New Year, New Start
It's the new year, and everyone is making their resolutions to eat better, exercise more; you know the routine. As I came into the new year, I realized that I, like most others, would come up with an extended list of all the things I vowed to do to rid myself of the extra pounds that seemed to find me over the holidays😳, and to be in the best shape of my life. The problem was, every year by the time March rolled around, I was so far off course that I couldn't find my way back with a pack of even the most keen bloodhounds. So now what? I knew what I wanted, I understood what needed to be done to get there, so why was it always so hard to stay the course? I realized that though my solutions were sufficient, they weren't sustainable, and sustainability is key to any long-term solution.
What's my solution to keeping my resolutions, you ask? It's a three step process:
Take it one week at a time - It's much easier to commit to a process for one week.
Make it fun - Be sure to incorporate some things that you like. If dancing is your thing, do more of it in place of your regular exercise routine.
Be accountable to someone - Lack of accountability is the number one reason people fail with lifestyle change. Find a friend with similar goals and hold one another accountable.
Week One
Keep it simple this week by replacing one meal with something healthy. Let's start with a simple green smoothie for breakfast. I like to use the rule of five, any more than five ingredients in a smoothie, and things get a bit too complicated. I'm starting with breakfast because it's the most important meal of the day. Start the day off with a healthy breakfast, and your body becomes a fat burning machine; skip breakfast and your body becomes a fat storing machine. Now I'm not giving you permission to eat whatever you want for lunch, dinner, and snacks. Those meals should be full of fresh fruits, veggies, not fried, and definitely not from any place with a drive through window 😋. Here's a few tips, shop the week before, prepare your meals for the week, and package them up so they're ready to grab and go. Now about that smoothie:
Kale Me Crazy
Ingredients
2 handfuls of kale
1 medium ripe banana, frozen if available
1 green apple, deseeded, with skin
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup non dairy milk or all natural apple cider
Directions
Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until combined. Add ice is banana is not frozen.
This smoothie is full of vitamins, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory goodness. It's also a great way to get in one serving of veggies and 4-5 servings of fruits; you're welcome.
