Happy New Year! We love the start of the New Year because it’s a time to start fresh with health and fitness goals and with an increased motivation and determination. We find this is the best time to adopt realistic and healthy behaviors that can easily become part of your everyday routine and part of your lifestyle—not just for a few weeks, but for the entire year! If you’re looking for some changes to make that are realistic and healthy and at the same time will impact your life for the better, we’ve got some great tips for you to keep all year long.
- Try to avoid white refined sugars. They typically add a lot of calories without nutrients, contributing to weight gain-and they also often increase cravings. They also seem to weaken the immune system by reducing your white blood cells’ ability to destroy bacteria.
Instead of going for sweet desserts try choosing naturally sweet foods like these:
- Eat more green veggies. Include at least one type of green veggie every day!
- Add broccoli to stir-fries. Even if you eat an omelet, pizza or Chinese food, be sure to have some broccoli, green bell pepper or bok choy in your meal.
- Or try these sides and some meals with greens already included:
3. Log your food intake. Keep track of all foods to make sure you’re eating the very best each and every day. Where and when you eat can affect your mood. Plus, when you have to write down what you eat–and you see all the food accumulating, it helps to keep you in check ;).
- Try an online app like myfitnesspal.com
- Make your own energy bars. Homemade ones are healthier than the store bought which are often similar to eating candy bars.
Keep these realistic resolutions (and more!) now and all year long to be a happier and healthier you!