New Year's Resolutions
Happy New Year!
By now I’m sure you’ve given some thought to how you’re going to better yourself this year, but will you stick to it?
After a quick search on the most commonly broken New Year’s resolutions, here’s what I found:
Get Healthy: 62,776,640 searches, a 13.77 percent increase over last year during the same time period, when it was searched 55,177,290 times.
Get Organized: 33,230,420 searches, dipping by 7.41 percent compared to last year’s tally of 35,888,700.
Live Life to the Fullest: 18,970,210, spiking by 13.04 percent from last year, when it maxed at 16,782,030.
Learn New Hobbies: 17,438,670 searches, up 4.72 percent from last year’s total searches of 16,652,950.
Spend Less/Save More: 15,905,290 searches, up 17.47 percent from 13,539,500 in 2016.
Travel: 5,964,130 searches, down by 0.82 percent from 2015’s 6,013,550,
Read More: 4,746,560 searches, down 5.63 percent from last year’s 5,029,790.
Spector, Nicole. “2017 New Year’s Resolutions: The Most Popular and How to Stick to Them.” NBC News. Jan 2017. (www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/2017-new-year-s-resolutions-most-popular-how-stick-them-n701891).
The issue with these resolutions is that they’re not specific nor measurable. It’s not like you wake up each day and decide whether or not to be healthy, organized, or boring. WHAT can you do should be the focus here. “Getting healthy” is broad and doesn’t leave you with a plan of action.
I suggest making your New Year’s resolution to drink more water each day (84 ounces+) and less of EVERYTHING else. Water is the most important nutrient for your body, or HERBody if you will…
Everyone knows the recommended daily intake of water is 84 ounces. Feel free to make this your starting point although I’m not sure I agree on it being a one size fits all. This calculation doesn’t account for height, weight, activity level or what you ate during the day. EX) you should drink more water when working out or eating salty foods. Thirst can be easily mistaken for hunger which is why it’s important to drink water throughout the day, whether or not you feel thirsty. Just as I don’t count calories, I don’t calculate my water intake. Aim for drinking a large glass first thing in the morning, before food or caffeine and continue to refill your glass throughout the day. This resolution is easy to incorporate into your everyday life and is measurable, leaving less room for failure.
Aside from drinking more water, you should limit all other beverages. Addicted to soda? Switch to carbonated water instead. I can’t even remember when I stopped drinking soda (pop as we call it in the Midwest), and I don’t miss it. I bet you don’t consider Mountain Dew dessert but with 46 grams (3.68 Tablespoons!) of sugar per can, you may want to reconsider. And no, diet isn't any better. More on artificial sweeteners here. In addition, try cutting down on sugar from other beverages such as juice, coffee and smoothies. Although they appear healthy, they can be highly caloric and provide little fiber.
Here’s my short list of go-to beverages:
WATER
Others - In no particular order:
Coffee - replace sugar with a dash of cinnamon
Hot tea/Matcha Green Tea/Kombucha Tea (fermented tea)
Lactose-free or nondairy milk
Homemade green smoothies
Wine (I have a preference for red)
My New Year’s Resolutions:
Personally:
I’ve already hit my weight loss goal and drink a ton of water but I would like to further my fitness by increasing my flexibility through yoga on my active recovery days.
Professionally:
As I said in my bio, my intention for this blog is to help others help themselves by providing tools for success by way of health, wellness and nutrition without breaking the bank.
Let’s all raise a glass (of water) and cheers to a fresh start in 2019* and re-hydrating after last nights’ alcohol! ;)
-Mallory Herb
*Originally published in January 2018
