January 1, the holy day of goal setting, promising intentions and overachieving resolutions. With the end of the month approaching, we felt it was time to check-in. Did you go too big with those resolutions? Goal setting can be like a really bad hangover. It felt promising in the moment, and you thought you could handle it…. but now you’re beating yourself up for drinking too much of that resolution cocktail and feel hopeless. In terms of goal setting, going big never works. Let’s trim the fat on the massive goals and get REAL. Introducing my Feel Good 4’s- four attainable, bite size habits that are small but will make you feel majorly successful. I always like to remind my clients that every meal is a Monday morning. Don’t wait for a special day of the week for an opportunity to succeed. So with that mindset, lets get to it!
1. Hydrate. I could never write anything about feeling good without including this tip: drink more water! Yes it’s simple and it’s old school but it is fact. Aim for 90 oz. of water daily and add a squeeze of lemon if you want an A+.
How to? Fill a 30 oz. water bottle three times. Go heavy in the morning/early afternoon so you’re not waking up every hour at night to use the bathroom.
We aim to finish one by 10am, another by 1pm, and refill the last around 4:30. Two of my favorite water bottles to help you get the job done are Cactaki 32oz Water Bottle with Time Marker and the Hydro Flask.
2. Veg up at every meal. Again, it’s not new news but veggies are trending (as they should be) and this is one trend I can stand behind. Why? Because they are filled with fiber, antioxidants, water, not calories and of course cause they’re downright delicious.
How to? The obvious would be to fill half your plate with veggies, and I stand by that, but get creative. I’m not telling you to have broccoli with every meal, 7 days a week. Eat the rainbow over the course of your day! Maybe beets (red) with lunch, roasted carrots (orange) and Brussels sprouts (green) with dinner, spinach (dark green) in your smoothie. Different colors hold different antioxidant properties so not only will your plate look pretty, but you’ll be serving your body a variety of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.
3. Lay off the liquor for 48 hours – less puff, mindless munchies and the big winner, better sleep!
How to? Sub your cocktail with some Kombucha for all the fizz with an added probiotic benefit, or simply enjoy some seltzer with fruit of your choice. Save the spirits for a real special occasion, not a night in on the couch just because…Netflix.
4. Practice me time. This one may sound the hardest. We all lead busy lives, who can barely sit down for lunch? But that’s the point. Slow down.
How to? 10 minutes. That’s all. Some of us in the office are waking up 10 minutes earlier to silently nurse a cup of coffee before the rest of the house wakes up. I’m trying to read before bed and get off screens earlier. I also bought a plant 🙂 Do what you can, but do something for you.