The first part of the year is such an incredible time; we are given the opportunity to start the year off fresh and realign with our goals. Who doesn’t love a clean slate? With all the amazingness and renewal that the new year brings we think now is the best time to spill our favorite skinny secrets. So here are the dos and don’ts to becoming your fittest, sassiest, most fabulous self in 2013!
DO – Kick Start Your Efforts
Getting into a new routine can be tough, especially if you are swapping out some less-than-great habits for brand- new healthy ones. We like to get recalibrated by spending the first few days of a new health routine by cutting way back on carbs and salt, and upping our water and multivitamin intake. By staying hydrated and cutting down on your sodium and carbs you reduce that post-holiday bloated feeling. The key to getting started is not to starve yourself, it’s to feel refreshed!
DON’T – Fall For Trendy Traps
Speaking of not starving yourself... This time of year there are tons of diet pills and fad plans trying to make their way into our wallet. We all know there is no magic pill that will give the same results as hard work. Don’t sacrifice your money or your health for something that seems like a scam!
DO – Jot It Down
Sometimes we try and try, but our new healthy eating plans don’t seem to get us anywhere. If this is the case, we think it’s always a good idea to start your new routine by jottings things down. We don’t want you to obsessively count calories, but we do want you to see if there is a pattern that may be the bottleneck to your healthy progress. By writing it down you may notice that in addition to healthy patterns you also forgot about that daily pit-stop to the office candy jar or the extra whip cream on the top of your latte. Writing it down may reveal a pitfall you never would have noticed. Once you feel like you’ve got the swing of things, ditch the journal!
DON’T – Just Count Calories
We don’t think counting every calorie is necessary to lose weight, but if you do decide to keep count, be wise! Not all calories are created equally! For example you could have a 100-calorie pack of pre-packaged cookies or cheesy crackers, or you could have 100 calories worth of egg whites with veggies. While both noshes would be 100 calories, one is full of calories that do nothing to nourish you while the other is filled with protein and healthy vitamins from the veggies. It’s not all about calories; it’s about fueling your body! Focus on healthy nourishment rather than calories and we bet things will fall into place a lot easier!
DO – Indulge on Weekends
Have you ever tried to avoid your favorite treats completely? If you’ve ever gone on a crash diet you know those usually end in a big binge, bigger than if you’d just had your favorite snack to begin with! We are huge proponents of clean eating and healthy living, but we also are big fans of a chocolate dessert here and there! If your favorite foods aren’t totally off limits, you’re a lot less likely to go crazy and have a binge and it makes it easier knowing that a treat is just down the road. Plan out a meal or two on weekends where you can have what you want. Celebrate your Friday night with happy hour and gluten-free pizza, or indulge in a full fat latte and a pastry after a Saturday morning workout... whatever it is that you go weak-in-the-knees for, allow yourself to have it in moderation every once in a while.
DON’T – Beat Yourself Up
If you break your new pattern of healthy eating by indulging at the catered office luncheon, don’t beat yourself up! More so, don’t use a single donut or a trip to the vending machine as an excuse to go all out the rest of the day (you know, where you tell yourself the diet is “ruined today anyways...”) That’s like getting a flat tire and slashing the other three... unproductive! Stay positive!
DO – Move and Shake
And as always, do get moving! Hop on over to a sweat-inducing MDR session and we know you’ll feel instantly better!
How do you kick-start your year!? We’d love to hear your skinny secrets too!