beneficial than the recommended 5-30 grams at one time. Don't waste your money on excessive amounts." They also say, "The body can't store protein, so once needs are met, any extra is used for energy or stored as fat."
19. Swap sugary foods and drinks for protein to combat stress.
The hormones and neurotransmitters that make up your body's stress response are made from amino acids you get from protein in foods. If you're not getting enough protein, you could have deficiencies in the nutrients that play a role in your mood and how your brain functions.
Using protein for stress and anxiety instead of sugar means you won't experience the "sugar crash". Sugar produces a short-term "high", but the inevitable "sugar crash" makes you suddenly feel anxious, irritable, stressed, and sluggish.
20. Swap diving into a meal or snack for taking a good look at what you're eating.
For you trying to lose weight, you want more than just an adequate" amount of protein to maximize your weight loss. Your plate should consist of 1/3 to 1/2 of protein-rich foods. A simple way to increase your protein is to dedicate more of your plate to protein-rich foods while cutting back on foods that contain high amounts of sugar.
NUTRITION SWAPs - Sugar
21. Swap consuming sugary foods to satisfy cravings for waiting 10-15 minutes, as cravings will usually dissipate during that time.
A craving is when you reach for a specific food, most often something sweet like cookies, candy bars, and ice cream. Cravings will usually stop in about 10-15 minutes. Drinking a glass of water while waiting for your craving to vanish will usually speed up the process.
Hunger is when you are willing to eat "whatever" to make you feel full. You can lower your sugar consumption by learning to distinguish between a craving (a desire for specific food(s)) and hunger (a need to feel full) and by waiting out the end of a craving.
22. Swap sugar for protein-rich foods with tyrosine (like eggs, whole grains, meat, and poultry) to help release your "feel good" chemicals to help with stress, anxiety, and mood.
As soon as sugar hits our tongue, it lights up the reward center in our brain, causing a surge of dopamine production. We feel pleasure, and this causes our rain to produce some serotonin. This is called a "sugar high" or "sugar rush". Unfortunately, with a "sugar rush" comes a "low" or a "sugar crash", which can actually make you feel worse than the few minutes you spend on a "sugar high".
23. Swap foods high in sugars that aren't supposed to be sweet for slightly processed or fresh options of these foods.
For example, many popular protein bars contain over 5 teaspoons of sugar per bar. Six teaspoons of sugar per day is the recommended amount for women. In addition, if foods are not considered a dessert or sweet, many people assume it must not have sugar. 73% of foods in American supermarkets are considered ultra-processed. This means those foods contain high amounts of sugar, salt, and saturated fat.
24. Swap not being aware of how much sugar you are consuming by checking the nutrition labels on the foods you are consuming.
You will be surprised, even shocked, at the amount of sugar in "innocent" foods. A granola bar can have up to 15 grams, or almost 4 teaspoons of sugar in a serving. A cup of applesauce has 36 grams, or 9 teaspoons, which is 3 more teaspoons of sugar than is recommended for a woman for the whole day.
On a typical Nutrition Facts Label, under the line "Total Carbohydrate", there will be a line that says "Total Sugars". Under that will be a line called Added Sugars. The amount of "Added Sugars" is the amount of sugar counted toward your daily consumption of sugar.
25. Swap nighttime snacks that contain high amounts of sugar with snacks high in protein and/or fiber.
It would be ideal if, after everyone's last meal of the day, they simply "closed the kitchen." However, the reality is 91% of Americans snack between dinner and bedtime. Unfortunately, 83% of Americans who snack after dinner say that they feel out of control about their nighttime snacking.
NUTRITION SWAPs - Fiber
26. Swap your nutrition to make sure you have a minimum of three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit every day.
This makes up the five-a-day recommendation by the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In general, one serving is a single piece of fruit or a half-cup of raw fruits, vegetables, or a cup of leafy greens.
27. Swap canned vegetables and fruits for FRESH fruits and vegetables.
Focusing on fresh ingredients not only promotes improved health, but also boosts nutrients and flavor profiles. Any type of processing, such as canning, freezing, or drying, can deteriorate the quality of nutrients, fiber, flavor, and even natural color.
28. Swap snacks high in sugar and salt by having whole fruits, raw vegetables, low-fat popcorn without salt, and whole-grain crackers, etc.
A handful of nuts or dried fruits that don't have added sugar can also be a healthy, high-fiber snack.
29. Swap from white bread to whole grain bread.
Choose bread with at least 2 grams of fiber per serving. White flour is made by removing the bran and germ from wheat berries, which are the nutritious part of the wheat berry. White bread is nutritionally lightweight. Whole wheat bread is much higher in fiber, vitamin B6 and E, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, and chromium.
30. Swap diving into a meal or snack for taking a good look at what you're eating.
An easy way to measure if you are getting the correct amount of fiber in your meals is making sure your plate is about 1/2 full of fruits and vegetables. For weight loss, you will want to aim for the fruits and vegetables on your plate to have at least a combined 5 grams of fiber.
NUTRITION SWAPs - Water
31. Swap the urge to eat when you feel hungry outside of meal or snack times with drinking 1 to 2 cups of water and waiting 15 minutes to see if your hunger subsides.
If you feel hungry between meals and snacks, drinking water can often help, as it can be a sign of thirst rather than actual hunger.
Drinking water can increase the feeling of fullness by taking up space in your stomach, essentially acting as an appetite suppressant.
32. Swap having no water before you eat for having a cup or 2 of water prior to a meal.
Doing this will decrease your hunger level before your meal and decrease the number of calories you consume at that meal.
33. Swap energy drinks and soda for water.
If you enjoy and need the benefits of an energy drink or soda, which include a substantial increase in energy, the release of more "feel good" chemicals in your body, and the additional focus they provide, know that water will help create those same benefits.
If you feel the need to supercharge your water, do it with TransformHQ Boost Shot or Hydration, with no sugar and no calories.
34. Swap using drinks that contain high sugar and high calories during your meals for water as your primary beverage.
For example, having a small 12 oz. soda with lunch or dinner can add between 125 and 180 calories to your meal. 8 oz. of fruit juice can have over 130 calories. A small, 12 oz. beer can have up to 350 calories.
35. Swap your morning routine to include having a couple of cups of water when you wake up.
Most everyone suffers the effects of mild dehydration when they wake up, in addition to being hungry.
Have a couple of cups of water to start out your day, become hydrated, control your hunger, and prevent the desire for sugary drinks or food.
