Stress balls are usually palm-sized balls that you can squeeze to exercise your hand. Don’t have one? Use a tennis ball. Spring grips, stretchy bands, spring-gloves, and other hand-exercisers are common on the market. Check out what’s available at a sporting goods store in your area, or online. Baoding balls are Chinese stress-relief balls that can be used to exercise your hands. To use them, you rotate two balls around in your palm. They make nice sounds and help you exercise your hands.

Hand weights:Grip a small amount of weight (3 to 5 pounds) in each hand, your palm facing toward the ground. Flex your elbow up so your arm comes out straight, letting your wrist hang down. Flex your wrist slowly, making your arm straight. Then let it back down slowly. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps with each hand. If you don’t have hand-weights, use cans of soup, bricks, or any other hand-sized objects. Exercise bands:Stand on one end of the band and grip the band with your hand, palm facing down. Lift your arm until it comes out straight, then flex your wrist slowly as you grip the band, making your arm straight. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps with each hand.

Do a couple more sets of regular push-ups in addition to your fingertip push-ups. Push-ups help to strengthen your wrists and your pectorals, both good for all-around upper body strength and weight loss.

How many words a minute can you type? If you’re still hunting and pecking, check out this wikiHow article to learn more about typing more comfortably. Playing an instrument, especially piano, violin, or guitar, but also certain woodwinds like flute, clarinet, and other instruments, are all excellent for working on your fine motor skills. Never learned? Good time to start.

While there’s no data to suggest that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis or significant knuckle swelling, some research seems to suggest a connection between long-term knuckle-cracking and decreased grip strength. [2] X Research source

Check those nutrition labels! Eating less salt doesn’t just mean dumping less salt onto the food you eat. Many packaged and frozen foods, even vegetables and sweet snacks, are extremely high in sodium. You can eat a lot of salt without even realizing it. Pay attention to the serving sizes as well. Many “Reduced Salt” or “Reduced Sodium” options are basically the same product with a manipulated serving size, to reduce the sodium content per serving.

Check out this wikiHow article to learn more about cooking with mushrooms. Note that mushrooms do not have as much iron or protein as red meat.

Oatmeal. Sweet potato. Whole grain breads and pastas. Beans and lentils. Leafy green vegetables.

Have an apple. Apples are low in calories and high in fiber. Don’t skip dessert, but make your dessert a bit healthier. For example, instead of having a bowl of after-dinner ice cream, switch to a cup of low-fat Greek yoghurt and frozen blueberries. Or, if you love a piece of chocolate cake every now and then, then keep an antioxidant-rich dark chocolate bar around, and eat a square (just one) when you get a chocolate craving.

Start your meal with a small cup of broth-based soup, or eat a small handful of unsalted almonds 15 to 20 minutes before a meal. This has been shown to reduce the amount of food you consume in the subsequent meal. Don’t skip meals. Some studies show that skipping meals, especially breakfast, forces the body to store the calories you consume later in the day more quickly. In other words, skipping breakfast makes you gain weight. [5] X Research source

Start with brisk walks around the neighborhood and slowly expand your walking range. Try for a mile at first, or time it out to walk at a quick clip for 15 to 20 minutes, twice a day. If you’re not a big fan of exercise routines, don’t treat it like exercise. Just treat it like you’re going for a walk. Cue up an audiobook or some new tunes in your headphones.

Yoga. Pilates. Spin class. Dance aerobics. Water aerobics. Not everyone will be up to doing heavy cardio, like the kind you might encounter in a spin class or other aerobics routines. Talk to your doctor to develop a weight loss plan for you.

Try switching to a circuit-training regimen. Pick 5 to 10 quick exercises you enjoy and do high-intensity sets for 40 to 60 seconds, during which you do as many reps as you can. Rest for 20 to 30 seconds, then move on to the next exercise. Do three full sets of your 5 to 10 exercises, with a short five minute rest in between. If you do this routine three times a week while you eat healthy, you’ll be dropping pounds fast.

Make your mental health as much of a priority as your physical health. Take 15 to 30 minutes every day to just sit quietly and Zen-out. Don’t feel guilty for needing a little you-time. Take hot baths, read good books, or listen to quiet music. Whatever chills you out, do it.