New year, new you!
We’re a few days into the new year and many people are starting off with resolutions to better themselves. Whether it’s getting fit or eating a more wholesome diet – we’ve got some tips for you to help you conquer the new year.
1. Healthy Meal Planning for Healthy Eating
Becoming healthy happens mostly in the kitchen. We are what we eat and it’s important to incorporate nutrient-rich foods into our everyday diet. Meal planning has become a popular trend of making/packing a week’s worth of food in one cooking session. Spend a morning, afternoon, or evening preparing your meals for the week, stick them in the fridge, and grab them when you need them. Check out our Meal Planning Pinterest board for recipe ideas to get you started here.
2. Be Active & Get Fit
There are several ways to become more active and get fit. It might not come as a surprise that gyms get some of their highest member enrollments during New Year’s but it’s not the only option. There are easier, budget-friendly (and even free) ways to get fit:
- Home workouts: YouTube has become a popular mode of streaming fitness instruction in the comfort of your own home. Fitness Blender, a channel with over 3.6 million subscribers, creates high-quality fitness videos for free. Their workouts range from short 10-minutes videos and to as long as 90-minutes . Their library og videos include everything from warm-ups, stretches, and yoga to HIIT (high-intensity interval training), cardio, and strength training. Check out their YouTube channel here or visit their website here.
- Get outdoors: If space is an issue at home, you’ve got a free gym with the great outdoors! Take your workout outside – most of what is done indoors can be done out. When you’re getting that heart rate up and building up a sweat, the air will help cool you down. Be sure to always be aware of your surroundings, have ample space, and be respectful of the people that may be around you when you’re working out outdoors.
- On-the-go: Time is of the essence and sometimes going to the gym or being able to work out at home isn’t the most ideal for a busy schedule. Make an effort to be more active on-the-go – take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator, park a little further out to get more steps in, take a brisk walk on your breaks at work, get those lunges in while you’re pushing a shopping cart through the market…do what you can to make sure that you’re moving as much as possible!
3. Get Rest, Sleep More
Sleep is a must. It enables us to be able to function on a daily basis and lack of it can be detrimental to both our physical and mental health. It will be important to know if you’re getting enough sleep. If you’re unsure, try downloading a sleep app or purchasing a fitness tracker, like a FitBit, to analyze your current sleep patterns. You should adjust accordingly so that your are getting adequate rest. Remember, all electronic devices should be put away thirty minutes before bed as it can stimulate the brain too much (so much so you won’t be able to sleep). It is also vital not to eat right before bed either. If you need to have a bedtime snack, make it a light and healthy one.
The sleepier you are, the less you are able to function at optimal levels.
4. Detox & Clense Your Body
While juicing and souping have become trendy ways of detoxing, we don’t recommend this route as a healthy way of cleansing the body. The best way to detox is to do so naturally and that can be easily done through your everyday diet. Focus on eating whole, natural, and organic foods and avoid consuming foods that contain preservatives and are high in sodium/sugar/fats. Instead of soda, drink water, tea, or juice your own fruit. If it comes in a package, be sure to double check its ingredients to make sure you know what exactly you’re putting into your body.
5. Have “Me” Time
Your mental health is as important as your physical health. It’s important to make a routine of having me time at least once a day, if not, once a week. Take the time to reflect, relax, and enjoy your alone time.
6. Track your Progress
It takes repetition for anything to become a habit. Tracking your progress – whether it’s your food, working out, sleeping, meditating, etc. – will help make anything you do become second nature. We recommend downloading apps to track your progress but good, old-fashioned journal writing works just as well. In this day and age, there is an app to track almost everything.
7. Everything in Moderation
Enjoy life! Eating healthy doesn’t mean you can’t have a sweet treat every now and again! While it’s important to eat a whole, balanced diet of nutrient-rich foods, it’s also important to have those special treats sporadically. You’ve earned it!
Disclaimer: Products and businesses mentioned in this blog post are not affiliated with Mollie Stone’s Markets. This is not a sponsored post.
Please consult with your doctor before embarking on a new fitness regime or major change in diet.
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Have a happy and healthy new year!
