Q1 Check In

Hey, you.  How's it going?  Remember those resolutions, er - goals we made in December for the coming year?  How are you doing with them?  As a reminder mine were: to eat more fruits and veg - check.  Drink more water - hhhmmm..still need to work on that one. Exercise 30 minutes, 3 days per week - this one I've gotten much closer to reaching, since I have been exercising almost every day.

How about you?  We're getting ready to start Quarter 2 (Q2), so it's a good time to retool and start again if needed.  Assess where you are and adjust.  Keep moving toward your goal.  The only race you're really in is against yourself.  If you've gotten off track, get up and get going again. You can do it.  Be healthy!

Three Easy Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

If you read my recent post about setting goals, you know one of my goals is to eat 5 servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit each day.  For some people this sounds like a ridiculous amount of produce, however it's actually about what's recommended for most people each day.  I'm close.  Most days I eat at least one serving of fruit and 3 or more servings of vegetables...but that's not my goal.  Since setting the goal, I've done well.  Here are three tips for eating more fruits and vegetables:

1. Eat salad.  Obvious, I know, but you can pack in a lot of vegetables by eating salads at least once a day.  A small side salad with dinner or a big salad at lunch.  Just 1 cup of leafy greens counts and who's only eating 1 cup of salad?!
   
2. Smoothies.  Love them! You can get so much goodness into a smoothie.  Fruit, vegetables, greek yogurt, peanut butter, and the list goes on.  You can sweeten with honey or add fiber and omega-3 fats with chia or flax seeds.  Yum!
   
3. Sneak them into casseroles, pasta, and eggs.  Adding vegetables to these kinds of dishes makes them simply disappear, but they still count!  Shred some spinach, carrots or zucchini and toss them into any of these dishes for more nutrition without changing the flavor at all.  Or add salsa and spinach to your egg sandwich.
   
    
   
   
   Try these ideas and let me know how they work for you!  Or you can do what my sweetheart advises...marry a dietitian.  Be healthy!

Compounding Interest

I love the start of a new year.  It's like a blank sheet of paper.  An unpainted canvas.  Clean sheets.  Okay, you get my drift.  Starting fresh each year is a beautiful thing.  Of course, we could start each day like this if we wanted...living one day at a time, leaving yesterday there and not reaching too far ahead into tomorrow - we could actually enjoy each day in and of itself.  Love that thought and it's part of my plan for this year.

For many years, I've worked to live one day at a time.  We only have this one day after all.  Once the day is closed, we cannot undo what has been done.  There is no returning to yesterday to relive a moment, change an outcome, or keep from sticking our foot into our mouths (or at least I can't).  Likewise, we can plan for tomorrow, but there is only the illusion of control.  The truth is that we cannot truly control tomorrow's happenings.  There are always unknowns that will impact what happens tomorrow.  We won't know about those things until we get there.  Better to stay fully present in today, making good choices, and breathing in the smell of this flower before it wilts and is gone.

Of course, there is the compounding interest effect.  While we can't control tomorrow...we can influence it.  Making consistent healthy choices day after day, year after year, is like saving pennies per day and their compounding interest that leads to a comfortable tomorrow.  Little daily inputs lead to much reward.  There's no way to avert illness, challenges, or unfortunate circumstances completely, but by making small positive deposits into your "health bank account" each day, you can be better prepared for tomorrow - while at the same time enjoying them today!  Wow...profound, I know. 

Seriously, small daily habits can make all the difference.  Here are a few to consider incorporating every day of 2014 (one day at a time, of course):

• Start your day by reading scripture or inspiration - just 5 minutes.  You have 5 minutes.
• Take time to breathe deeply, meditating and praying with thanksgiving.  Give yourself the gift of 5 minutes for this in the middle of the day.
• Eat a nutritious breakfast.  Need not be elaborate.  Boiled egg, sliced orange, yogurt, and piece of whole grain toast with PB.
• Make a conscious effort to call or visit in person with a loved one; you will both benefit.
• Stretch for 5-10 minutes at the end of the day.

Try incorporating these into your day today, tomorrow, each day.  The impact may not feel huge today, but it will add up.  Imagine if you did these five things each day for a year!  More peace.  Lower blood pressure.  Healthier body weight.  Deeper connections.  Improved flexibility and balance.  What would you add to this list?  Be healthy!

Resolving to Set (and Keep) Goals

Are you a resolution setter?  I have set and broken so many resolutions that I don't make them anymore.  But I'm hardly immune to the effects of the New Year.  I know that for some it's just a flip of the calendar, but for me it's always an emotional time.  The ending of a year and start of a new one is a great opportunity to take stock of where I am - and how near (or far) I am from where I want to be.  If you're like me, you rehash the year in your mind, think about what's to come and make lists.  Lots of lists.  In the past, I've made lists for health related goals, for home, one for finances, relationship lists, etc, etc.  This year, I'm keeping it simple.  I'm keeping it SMART. I'll still probably add a goal or two for home and relationship, but this year I'm doing just three health related goals. If you're setting goals, I encourage you to keep them smart too!

What's a SMART goal?

• Specific - not vague or lofty, but really specific things you can actually DO.  I will eat less fast food vs. I will eat home-cooked meals 6 days of the week and eat out one day of the week.
• Measurable - how do you know if you met your goal?  You must make them measurable for them to count.
• Attainable - choose goals that you can really meet.  If you need to lose 200 pounds, maybe just start with 20.
• Realistic - you might want to work out 6 days per week, but what's really doable for you is 3.  Start there and work up if/when you can!  Three days per week is better than none.
• Time sensitive - set a deadline.  When do you want to meet this goal.  Or how frequently are you going to do whatever it is you're going to do.  For instance, each day, I will eat five servings of vegetables.  Or by June 1, 2014, I will pay off 50% of my debt.

SMART, right?   Now, what are my goals you ask?  Here you go:

1. Each day, I will eat at least 2 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables. (I'm close on this one, but not as consistent as I would like.)
2. I will drink 56 oz water every day.  (This one is a stretch for me, since I'm like a camel - who drinks a lot of coffee.)
3. Three days per week, I will engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity. (Seeking out a yoga class one day per week to help me get 1/3 of the way there!  Plus I bought a super cute running skirt today to help me be motivated - cute workout clothes does that.)

Source

Just three health related goals this year.  I started today.  I'm off to a good start!  What are your goals? Share them here.  Be healthy!