17 Ways to Improve your Health & Wellness is 2017!

January is always infamous for health and wellness resolutions.  It's a great way to kickoff your health improvement goals, but where do you start?  Always do the quick and easy solutions first!  It's a no-brainer!  You can start off 2017 with these 17 quick and easy solutions for better health and well being - right now!  Get started today! 

1.  WATER!  Yep, it makes the top of the list...always!  Commit to drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of good quality water each and every day!  So, if you weight 150 lbs, you should be drinking at least 75 ounces of water.

2.  MEAL PLAN!  Take 30 minutes of a specified day of every week to sit down and plan your upcoming meals for the week.  Create a menu, write down your grocery list, buy the items needed, prep ahead of time when possible and stick to it!  Failure to meal plan, means failure to eating right.  It's that simple. 

3.  INTERVAL TRAINING!  Everyone loves to get on a treadmill, bike or elliptical machine to pound out their cardio workouts, but you're probably missing the most important part - intervals.  Interval training has been proven to be effective at boosting your metabolism, burning more fat, and for suppressing your appetite.  PLUS, for an extra added bonus, you're run-of-the-mill daily excuse for not exercising, "I'm too busy", is squashed because when you interval train, the needed exercise time is minimized!  An effective interval training session can be as short as 10-15 minutes, if you do it properly!  NO MORE EXCUSES!

4.  SLEEP!  Ah, everyone loves their sleep! And, yet we don't get enough....  If you think you're one of those people that don't need a ton of sleep, odds are you that are just fooling yourself!  An adult should get between 7-8 hours of sleep every night.  Yep, not 5.  Not 6.  AT LEAST 7 in order for your body to fully recover each night.  There are too many benefits of sleep to list, but just know that there are many!

5. STRENGTH TRAIN!  Yes, even women need to strength train (i'm not talking body-building kind of thing, just toning and working on muscle strength).  Cardio alone isn't going to cut it!  Weight-bearing exercises can strengthen your bones, increase metabolism, improve your brain function and enhance your overall health and wellness!  It's a must!  (Try at least twice a week.)

6.  ME TIME!  Taking a fraction of time out of each day for you is important.  For your sanity, but also for your families well-being.  Whether it's yoga, meditation, or just sitting in the dark by yourself for 5 minutes, take the time to be present with YOURSELF. 

7.  EAT WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY!  It seems a little strange to actually add this to the list, but people need to be reminded to only eat when they are hungry.  If you aren't hungry in the morning when you wake up - don't eat!  Bring food with you so when you become hungry, you can eat then.  Breakfast might be important, but it's only important when your body tells you that it's time to eat.  Don't force-feed your body!

8.  ADD A SUPPLEMENT!  There are many debates about whether a multi-vitamin supplement is worth it or not, and with good reason.  A supplement made of synthetic vitamins and minerals can be foreign to your body.  Your body wasn't made to break down science-experiements.  It was made to break down food that you find within nature - whole foods.  Finding a supplement made from actual food can be extremely beneficial to your health.  Look for "food-based" verbiage on the label.  Even better, look for a brand that has "certified organic" on the label as well!  (TIP!  If you live in the northern states, odd are you are deficient in Vitamin D in the winter months.  Get your levels checked!)

9.  AVOID FOOD DYES!  Back to the science experiement comment from above.  Your body cannot break down foreign chemicals.  Eliminating food dyes is one easy step in removing toxic chemicals from the food you eat.  If you choose to purchase a packaged food, ensure it does not contain things like "Red 40, Yellow 5, or Caramel color" or avoid neon-colored foods (like colorful cereals, fruit snacks, candy, etc.).  These dyes are made of petroleum and have been banned in other countries, including the UK.  Read the label!

10.  BUY ORGANIC DAIRY PRODUCTS!  Many people don't believe all the hype behind "certified organic" and even if you are one of those people, there are certain products that you MUST buy organic.  Conventional dairy products contain growth hormones, which can lead to higher levels of cancer-causing hormone IGF-1in our bodies.  There are over 30 countries that have banned this hormone!  Other things that conventional dairy products contain that can be toxic include antibiotics, GMOs and herbicide/pesticide residues.

11.  SWITCH TO HIMALAYAN SALT!  The common table salt is refined and stripped of it's minerals and then packaged with a bunch of chemicals.  Replace it with Himalayan salt and reap the benefits!  Benefits like 84 trace minderals and elements that boosts your vascular health, promotes pH balance, aids in sleep quality, improves circulation, detoxifies, and the list goes on.  Why wouldn't you switch?  (BONUS - it tastes better too!)

12.  DITCH YOUR LOTIONS!  Commercial body and hand lotions are loaded with chemicals!  Even the "dermatologist approved" or "doctor recommended" brands are harmful and can even cause aging.  Get rid of them!  Replace them with things like coconut oil, grapeseed oil or almond oil.  A grapeseed or almond oil is going to be less greasy than the coconut, so I prefer those, however any of them are going to do wonders for your skin.  Add some essential oils like lavender and/or frankincense and BAM!  You've got yourself the perfect body/hand lotion! 

13.  DRINK TEA!  Whether you are a coffee or soda drinker....  It's time to switch.  Black coffee in moderation is ok, but don't exceed more than 2 cups (or about 12 ounces) of coffee, and of course, skip the added flavors, creamers and sweeteners.  Soda is just a complete bad idea - always.  It's a classic science experiment that your shouldn't torcher your body with.  Tea comes in either caffeinated or decaffeinated, so you have options!  And, there are actual health benefits to tea!  How about added antioxidants that could boost endurance, help fight free radicals, hydrating for the body and so much more!

14.  STOP MEASURING YOUR FOOD IN CALORIES!  Let's get this straight - calories are NOT created equal!  One calorie from an apple does NOT equal one calorie from a candy bar!  Your body processes these calories much different from each other.  A calorie from a whole food, like an apple, can be processed much easier by the body than a calorie from a chemically-filled candy bar.  If you are counting calories, you might say that a 150 calorie lunch is ok, so you have a candy bar and a diet soda, rather than choosing a healthy meal.  STOP NOW!  Choose to watch your food by trying to consume more whole foods and nutritious foods instead of counting calories.  It only makes sense.

15.  STOP ANNOUNCING YOU'RE BUSY!  It's a phrase that is said by almost every adult, every single day, to everyone.  Stop saying, "I'm so busy"!  It's just an excuse.  Everyone is busy these days.  When people announce that they are busy, it gives the other people the impression that whatever they are doing isn't as "important".  Is it a cop-out?  Is it a status symbol?  In reality, it's a defense mechanism, so stop hiding and be honest.  If someone asks you how you've been, tell them the truth.  They don't want to hear that you're just BUSY!  Another reason to stop is for your health.  If you continue to say that you are busy, you're telling yourself that you have no time for exercise, meal planning, friendships, family or whatever it is.  You need to take a second look and find out what you are trying to avoid.  Focus on happiness and not being BUSY.

16.  STOP COOKING WITH OLIVE OIL!  It's probably the biggest misconception that I've run into.  Yes, we've all heard that olive oil is good for you!  Of course it is....  It's an excellent source of antioxidants and is  considered a health fat.  But, once you heat it, the oil is subject to oxidation, making it fall into the "unhealthy" zone, which also includes oils like canola, corn, and soy.  Then what oil do you cook and bake with?  The best option is organic coconut oil.  This is a healthy saturated fat (these are NOT the ones that cause heart disease) that can withstand the high heat of cooking/baking.  Choose coconut!

17.  AVOID THE CRABBIES!  We all have those crabby people in our life.  Every time you talk to them, they continue on and on and on about how horrible their life is or how horrible their job is...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.  Negative people are definitely downers.  Happiness is definitely contagious - which means you need to find some happy people to hang with!  If you are the crabby one that people are trying to avoid, then it's time to change your perspective! 

Cheers to 2017 and your health & well-being!