The New Year’s just begun. Have you made a resolution list a mile long? Are you planning to make dozens of changes to improve your life and get healthy once and for all?
How’s that working for you?
It’s difficult to make real change when you try and change too many things at once. Instead, real change comes from a slower approach. Don’t try a dozen things at once. Instead, slowly implement them one at a time over a year and see how much easier it is for habits to stick.
Need a few ideas?
Start a food diary
Track everything you eat for a month. Sometimes seeing what you intake is all you need to make healthier choices. And the best thing is there are many ways you can do this. Get creative if you want something physical - a visit to your local bookstore can help you find a motivating journal. Or look no further than your phone - apps like MyFitnessPal can give you all the motivation you need to stay on track.
Start a new workout program
Sometimes the best way to stay on track is by joining a class. Look for signup deals at your local gym. Or check into your local rec center; memberships are often very reasonable when you are part of the community. You can even sign up for personal training online and get the perfect program for you, no matter where you are in the world.
Make meal prep days
It’s Wednesday night. You arrive home late. You’re tired. Your family is starving. What to do? Instead of reaching for the phone and ordering a pizza, what if you had healthy alternatives? Eating healthy is all about planning. Get in the habit of a meal prep day - possibly Sunday afternoon. Choose a week’s worth of recipes. Go to the store and buy all the ingredients. Wash, chop, and combine them to make your evening plans easy.
Start taking 10,000 steps a day
If you’ve joined the Fitbit revolution, you know the tiny little bracelet rewards you when you reach a daily 10,000 steps. Walking burns calories and helps you avoid the risks of a sedentary lifestyle. As an added bonus, it can get your mind active and help stir your creative juices.
Stay away from junk food
While you’re planning a week of meals, be careful to avoid filling up your pantry with over-processed, sugary foods. If it’s in a box, it’s probably not healthy. If you want healthier snack options, pull up a few choices when you’re gathering recipes. You can make them while you’re planning your meals, even put them into containers for easy grabbing when you’re on the go.
Plan for Meatless Monday
Why not join the revolution and commit to Meatless Mondays. There are many reasons to go meatless for a day - it’s better for your health, and it’s better for the environment. As you discover how delicious Meatless Monday can be, you may just incorporate it other days of the week too.
How are you making this year your healthiest year yet?