New Year, New You: How to be Healthier in 2019

Lifestyle

Jan 16

Written By Jenna

So much food...so many cocktails...so little exercise...

Does this sound familiar? Because this is how I always feel after the holidays. But the good news? There is hope to feeling good again - so take the new year as a golden opportunity to hit the refresh button! Don’t set unrealistic resolutions or goals that you likely won’t be able to achieve. Instead, tell yourself that you are going to be better and each day is a new day!

One of the best ways to rid that icky feeling after a gluttonous holiday is with a cleanse. I used to do this every single January for as long as I can remember, but now that I’m eating a keotgenic diet, I don’t feel the need to do a full cleanse, but rather get back on track with my eating habits, omit alcohol for a couple weeks and drink more water. Oh, and don’t forget the dreaded word…exercise. But it’s amazing how great you can feel after just 2 weeks of getting back to eating healthy and giving your body a much needed break while cleansing yourself of toxins and more. This is also the perfect jumpstart to becoming a more successful and positive person. When you feel good about yourself, all other aspects of your life also improve.

5 tips to remember

Aim to exercise at least 15-30 minutes a day. This is totally doable, especially with all the quick and easy fitness routines that are available on your phone! You don’t even need a gym for most of them! I really enjoy tone it up and their online fitness routines they offer for free! They also have a fabulous eating plan & app that is fairly affordable, too. Even something as easy as getting outside for a quick walk at lunch will suffice (the fresh air will do you some good, too).
Meal prep. I can’t say this enough as this is the one thing that will help keep you accountable for your healthy eating habits. We are all so busy, and sometimes taking care of ourselves is the thing that gets pushed to the bottom of the list. Prepping meals ahead of time ensures you can eat healthy without having to think about it. Some of the things I love to do before hand are: salads, hard boiled eggs, overnight oats, left overs from dinner (make twice as much as normal to have lunch for a couple days), prepare snacks in baggies (nuts, cheese, lunch meat, nut butter, etc).
Invest in a good blender. Smoothies are a great way to supplement meals and get a ton of nutrients in one shot. Because I eat keto, a lot of them are off limits to me (because they contain fruits high in carbs and sugar), but I’m sharing one of the smoothies I came up with that is low-carb and tastes fabulous!! See below for recipe.
Drink lots of water. Adding 2-3 lemons to a large to-go cup is super helpful in the detox process and also makes water a lot better tasting. I just got a 32 oz bubba that keeps my ice in tact all day long (I hate room temperature water) and is easy to track how much I’ve drank since I really only need to drink 3 of them a day.
Buy some new work-out clothes. For some reason, investing in these makes me more motivated to work out. Maybe it’s because I hate spending money on this kind of stuff, but also because who doesn’t want to also feel good about the way they look while working out? I’ve linked some of my favorite athletic wear below!

Most importantly, have fun with it and listen to your body. The last thing you want to do is get in over your head, or start something you can’t finish. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to set realistic goals that you can stick to. And give yourself some grace. Not every single day will be perfect, but the next day, tell yourself you will be better and once you realize the benefits it has on how you feel emotionally, physically and mentally you will want to keep it going even after January! More more information about what I’ve learned in eating a ketogenic diet, check out this post.