New Year - New Beginnings

Are you one of the many people who put your healthy habits on hold during the holidays? Many give in to eating whatever comes their way between Thanksgiving and New Years and postpone exercise due to lack of time during the hustle and bustle of the season. Well, if that was you, there is no better time than the beginning of January to start with a renewed commitment. Stop beating yourself up about what you did during the month of December and remember that celebrating the holidays is a normal part of life that will come around again year after year. Take stock of what you did well and make a promise to celebrate in moderation next year if you overdid it this year. Now that we have that behind us - now is the time to get real and get serious about January!

The absolute first thing to do is eat some breakfast and get your metabolism going. This will help you from getting too hungry during the day. Studies show that adults lose more weight and are more successful at keeping it off when they start the day with a healthy breakfast. 

The next thing to do is clean out any lingering holiday leftovers. Throw away the tin of homemade cookies the neighbor dropped off. Donate the boxed chocolate covered cherries to your mail carrier. Still have left over mashed potatoes and gravy in the back of the fridge? Send them down the disposal. Do the same thing at your office – your co-workers are likely after the same goal as you in 2012 and will thank you for it. 

Now get moving! If you were already working out before the holidays, get back to your routine. The structure will do your body and mind wonders! If you weren’t involved in any exercise before the holidays now is the time to start fresh – but start small. Make a promise to walk for 20 minutes twice this week and commit to adding to that with each week in January. The mall is a great place to walk indoors if outside is too cold.

Has all that cleaning out and moving made you thirsty? Drink your water. Alcohol and caffeine from the holiday time has likely made you dehydrated and now is the time to replenish. The water helps to carry nutrients to your organs and tissues as well as keeping you feeling fuller.

Don’t forget to snack! You may be tempted to decrease your calories by skipping snacks but those snacks are extremely important in keeping your blood sugar levels even so that you don’t overdo it when it is time for the next real meal.

January is the perfect time to get back to the basics and pick back up the healthy habits that you may have forgotten over the holidays. If you stuck to your plan over the holidays, January is the perfect time to bump it up a notch and reach for the next goal. With the New Year comes the opportunity for New Beginnings. Don’t let them pass you by - embrace them and know that the rewards will carry you into 2013!