January 31, 2017

5 Healthy Habits for Having a Healthy New Year All Year Long

Can you believe it’s almost February? How are those New Year’s resolutions coming along? I thought this would be the perfect time to check in on you because being healthy isn’t just for New Year’s resolutions. It’s for the entire year! I put together 5 healthy habits for having a healthy New Year for the entire year! I called them habits because you want these 5 things to become a habit. My motto is you only have one body your whole life so you have to really take care of it.

1. Get Your Beauty Rest

I honestly cannot stress this enough. It’s very important for your overall health to get enough sleep each night. I know when I do not have enough sleep, I’m a bear. I cannot function and I don’t have much motivation. It’s so important to have enough sleep because not only will help you concentrate and perform at your best, both physically and mentally, but it also has some other perks like reducing your risk of heart heart disease, improving your immune system, sharpen your attention, and just gives you an overall “feel good” feeling! You can tivo The Game of Thrones that starts at 10 pm and watch it the next day, it will be okay and totally worth the full night’s rest you will get!

2. Hydrate from the Inside Out

It is equally just as important to hydrate your outsides just as much as your insides! Drinking plenty of water is beneficial because it help increases the elasticity of your skin, helps your muscles and joints work better, and cleanses all the yucky toxins out of your body. The other perk to drinking water all day is if you are drinking water you aren’t drinking soda at the same time which has tons of calories and sugar. If you aren’t a huge fan of just plain water, I would suggest adding some fruit to your water! Sometimes I add fun combinations like pear, vanilla, and ginger or another combination of strawberries, basil, and blackberries for a refreshing mix up! Get creative, there are a million ways to enjoy water.

For your outsides I bet it’s safe to say that nobody wants dry, itchy, and flaky skin. By hydrating on the outside, you are improving your skins elasticity again {which major point here: can help reduce wrinkles}, your skin will become less itchy and irritated, especially during the winter months, your foundation looks smoother and adheres better to your skin, and your skin just looks healthy, youthful and glowing! In a world where being young is heavily emphasized, who doesn’t want to look young and youthful?!

3. Make Fitness Your Priority

I can’t help but immediately think about how happy working out makes me. It makes me feel good. I feel like I accomplished something that’s so good for my body. Working out releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy! {insert quote from Legally Blonde} There are endless reasons to make fitness a priority. I’m sure working out was definitely on some of your New Year’s resolutions, but how many of you are keeping up with that resolution? It’s time to make it a priority! Trust me.. I KNOW how difficult it is. It’s so easy to say.. I’m tired, I’m going to skip the gym today, but you wouldn’t say, I’m tired.. I’m not going to eat today, would you!? No way! Your fitness is part of your lifestyle. It’s not just something you do when you feel like it. Just MAKE IT HAPPEN. Make time for it. You need this time for YOU. It’s an investment in your body and should be made a priority. You will be so proud that you ended up going to that work out! It’s tough at first to get this into your routine, but once you do, it’s like eating and sleeping. You just do it. Plus you get some of the great benefits like extra energy (who couldn’t use more of that?), releases endorphins, helps reduce the risk of heart disease, increases your flexibility and strength, increases your self-confidence, and you may even lose a pound or two if those are your goals!

Photo by Julie Kahlbaugh

4. Follow the 80/20 Rule

Ever hear of the 80/20 rule? To me this is the perfect way to balance healthy eating habits without entirely depriving yourself. I’m just going to be completely honest here. I love food. I mean give me all the hot wings, ranch dressing, and french fries there are! The key to being able to enjoy those foods you love oh so much is staying balanced. I’m not one of those people that believes in depriving your self with zero carbs or limiting yourself to super low calorie diets. I have endless reasons for why I don’t believe in these extreme diets, but the main reason being is that your body needs a healthy balance of food and nutrients. 80% of the time eat healthy. Choose the right items like healthy grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. The other 20% of the time splurge a little on those “bad” foods. I don’t mean go eat a whole pizza by yourself, but if you’ve eaten healthy all day long and you have a little room left to splurge on a slice of pizza and maybe a salad to pair with it, by all means do it. The key is to just do it in moderation: 80/20. You’ll enjoy those little cheats so much more than you would by splurging on a ton of bad foods and then feeling the miserable after affects.

5. Nourish Your Body With OLLY Vitamins

Last, but most certainly not least nourish yourself with OLLY Quick Melt Probiotic Sticks. I’ve been a fan of OLLY Vitamins for quite some time now. I actually use the Sunshine, Women’s Daily Multi Vitamin, and the Vitamin D in addition to the OLLY Quick Melt Probiotic Sticks. I had a really difficult time finding vitamins that don’t upset my stomach. These gummy vitamins and quick melt sticks were the perfect solution for me and the fact that they taste so good makes me remember to actually take them!

The OLLY Quick Melt Probiotic Sticks come in handy individual packs that make it perfect for being on the go and remembering later in the day you need your vitamins! Taking a daily probiotic helps support your immune system, helps improve your digestion, and helps maintain your overall heath from the inside!