Looking for a Change in the New Year?
Looking to make some changes in 2017? Here are some ideas for making 2017 your best year yet!
Whatever changes you make this year, choose wisely! Make sure you that you don’t try to change so much at once that you fail miserably. Baby steps are okay! Make small changes, get used to your new routine, and then add in another baby step! Small successes are still successes!
- Eat Real Food
I’m a nutritional therapist, so it’s no surprise that my first suggestion is to eat well. Cut out the processed foods and fuel your body with the foods that it needs to thrive! Whether you’re trying to lose weight, reduce bloating, feel better, have more energy, prevent disease, reverse disease… it all starts with food. Your body can’t do its many, many functions if it is missing the nutrients it needs and burdened with synthetic “foods” and toxins that it doesn’t know what to do with.
If you’re like I was, you might not know what foods are healthy. I thought eating a fruit cup along with rice cakes and almond butter was healthy. But it wasn’t, especially not for my body. Please reach out to me if you want some help. I provide consultations that not only help you understand which foods are healthy for you, but can also identify deficiencies and imbalances that are specific to your body. Then we make changes to correct those imbalances, and you feel better!
You can also sign up for RESTART, which is five weeks of education, real food, and support. Each class meets once a week to learn and support each other. Gather some friends (each class is capped at 10 people) and give me a call to set up a class! If you’re friends aren’t ready yet, don’t worry; just give me a call and I will find a class for you to join.
- Cut the Clutter
This time last year, I bought the book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo. I had an entire dining room full of clothes, knick-knacks, extra kitchen stuff, movies, games, books, shoes, furniture, décor, etc., that I piled up and got rid of. We had so much stuff we decided to have a garage sale. It was huge. We made around $1,200. The book really allowed me to let go of things I’d been holding on to. It feels great to only have the things that I really use, need, and love. The absolute best part is the method that she uses to fold t-shirts. How have I never thought of that? Life-changing, indeed!
- Exercise!
It’s no secret that our bodies are designed to move. Exercise helps us to reduce stress, regulate blood sugar, detoxify, strengthen our bones, and in general, it just keeps us healthier. Everyone needs movement.
There are so many options! Simply walking thirty minutes each day is enough to make a big improvement in your health. I need to walk my dog more often, for both of us. There’s also hiking, biking, swimming, gardening, yoga, Pilates (check out Synergy Pilates, right next to my office!), and of course hitting the gym. I’ve been working with SicFit in Round Rock and will even be doing some RESTART classes there!
Personally, I have been terrible about exercising. Ever since I quit doing CrossFit a few years ago, I haven’t been able to get back into working out. Once the kids get back to school next week, I’m going to sign up for an auto-renewing monthly unlimited pass at The Yoga Room. I’m going to start out with slow and gentle movements and build up to the more challenging classes. I’m not strong, I’m not flexible enough to touch my toes (or the tops of my feet or even my lower shins for that matter), and I am not great with balance, but I modify and I do okay. I love that yoga is such a calming and relaxing environment. It’s a really nice break from the craziness and busyness of normal life. I’m looking forward to getting stronger and being able to touch my toes.
Pilates is also a great option and something I’m going to do more of. Synergy Pilates is awesome, and it’s right next to my office!
- Take time for yourself!
Take some time for yourself to relax and unwind. Take a breather. Find the good in your life. I am going to get back to spending the first 15 minutes of each day to get ready for the day. For me, that means deep breathing, thinking about my plans for the day, and giving myself a pep talk about how awesome I am (this isn’t easy for me) and how many great things I’m going to do throughout the day. I look forward to doing lots of nice things for other people throughout the day. I also try to find things that are going well in my life, which is so helpful, because it’s too easy to focus on all the things aren’t going well. I think I’ll even get a cute notebook (let’s be real, I already have a few of them because I can’t resist a cute notebook with animals on it) and start writing down something that I’m grateful for each morning. It really does make a difference.
Each day, try to find time to do something you enjoy. Maybe you like to knit, draw, cook, write letters to friends and family, scrapbook, read, or even take a nice warm Epsom salt bath. Maybe you like to color in an adult coloring like this one I bought for some friends.
There are other things that I try to squeeze in and save up for an occasional treat. Massages are great, and I hope most of you have already indulged in a good massage. Have you ever heard of floating? I’ve only tried it once, but I loved it. I felt amazing afterwards. I just bought three more floats on Groupon, and I definitely need to use one as soon as the kids get back to school next week. Check out liquidfloats.com. I also love spending some time in an infrared sauna, and I’m very lucky because I have a coupon for a free sauna session at BEneFIT Integrative Therapies in Austin that a friend gave to me! Yay.
Happy New Year everyone! Best wishes for a fabulous 2017!!!