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Woohoo! 2016 - Let's not do that again! 2017 - Let's go!!
This is honestly the first year I've really tried a New Year's resolution, and of course boring old me decided to go the classic middle-aged mom route (not that there's anything wrong with that!) and choose to "be healthier".
As a matter of fact, that was my entire family's group goal for the new year.
"Be healthier"
What does that even mean? Honestly, I'm not even sure; I'm just trying to find a good balance of everything that, at the end of the day, makes me feel good. I DO know that healthy should feel GOOD.
Below, I'll list a few tips to help achieve this "good" feeling, or at least what's helped me thus far (and we're on what, day 15?).
P.S. All tips are food/nutrition-related!
1. DRINK WATER.
Everyone's heard this, but the benefits of water are honestly too great to just cast aside. It's said to help keep your skin clear, prevent headaches, flushes toxins out of the body, and fills you up (which can prevent overeating, which then prevents bloating and stomachaches). Like aforementioned, OVERWHELMING benefits!
We're supposed to drink around 6-8 glasses a day, so I try to fit that in by drinking a glass before every meal, a glass during, while I work out, and obviously whenever I'm thirsty.
2. FIRST THING'S FIRST ... SALAD!
This kinda sucks, but it's honestly so helpful. Before lunch or dinner, I've been trying (and often forgetting - oops!) to eat a small serving of salad while, say, the steak is still grilling (or whatever the main course happens to be).
It works because while you're anticipating the good stuff (hey, deep dish pizza!), you'll be more likely to be open to eating salad because you're truly HUNGRY.
So basically, if you fill up a little on the healthy stuff beforehand, you'll be less likely to OVEREAT the unhealthy stuff!
3. NAKED SALADS < DRESSED SALADS
HAHAHH sorry. But for most people it's true! Even though dressing is often packed with sugar, if a little drizzle helps motivate you to actually eat some veggies, then FREAKING DO IT. I'm no nutritionalist, but the benefits of actually eating those greens greatly overpowers a little extra sugar. Just keep in mind to make it A LITTLE extra sugar; I say that as long as it doesn't make your leaves soggy, it's a perfectly fine amount.
Some of the best dressings I've tried so far are the Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette
and Reduced Fat Cilantro Salad Dressing from Trader Joe's. I'll also include a quick recipe below:
Healthy Homemade Dressing
-3 tbs. olive oil
-squeeze or two (or three!) of fresh lemon
-grated parmesan
4. COOKIE JAR
It only takes a couple weeks of avo toast, hummus, and coconut oil to make a gal go insane, so remember to TREAT YOURSELF! It's O.K. to have loaded tacos or a cheeseburger once a week.
If you're super stubborn and strong-willed with this healthy streak, I personally feel at least a LITTLE better if my treat of the week is at least fresh; homemade, no preservatives, or includes at least SOME nutritional value.
Basically, "it could be worse."
(Right; tacos from my vacation in Mexico with fresh cilantro, pineapple, guacamole, pico de gallo, and grill)