Happy New Year! Hopefully you have the day off and are able to stay home, relax, and recharge for the new year ahead. If you’re familiar with my nutrition philosophy then you were NOT expecting some “new year new you” diet style post today. However, I think it’s totally normal to feel a little tired and sluggish this time of year. I can definitely admit I’ve been consuming more sugar and alcohol these past few weeks, and it’s a natural reaction to feel like you need to make an extreme dietary change after the holidays to compensate for the extra indulgences. So, if you’re having the urge to go on a diet or detox this month please go back and read a post I wrote last year around this time “5 Reasons You Should Not Go on a Diet in 2019 (OR EVER!)“.
So now that you’re caught up on why I discourage making a resolution related to dieting, let’s explore wellness intentions you might want to think about that do not involve dieting.
SLEEP HYGIENE I got really into sleep hygiene in 2019. If you’re struggling to fall asleep then you might want to be taking a look at what you’re doing the hour before bed and how you might be able to make some tweaks to ensure a better nights sleep. Crappy sleep negatively impacts our health in many ways, but the #1 thing I notice is poor food choices the next day.
Ideally you’re winding down 1-2 hours before you want to be asleep with some sort of nightly routine. I personally try to get off social media or use my blue light blocking glasses if I’m on my computer or watching TV. I will take an epsom salt bath with essential oils then do my nightly skin care routine. Then I will drink CALM tea or take these magnesium supplement and read my book for. I also recently started taking this CBD oil before bed which has been helpful.
DRINK MORE WATER If you’re anything like me my fluid intake the past few weeks has been out of balance (heavy in the coffee and wine category low in the plain old h20) and my skin is showing it! I plan to cut back on alcohol now that the holidays are over and I want to get back on track with drinking 80+ oz water daily. My goal is to drink two of these water bottles a day. An easy way to calculate an estimate of how much water you need is to take your weight and divide it in half. That is a good goal for how many ounces of water to aim for daily.
COOK AT HOME MORE I know for the working parent this isn’t always do-able so trying a meal kit delivery service might be a way to have more at home fresh meals without having to meal prep/plan and grocery shop. If you’re not feeling motivated to get in the kitchen try buying a new cookbook or pick one new recipe a week online to try. This is my go to cookbook when I need recipe inspo and we also pin a lot of yummy and healthy recipes on our Pinterest page. It’s no secret eating at home is typically much healthier because you’re in control of the ingredients and portions. You can also double a recipe so you have extras for lunch or dinner the next day. For me, it’s also a nice way to unwind at the end of the day. Glass of wine in hand…blast the music…and get in the cooking zone 😉
THINK IN COLOR The easiest way I teach my clients about nutrition is talking about color. When a client gives me their food journals we will often go through and see how many different colors they are consuming. Often their plates are mostly white, brown, and yellow (protein and carbs). By increasing the color on their plate they will be getting in more fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (including antioxidants). I challenge my clients to get in 2-3 BRIGHT colors per meal (orange, red, green, purple, orange, blue, etc).
TAKE MORE DAILY STEPS I know exercise is a popular NY resolution, but I’d like to encourage you to think about it differently this year. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to join the gym or sign up for a marathon, but think about how you can increase your daily movement. If you have a sedentary job I encourage you to get a step tracker aim to be getting 7,000 + steps a day. You might be surprised by how little you’re walking during the day. Walking is a very underrated form of exercise, yet SO good for your body. Even if you’re going to a barre class for an hour then sitting the rest of the day that’s not ideal. Our bodies like to MOVE. It’s definitely harder in the winter to get steps in, but I encourage you to set a daily steps goal and workout classes on top of that are a bonus 😉
PHONE OFF IN THE EVENINGS People often ask me when I have the time to read. I honestly get a lot of reading done in the bath tub lol. My favorite way to unwind is to take an epsom salt bath right after Quinn goes to bed and I’ll spend 30-60 minutes soaking and reading my book. My phone is the other room, so I’m not sitting there scrolling social media. I hope to continue to be able to disconnect from my phone more (especially in the evening) and use that time to read, watch my favorite shows, play a game with my husband, take a bath, stretch/foam roll, face mask, etc.
What are your resolutions for 2020??
xx, A
