Produce Spotlight: Garlic
Beginning a new year is an ideal opportunity to embrace change, move in a positive direction & refocus your personal goals. While I do encourage you to eat more veggies, drink more water, spend more time outside, quit smoking, limit your alcohol intake, try meditation, exercise regularly and not forget to breathe, trying to incorporate all of these into your life at the same time is a sure way to die trying. Except the breathing- that’s pretty important.
Hate that dry eyes, tight skin, cracked lips feeling first thing in the morning? Hate that you start your day feeling shrivelled and at a deficit? I know I do… Place reminders in your phone or calendar to drink a glass of water. Choose a water bottle you love and aren’t afraid to take everywhere with you. Keep a cup at your desk, workstation, bedside to sip on at all times. Add lemon, berries or mint to jazz it up! Check out this months veggie spotlight on cucumbers for easy ways to get more fluids into your body through the foods that you eat as well as the beverages you drink. Keep an eye on your sodium intake and limit caffeine as they are the enemies of staying hydrated! Brainstorm different ways to shift your daily habits toward achieving your goals.
Start small, choose what’s most important, focus on one thing at a time rather than trying to take on the world all at once. Do one thing and do it well! However you’re going to choose to better yourself this year, specify your goal before you chase it down. A vague target like “lose weight” isn’t going to be easy to achieve. If the scale registers 2 lbs down next week than it did this morning does that mean you’ve accomplished your goal? In contrast, if your resolution is to lose 25 lbs in 10 weeks, that gives you something more concrete to work with. Five pounds every two weeks is not only achievable, but is also a goal that you can measure along the way.
The point is that in order to achieve any kind of goal you have, you need to approach it with a creative perspective. If this is a goal you’ve set a few January firsts in a row now, what hasn’t worked for you? Maybe try a different approach if you haven’t had the level of success you’d like. Perhaps you started off last year with a great technique, but eventually fell off the bandwagon? There’s a reason for the cliche of the gym being packed in January, but not February. Staying motivated and keeping your goals in sight is critical to achieving your goals! Instead of setting your sights at running a marathon this year (again) maybe sign yourself up for a more reasonable half. Try the Couch-To-5K program to get you started? Join a run club that meets regularly to make yourself accountable to others. Identify what has held you back in the past and smash that roadblock out of the way!
Nobody has ever said that a new years resolution needs to begin on the first. If you haven’t had an opportunity to sit down and consider how you would like to improve yourself in 2015, do it now and break down how you’re going to do it. Get what you need, and begin when you’re ready. Pick up those new running shoes, that starter kit to quit smoking, read the iquitsugar book, make that call to a financial planner or closet organizer. Set yourself up before you begin. I would wish you luck, but this isn’t really about luck, is it?
Here’s another great read on keeping it simple.
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