With this new year already off to a quick start, I wanted to give you my best advice for starting off your year with a healthy and fresh approach. For me, this way of eating is not something that is a quick fix or a new year’s diet, it is a lifestyle and one that has not come over night! It is something I work at daily and pay attention to what my body needs during specific times. So keep plugging away, and know that each healthy decision you make, is impacting your future!
This list is not about removing processed foods, gluten or sugar, because you all know I already believe in that, but rather I wanted to give you some simple, practical tips that you can incorporate into every day living. So cheers to a new year!
10 tips for a healthy, sustainable lifestyle
Just start! What are you waiting for?
- Take the plunge into changing the way you eat, your stress levels or your activities. Just do it and start reaping the rewards immediately! It takes 3 weeks to make a habit and 3 weeks for your taste buds to change, so push through the first difficult days and make habits for a lifetime.
Be yourself—don’t let the mirror or scale define you!
- As I young woman, this is something I have struggled with and I know there are a lot of people out there struggling too! But here is the fact, just because we can’t run at a certain speed, fit into that extra-extra small dress, or eat whatever we want without any consequences doesn’t make us any less of a person. As soon as I started accepting myself for me, I felt so much freedom! That positive view of yourself is one of the best things for your emotional and physical health, because after all they truly are one in the same!
Clean out your pantry and refrigerator.
- Either your junk food is going to go to waste in your stomach or waste in your wallet—don’t keep things around that are going to tempt you!
- See my complete pantry suggestions HERE and grass-fed meat HERE.
Eat breakfast! It truly is the most important meal of the day!
- With each morning, you have the fresh chance to start over and start fresh, so set yourself up and eat breakfast! No excuses now!
- See all my breakfast recipes HERE.
Don’t think of what you are giving up, think of all the options you do have to eat!
- People often ask me if the way I eat is restrictive? Yes, eliminating all grains, gluten and refined sugars truly knocks off a lot of common foods, but instead, I focus on the many foods I can eat! Butter, eggs, perfectly grilled steak, homemade peppermint mochas, lemon curd layered cake, and creamy chocolate ice cream!
Increase your daily consumption of healthy fats.
- Add grass-fed butter, raw milk cheeses, wild caught salmon, grass-fed beef, coconut milk, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, ghee and nuts to your diet. This is something so simple and something that you can keep track of every day, but you will immediately see the results!
- Healthy fats keep you satiated for longer and will curb all your cravings, hence you will actually eat less!
Keep healthy treats and sweets available to you!
- Wait, your actually telling me to eat sweets?! Yes, healthy sweets that is! Here’s the deal, everyone likes something sweet every once in a while, and if you keep healthy options of your favorite treats on hand, you are setting yourself up for success. So say no to that mini candy bar in the office candy jar and instead make yourself a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies or order a few bars of honey sweetened chocolate!
- See my complete list of sweet treats HERE.
Get moving & get outside.
- Sunshine is truly the best vitamin and absolutely free! Breathe in the fresh air and watch it increase your productivity and happiness levels!
Eat something fresh and colorful at least once a day.
- It is easy, even for me, to sometimes forget to eat my vegetables, but make sure you eat them at least once a day because there are endless nutrients in colorful, fresh foods! You will notice your digestion and energy increase!
Re-create the foods you already love just using healthier ingredients!
- I am a comfort food girl at heart, so this truly was the goal of my cookbook, All American Paleo Table! You will find everything from fried chicken and hot dogs on a stick to cinnamon toast crunch cereal and morning butter biscuits! There is so much fun to be had in eating, so discover what you love and enjoy as life is too short not to!
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