Have you put on a few winter hibernation pounds? Worried about how you’ll look at the beach this summer?

Perhaps with kids, work, family and all of your responsibilities of being a superman or superwoman, you are in need of more consistent energy throughout the day.

If you want to lose weight, improve your overall health or eliminate the afternoon slump, here are 7 simple tips anyone can do right now.

1. Eat More Raw Foods

Raw food is possibly the only weight loss and health solution that works for 100% of the people, 100% of the time. Adding more live, raw foods to your diet on a daily basis will provide your body with the essential raw nutrients to sustain health.

One of the best things about adding more raw food to your diet is you can eat as much as you want, whenever you want, and still lose weight. What most people find is not only do their cravings subside, but also their skin clears up, they get better sleep at night and their attitude improves…all while losing weight at very fast, but healthy speeds.

If you want simple, sustainable diet options that work and work fast, raw food is the way to go. (For raw food suggestions and program options, see author box below.

2. Reduce or Eliminate Processed Foods

There is simply no reason other than habit to eat a diet high in processed foods. With the explosion of genetically modified foods (GMOs), confusing labeling and synthetic ingredients, the nutritional value of processed foods is at an all-time low.

Most processed foods are loaded with hidden sugars and are empty calories, temporarily filling you up while tricking your brain into wanting more. It’s a vicious cycle that adds pounds, increases cravings and reduces your health.

Get off this nutritionally deprived merry-go-round as soon as you can.

3. Drink More Water

Our bodies are 70% water. Our head is 93% water. It’s estimated that over half of your food cravings and headaches are actually a sign of dehydration. It’s amazing what a single 8 oz glass of clean water can do to satisfy your hunger.

Make a commitment to drink at least a gallon of water every day (8-10 8oz glasses), and you will provide your cells what they need to detoxify and stay healthy.

4. Sweat Every Day

It doesn’t matter if it’s two hours at the gym, a jog in your neighborhood, playing a sport or a brisk walk around the block a few times — just get out there, sweat a little and bring your heart rate up.

In addition to burning calories, exercise of virtually any kind produces endorphins that make you happy… literally. Studies show it’s impossible to walk and be sad at the same time. Move a little, sweat a little, burn a few calories and just try and keep that smile off your face.

5. Enjoy The Silence

In our fast-paced, competitive and often crazy world, it’s sometimes difficult to find “me time.” Some of you haven’t had me time in so long, you wouldn’t even know where to start.

Start small…but start today.

Begin by taking just five minutes, in a quiet and comfortable place to just relax and breathe. If you know how to meditate, do that. If not, just relax and enjoy a time where you don’t think about life, kids, responsibilities, to-do lists or anything else.

Just five minutes. You are worth it. Just relax and breathe. Start now.

6. De-clutter Your World

Clutter creates stress. Stress creates anxiety and makes it difficult for you to unload those things (including the unwanted pounds) that you want to get rid of.

Clear spaces allow your energy to move freely. This also frees up your focus and intention. Clear out your emotional, mental and physical clutter so you can bring better health into your life.

7. Play

We’ve become so serious in life with everything we “have to do,” that sometimes we forget life is a game meant to be played. We spend our time as young children trying to act and be older. We spend our time as adults trying to remember what it’s like to have the imagination and sense of curiosity we did as a child.

Laughter and fun brings joy into your world and lightens your spirit. Put 5% of your income aside every month and spend it on YOU. Yes, spend it all on yourself…every month or at the very minimum every quarter.

You are not going to get out of this life alive; you may as well have fun while you are here.

There you have it, 7 simple tips to losing weight, getting healthy and being joyFULL. Choose today to begin to incorporate as much of these strategies into your life as you can.

Start with Tip #1 – Raw Foods. What we fuel our bodies with is the foundation of everything else we do in life. We have stepped over our health on the way to our dreams for long enough. Don’t let the idea of eating more raw food scare you. Most people find it substantially easier than they thought.

The Raw Promise program is the simplest, most effective program we’ve ever seen and the results for people all over North America have been amazing.

You’ll find that by increasing the amount of raw food you consume, you’ll begin to notice your mind becomes much clearer and your energy level will go up. When you do that, the rest of these tips are a piece of cake. Er, um…a piece of raw vegan cheesecake.

Keith O’Brien is a single father, home business entrepreneur and raw food enthusiast who helps people lose weight and improve their health by incorporating more raw, live foods into their diet. The Raw Promise Program from LiveRawNow.com is a simple, complete weight management program; where people have lost thousands of pounds, reduced their blood pressure and medications, lowered their cholesterol and are conscious eaters for the first time in their lives. For more information on The Raw Promise, go to: http://liverawnow.com