If your resolution was... To eat better in the New Year:
- Take a multivitamin everyday! Get a pill minder or set an alarm on your phone reminding you to take your supplements each day. Find a tastier variety, I'm currently *loving* Alive gummy vitamins, that will be more enticing than a tricky-to-swallow massive tablet. Take them with a glass of water and a small meal, to encourage absorption, too.
- Add a spoonful of clear, grit-free fiber supplement to your morning beverage of choice. I put Benefiber in my coffee *every* day... And I promise you won't be able to tell the difference!
- Swap out one serving of meat each week with Quorn products. They're soy free, unbelievably delicious, and lower in calories, saturated fats, and cholesterol than their meaty counterparts. Find them at most grocers, especially Whole Foods, Sprouts, & other natural stores, and sneak some covert veggies into your diet!
- If you're looking to add a bit of healthy variety into your diet, subscribe to a snack delivery service like Graze or naturebox. I'm not sponsored by either, but I do subscribe to Graze myself, so if you use my code KRISS3W9B you can get your 1st & 5th boxes free. It truly is a tasty way to control portion size and get the nutrients you need!
If your resolution was... To exercise more in the New Year:
- Sign up and pay the entry fee for a race that's about 3 months away. Having a date and a specific goal to work towards will help keep you motivated. The fact that you've already dropped money on the event will only intensify your resolve!
- Always keep your gym bag in your car or right by the door and packed with absolutely *everything* you could possibly need to workout. No more excuses of "I forgot my gym shoes, socks, deodorant, etc" getting between you and your goals!
- Sneak in little bits of exercise throughout the day: do squats while brushing your teeth, rib slides or isometric ab contractions during your commute, and calf raises while on the phone. Use a shopping basket instead of a push cart, park further away from your destination to add to your step tally, and take the stairs whenever possible. Use commercial breaks to perform a couple of pushups, triceps dips, or jumping jacks instead of filling up your soda!
- Download an app like Pact that offers monetary incentives for working out and penalizes you when you don't. Again, the added element of potentially wasting hard-earned money may be enough to really get you moving!
If your resolution was... To lose weight in the New Year:
- Download a calorie/fitness tracking app and actually use it. Enter foods as you eat them, not at the end of the day when your memory might be a little fuzzy (was it 2 oreos or 3?) and be honest. Misrepresenting the amounts your consuming will only hinder your diet efforts.
- Pay attention to the nutrition facts and know what you're looking for; pass on anything with any partially hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup. And if sugar is listed in the top 5 ingredients, it's not worth your time either!
- Measure your portion sizes. You don't necessarily need a fancy kitchen scale, but at least invest in a set of measuring cups, if you don't already have them, and make sure what you're eating corresponds to the recommended amount. If it doesn't, then make sure you adjust the portion size reported to your calorie counter app.
- Have one day of the weekend, Sunday works best for most folks, devoted to doing your healthy shop and cooking your healthy meals for the week. Divide meals into single servings and freeze or refrigerate them as needed, so they'll be ready for you all week long. Prepare and portion light snack mixes as well (check the archives for a post with some suggestions), so you'll be less tempted to hit the vending machine or drive-thru when things get hectic!
Don't see your resolution here? Post it in the comments and I'll give you 3 tips to make it happen in 2014!
Yours in Fitness,
Sarah
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