Simple ways to stay healthy this winter

Winter can cause a yearning in your soul to warm up by a cozy fire and finally slow down.  I love that nature works like this, innately causing us to change with the seasons, have you ever noticed?  The winter brings the desire for warmer foods, connection with loved ones, and more rest and relaxation.  The critical part of this fascinating natural phenomenon is that we listen and oblige.  

Another tendency is to feel our desire to workout slow down this season, which is also common.  There are a few ways I go into the Winter season mindful of this, and I'm going to share with you my top ways to help you keep a Winter wellness routine, as well. These work for me each year, and I hope you'll gain some ideas you can use, too!

My favorite Winter Wellness tips...

1. Don’t burn the candle at both ends

If your social calendar looks anything like mine, it's jam-packed this season. We just made it through all the Holiday parties, and now it's time to catch up with those we didn't have time to see last month, and of course, celebrate the New Year. However, don’t feel obligated to attend every gathering you get invited to, particularly if you’re feeling burnt out from work and your other obligations. It’s great to meet new people and socialize, but if it causes you to get less sleep or it stresses you out, decline some of the less essential offers.

2. Be mindful of social settings

For the events you do attend, remember that cold and flu germs often lurk without symptoms at first. There’s no need to be paranoid about shaking hands or meeting people, but be mindful of your hands before you eat and don’t touch your nose, mouth or eyes after shaking hands with someone. Keeping your hands clean is the best way to avoid a winter illness.

3. Keep working out

Your best battle against the winter blues is to keep to your workout routine. Finding it hard to stay motivated during the colder months? Switch things up. Try a new class at your gym or take on a new challenge that will help keep you motivated. 

4. Hydrate more

Getting enough fluids is essential on any day, but in winter the weather is drier and so is the heat indoors. Not only that, but your skin can become parched too. Drinking more water and applying more moisturizer is a must. 

So, what's the norm for you? Do you try to stay on track during the winter months, or do you put things off until it starts to warm up outside?  Personally, I have a tendency to want to hibernate during the cold months. To combat this inclination and stay active, I find different and challenging classes at the gym (like hot yoga, barre, or cycle) and make the commitment to go. It’s hard, but I feel so much better after!

Be kind to yourself during the winter months and the rest of the year, too!  If you are on Facebook or Instagram, I invite you to follow me (@alignmentstudio) for additional tips, recipes, and workout ideas.

You Don't Have to Dread Eating Better

The holidays are over and the new year is among us -- a special and exciting time where we make ambitious plans for our next twelve months and dream of the possibilities.  The most popular resolution is improving health, and we usually are quite ready after the holidays.  As tasty as the holiday tidings are, they leave us feeling a little less on track with our goals than we'd like.

Those new healthy resolutions don't have to be complicated, and they don't have to end before February even arrives.  The key to looking and feeling your best is to keep it uncomplicated and simply focus on clean eating.  In case you've heard the term "clean eating" but haven't quite understood what it means -- clean eating is all about consuming healthy, whole foods and cutting out the processed junk. Whether you’re ready to jumpstart your clean eating now or you’re wondering what it takes to get started, we’ve got super-simple steps for a no-fail progression into clean eating.

1. Focus on your inner motivation

Whether you’re determined to race in the Boston Marathon next year, or you have seen first-hand the damages done by not eating well through relatives or friends that have suffered as a result of their eating habits.  Whatever it is that is motivating you to eat clean, bring it into your direct focus so you will be more successful in sticking to your clean eating plan.

2. Reevaluate what you’re currently eating

Before you begin your clean eating journey, it helps to journal about what you’re eating before beginning. This way, you can truly see what it is you’re eating and look for patterns. After the stressful end of week push at the office, you might notice you’re more prone to ordering pizza, and you can take steps to head that off at the pass rather than fall into the same pitfall time and time again.

3. Set realistic, measurable and specific goals

When people make changes to things in their lives such as a change to their eating habits, they can set themselves up for significant failures if they don’t take it step by step. That means that if you want to be successful in the long-term, you should tackle one or two new things every 1-2 weeks, so you have a better chance of sticking to it. Don’t just say you’ll stop eating desserts forever. Instead, set a goal of only eating one small dessert per week, and go from there to decrease it further. It’s realistic, measurable and very specific.

4. Clean out your pantry

Sadly, most American pantries are filled with processed foods.  A good rule of thumb is to cut out anything that contains more than five ingredients on the label, and anything unnatural should go. If you have a lot of unopened items, donate them to a shelter. 

5. Refocus your grocery shopping strategy

We’re creatures of habit, every one of us. When we go to the supermarket, we usually follow the same path every time. Shake things up and head straight for the produce section. You really should be avoiding almost all of the middle aisles of your supermarket anyway because that’s where those processed food pitfalls lurk!

6. Master meal prep

One of the easiest ways to dive right into clean eating is to prep your meals. You’ll find tons of healthy meal prep plans online that even give you shopping lists to use. If time is a factor, look for crockpot recipes that require you to dump in the whole foods in the morning and come home to a hot, delicious, clean and healthy meal every night!  

As you can tell, it only takes small changes over time to create a sustainable, healthy lifestyle.  I’m here to cheer you on every step of the way, hit reply and let me know how you are feeling, and what you’d like to accomplish as your first step.  I’d love to hear your plans. Pop over to the Facebook page (click here) and share how you plan to eat healthier. 

Want to learn how to meal prep? I am hosting a Meal Prep 101 at Arlington Pain and Rehab (3004 Lee Hwy D-111) on Saturday, January 6 at 3pm. Space is limited, so RSVP either on the Facebook page or by calling the office!