Well, it's January 1st. Hopefully we all survived the holiday season and New Year's Eve intact. Now as we wake up with headaches on the day the entire world has off, it's time to stumble out of bed and starting planning how we're going to make 2009 the best year ever!!! YAY!!!!
OK, maybe you don't quite have that level of enthusiasm about your resolutions, but chances are you have been thinking about them lately. In order to really tackle your goals, there needs to be a plan. So in the time-honored tradition of top-10 lists popular this time of year, I give you 10 steps to a healthier 2009.
1. Throw Away Your Junk Food.
Yes, I'm telling you to throw away your junk food. Get it out of your house. If any bit of food sits in your house long enough, you will eat it. Remove the temptation. People don't really like doing this, but then again people don't really like being overweight and out of shape. Something's got to give.
2. Try cooking a healthy recipe.
Cooking your own food is the sure-fire way to control what and how much goes into your body, but I can understand how cooking can be intimidating at first. Just like anything we do in life, we need to try it slowly and work on getting better. For those who drive, your first time behind a wheel probably wasn't your most confident experience. It felt like there were millions of things to look out for and control. But you took it slow, you took it easy and now I'm sure you're proficient enough to drive while talking on a cell phone and eating an ear of corn. Maybe you even have fun driving now.
Finding and cooking just one healthy recipe can be thought of as "Driver's Ed" in the kitchen. Take your time, get used to the steps and procedures, and just like driving you may find yourself having a bit of fun after all.
You can start by checking out Eating Well, a great online resource, or pick up a copy of Gourmet Nutrition, one of my favorite cookbooks that I use almost on a daily basis.
3. Buy Tupperware.
Whenever I'm cooking, I always make plenty of leftovers, sometimes tripling or quadrupling the recipe. Not only does it save time cooking the same meal over and over again, but we're assured that we're eating healthy food, instead of being at the mercy of restaurants and fast food chains.
Now some people may have more difficult conditions when storing their food, perhaps they need a cooler or a thermos, or something a little more advanced than just plastic tubs. The point is that cooking a surplus of food and storing it is an easy path to a habit of healthy eating.
4. Get Your Groceries Delivered.
Grocery delivery services like Peapod and Safeway.com, are a God-send for anyone who's busy and still wants to eat healthy. With delivery charges less than $10, why not give them a try? Rather than take time driving out to the store, finding parking, fighting crowds, searching endlessly through the aisles for ingredients (often the case when trying out a new recipe), and then standing in a line that stretches halfway through the store, we can now shop anytime from the comfort of our homes. Finding ingredients with just a couple keystrokes was reason enough for me to try this out.
5. Buy Curtains.
High levels of stress have been shown in study after study to affect body composition and mood. A good night's sleep is one of the best remedies to high stress, and this is where the curtains come into play.
Not only is quantity of sleep important, but quality. Many people have their bedrooms far too bright and even a small amount of light can disrupt their sleep pattern. Try and make your bedroom as dark as possible with a set of heavy curtains. These "blackout" shades will do wonders for your sleep and subsequently help to lower your stress levels.
6. Clean The House And Organize.
Another cause of stress is a messy and disorganized home/work environment. There are tons of books on cleaning and organization, but just start with something simple like donating old and unused clothes and books to charity. Just removing a bit of that clutter will help you relax.
7. Try Something New (Physically).
With the start of the New Year, many people feel they need to go to the gym and hop on a treadmill now. If you enjoy that then go ahead, but I'm guessing that most don't. Instead, just think of something, anything, physically challenging that's new to you. Rock climbing? Hiking? River Kayaking? Pick-up games of Frisbee or soccer? Find something that's always interested you and give it a go. Enjoy getting in shape, while you learn a new skill.
8. Get A Friend Involved.
Some see a workout partner as company in misery (if that's the case maybe re-read #7), but getting active with a friend does hold you accountable if you want to take a day off (or week, or month...) . It's also just fun to spend time with your friends, no matter what you're doing!
9. Schedule Something.
Sometimes when you leave exercise for your "free time," you find there's no free time left. Instead of just exercising "whenever," make yourself accountable by scheduling a class, or a personal trainer, or an appointment with your workout friend (see #8!). Starting just once a week with this can quickly make exercising a habit.
10. Just Go!
This might be just one of dozens of top-10 lists you read around this time of year. And then of course there's the dozens of other exercise articles that give you the best exercises for X, Y, and Z. What can start to happen is a "paralysis by analysis." You are trying to process so much information before you make a decision, that you never make a decision!!
So just start with something, anything, and do it today. Figure out later if it's the best option, but just get going! Action is the key!
I wish you all a healthy and happy 2009! Now go!
-Jim
Thursday, January 1, 2009
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