It’s 2008 and the Healthy Voyager is back in biz! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to hit the ground running in this new year ; ) I have a smorgasboard of great places I hit up around the holidays but I first wanted to come back and share some tips to keep you healthy, wealthy and wise. It’s a new year so we can get started on all kinds of things that can keep us physically, mentally and fiscally healthy into ’09! After all, health is not just food related!!
Food & Exercise
- Eat a balanced diet of whole foods—grains, legumes, and fresh vegetables and fruits. Buy wholesome snacks as opposed to convenience foods
- Eat a large breakfast, a medium sized lunch and a small dinner. Consuming most of your food early in the day gives you energy for the day’s activities. Implement stretching and strengthening exercises as well as 30 to 45 minutes of aerobic activity to your daily routine.
- Drink 8 to 12 glasses of filtered or spring water daily. It’s best to consume water first thing in the morning as well as up to 30 minutes before meals. This helps satiate the body and minimize appetite.
- Take time to enjoy eating! Chew slowly and thoroughly ; )
- Forgive yourself for any weight problems or holiday weight gain. Get back on track with low-fat, low-calorie, wholesome foods.
- Find a weight, diet and exercise routine that is right for YOU!! Make long term changes and develop good habits that you can stick with.
- Make good and healthy choices when you are eating out or away from home. A little research, preparedness and discipline goes a long way!
Mental, Spiritual and Fiscal
- Create a plan. Setting a goal without formulating a plan is merely wishful thinking. In order for your goals to be met effectively and completely, it must translate into clear steps that can be put into action.
- Create your plan immediately. If you’re like most people, then you’ll have a limited window of opportunity during the first few days of January to harness your motivation. It’s imperative you begin creating your plan immediately.
- Write down your resolution and plan. Commit your resolution and plan to writing, such as in a notebook or journal.
- Think “year round,” not just New Year’s Day. Nothing big gets accomplished in one day. Resolutions are set in one day, but accomplished with a hundred tiny steps that happen throughout the year. New Year’s resolutions should be nothing more than a starting point. You must develop a ritual or habit for revisiting your plan.
- Remain flexible. Expect that your plan can and will change. Life has a funny way of throwing unexpected things at us, and flexibility is required to complete anything but the simplest goal.
So weather you are looking to change your career, travel the world or start a family, keep it healthy and clear and 2008 will be the best year yet!!
