New Year -- Doing the Next Thing

Let’s face it, if there are several areas that we need to work on, transforming ourselves physically or mentally can be a truly formidable task. New Year’s resolutions are often abandoned.  Perhaps the going got rough or there wasn’t a proper plan to execute.  Some of you have perhaps even decided to never make another resolution. 

This year, rather than focusing on going to the gym every day, or never eating another dessert, or selecting an all-or-nothing resolution, I am making January a time to focus on the little habits that create health in my life.  If I am having issues with my food choices, I will track my food and drink intake in a journal for a few days and spend additional time in menu planning.   If my exercise isn’t where it needs to be, I will focus making both cardio and strength a priority in my week.  If my stress is getting out of control, I may need to set aside some extra time for prayer and get in a great cardio kickboxing workout (punching things always helps me relax!).    

Growing up, my mom always said that whenever you feel stuck (during your day, in your life, etc.) – just do the next thing you know to do.  My example this week - when the house is a wreck and you are totally overwhelmed—pick one room or task to start.  The house doesn’t have to be perfect right away, but we do need to keep moving and not give up on it.  If your goal for 2014 seems formidable, take it apart in pieces like you might clean your house.  Then pick the next thing.

If your goal is to lose 75 pounds in 2014, you will need help.  That is a huge and awesome undertaking.  Prepare yourself for success.  Set up a support system—maybe a nutritionist and a personal trainer—and definitely as much family or friend support as you can muster up! Start tracking your food and exercise.  Perhaps you might utilize Sparkpeople or other fitness and health apps on your phone or tablet.  A big goal takes a lot of work, and you can expect plateaus and setbacks.  Not everything will work out as you desire.  BUT, when you get stuck –just do the next thing you know to do. 

 If your goal is to change your eating habits, don’t expect to start wanting snap peas and green smoothies instead of potato chips and ice cream right away.  You might do well with slowly introducing fresher and non-processed foods into your diet, or you may need to go cold turkey on all your food vises.  I do not do well with having junk food or sweets in the house, so sometimes I just tell my husband that if he wants something he has to buy it and not tell me about it! Doing the next thing might be trading white rice for brown, or white bread for whole wheat, making fruit and yogurt smoothies for a healthy dessert, or making sure your lunch has a serving or two of vegetables. 

Whether your goals for 2014 are big or small, we all have times we get stuck.  When we are at that impasse, stop and think. Forget the big picture for a moment and just focus on the next thing –that next step, that next decision – and make it a good one. 

Healthy Holiday Habits

This time of year it can be so difficult to stay on track with our health and fitness goals.  However, the stronger we are now, the easier it is to begin the New Year on a high note.  Wouldn’t we rather be pumped up and raring to go in January, instead of hauling extra pounds, fighting addiction to sweets, and skipping workouts?

Seriously, if we can maintain even a few of our healthy habits throughout December, we can feel AMAZING come January 1^st.

So, what habits are most necessary to preserve in December? While it might be slightly different for each of us, here are 4 suggestions.

1. Eat your fruits and veggies. 
While the Food Guide Pyramid has gone through some modifications and is now MyPlate, I still often think back to that pyramid.  Make sure you are getting at least 3-5 daily servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit.  If we make those two food groups a priority, we’ll make smarter meal choices throughout the day and help ward off cravings for sweets.  Plus, we will feel more energetic with healthy meals.  We definitely need all the energy possible this time of year! I was talking to a friend today that works in an office environment.  Rather than being tempted by all the sweets that her office-mates were bringing in, she decided to take in strawberries to share.  They were just sweet enough to help keep her on track and avoid the cookie tray!
 

• Vegetable servings:
• 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
• 1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or raw
• 3/4 cup of vegetable juice
• Fruit servings:
• One medium apple, orange or banana
• 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked or canned fruit
• 3/4 cup of fruit juice
  

2. Maintain your workouts. 
If your goal is to exercise three to five times a week for 30 minutes, as Nike states –Just Do It™!    Don’t let your busy schedule steal your exercise time away.  Your health and fitness is important for you and your family! Unfortunately, fitness is one of those things -- If you don’t use it, you lose it.   Cardiovascular endurance starts to diminish within just 2 weeks.  So, if we skip our workouts the rest of the month, we will be starting our New Year from a much lower point… plus we will soon be feeling crummy because we are skipping something so crucial to our health and well-being, right?!

If you are working on the December Fitness Challenge—STAY WITH IT!!  Haven’t started yet? Pick a challenge level and join us this second half of the month!  I had a slow start this month as I was sick the first couple days, but this challenge is helping me maintain my workouts too. =)

3. Drink water.
I think we all know that water is essential for our bodies. However, there are a few reasons that I believe water is especially important for us this month. 

• Dehydration leads to headaches, low energy, and fatigue.  We do not need any of these issues, right ladies?  Keep a water bottle with you.  Take it to work, keep it out in the kitchen, or put a bottle in your purse when you are shopping. Sometimes we are so busy that we forget to drink.  Make it easy on yourself by having a nearby source that you will see often.
• If we aren’t drinking water, we are likely drinking calories. Besides tea or coffee (depending on how you take it), most drinks besides water contain considerable calories.  This time of year presents itself with plenty of opportunity for extra calories, so sticking with water as our primary drink might just help us stay on the lighter side of life! (P.S. I am not going to get into diet drinks and artificial sweeteners, but I personally believe those are absolutely awful for you and it would be better to drink the sugar calories in regular soda…but that’s another conversation for another time…)
• Water can promote a feeling of fullness and help keep our appetite in check.  Drinking water throughout the day is much better than snacking throughout the day!  Additionally, if we are dehydrated, we may even not recognize the signal for thirst and want to eat instead.  Drinking water before meals (or eating a soup at the beginning of the meal) may also help us consume less calories.
  
  

4. Sleep tight! Without sleep we are likely to fall off the deep end in December.  There are often so many activities and events, that we stay up late trying to fit everything into the day. However, remember that our bodies need rest to maintain health during stressful periods.  Keep to your bedtime as much as possible and don’t allow yourself to get run down.  (I am preaching to myself on this one, because it’s such a struggle for me!) If you find your to-do list is just impossible --delegate or delete! 

                       


Your presence is much your important than your presents, and a healthy mom is absolutely critical this time of year. Get your rest!

What healthy habits are you shooting for this month? Feel free to leave a comment below or join us on Facebook to continue the conversation. Happy December!

 

References

Sentry Health Monitors, Inc. (2011). Food Guide Pyramid. Retrieved from LifeClinic.com: http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/food-pyramid.asp