Happy New Year!
How cliché to start my first post of 2016 talking about ways to get healthier and happier, but the start of a new year excites me and I look forward to challenging myself, writing down new goals (that I may or may not stick to—hey, resolutions are tough!) and trying to get healthier than the year before. Of course it's important to stick to an exercise routine and eat well throughout the year, but December is a month of partying and overindulging more than usual, so getting back on track in January can sometimes be difficult... but not impossible.
Here are six simple ways to be healthier and happier this year:
Be thankful. It's easy to complain about the things in life that aren't going exactly as we'd like them to go, but if we take a moment each day to remember all the good things we have in our life, we'll complain a lot less. Be thankful for what you have—family, friends, home. We have it good, and if you need a reminder to be thankful, volunteer in a local food bank, or at the children's hospital, or in a homeless shelter. I recently spent some time in the Food Bank and I was brought to tears.
Drink more water. How many glasses have you had today? Maybe you should go have some water right now. I always start the day by drinking a tall glass of water (not too cold, and sometimes with lemon) and I drink water throughout the day. I love drinking wine and Diet Coke with my meals, so I drink water all day long to make sure I'm staying hydrated.
Get more sleep. I hear sleep is good for you? I don't know, because this is something I still struggle with. I don't love sleeping, and I don't often get more than six hours of shut-eye a night. A lot of this has to do with having children, but late at night is when I feel most awake and creative. It's when I get ideas to write, and if I'm in the middle of a good book, I'll stay up to finish it. Thus, the lack of sleep.
Take your vitamins. If you're not able to eat completely balanced meals every day, make sure you're taking a daily multi-vitamin.
EXERCISE. December's form of exercise for me was frequently visiting the mall. Now that January is here, I'm back to my workout routine and hitting GoodLife Fitness almost every day. It's no secret that working out makes you feel great and look great, and with a trip to south Florida coming up, I will be hitting the gym harder than ever to get bikini ready. I love working out on my own at the gym, zoning out and listening to my music, and I love taking classes at GoodLife Fitness like Body Pump and Cycling.
Write things down. Write down your ideas, dreams, inspirations, and goals. Keep a journal or start a blog or even write things down on post-it notes if you have to. Writing things down will help you stay on track and it'll also help keep you organized.
So are you ready for whatever 2016 has in store for you? Are you ready to make your dreams and goals come true? You can do it. It's all up to you. And it's not that hard to stay healthy and happy while making your dreams come true.
Happy 2016!
Disclaimer: I am a GoodLife Fitness Ambassador and receive special perks as my affiliation with GoodLife Fitness. All views and opinions are my own.
How cliché to start my first post of 2016 talking about ways to get healthier and happier, but the start of a new year excites me and I look forward to challenging myself, writing down new goals (that I may or may not stick to—hey, resolutions are tough!) and trying to get healthier than the year before. Of course it's important to stick to an exercise routine and eat well throughout the year, but December is a month of partying and overindulging more than usual, so getting back on track in January can sometimes be difficult... but not impossible.
Here are six simple ways to be healthier and happier this year:
Be thankful. It's easy to complain about the things in life that aren't going exactly as we'd like them to go, but if we take a moment each day to remember all the good things we have in our life, we'll complain a lot less. Be thankful for what you have—family, friends, home. We have it good, and if you need a reminder to be thankful, volunteer in a local food bank, or at the children's hospital, or in a homeless shelter. I recently spent some time in the Food Bank and I was brought to tears.
Drink more water. How many glasses have you had today? Maybe you should go have some water right now. I always start the day by drinking a tall glass of water (not too cold, and sometimes with lemon) and I drink water throughout the day. I love drinking wine and Diet Coke with my meals, so I drink water all day long to make sure I'm staying hydrated.
Get more sleep. I hear sleep is good for you? I don't know, because this is something I still struggle with. I don't love sleeping, and I don't often get more than six hours of shut-eye a night. A lot of this has to do with having children, but late at night is when I feel most awake and creative. It's when I get ideas to write, and if I'm in the middle of a good book, I'll stay up to finish it. Thus, the lack of sleep.
Take your vitamins. If you're not able to eat completely balanced meals every day, make sure you're taking a daily multi-vitamin.
EXERCISE. December's form of exercise for me was frequently visiting the mall. Now that January is here, I'm back to my workout routine and hitting GoodLife Fitness almost every day. It's no secret that working out makes you feel great and look great, and with a trip to south Florida coming up, I will be hitting the gym harder than ever to get bikini ready. I love working out on my own at the gym, zoning out and listening to my music, and I love taking classes at GoodLife Fitness like Body Pump and Cycling.
Write things down. Write down your ideas, dreams, inspirations, and goals. Keep a journal or start a blog or even write things down on post-it notes if you have to. Writing things down will help you stay on track and it'll also help keep you organized.
So are you ready for whatever 2016 has in store for you? Are you ready to make your dreams and goals come true? You can do it. It's all up to you. And it's not that hard to stay healthy and happy while making your dreams come true.
Happy 2016!
Disclaimer: I am a GoodLife Fitness Ambassador and receive special perks as my affiliation with GoodLife Fitness. All views and opinions are my own.
Comments