HEALTHY NEW YEAR HABITS TO NOURISH YOUR BODY

Even if you have the willpower of champions, the last few months of the year can make it challenging to stick to a healthy routine.

With the colder weather of winter and less daylight, naturally, we feel more fatigued, want to eat more, and do less.

Add that to the extra stress of holiday travel and to-do’s, food-filled festivities, alcohol-laden social gatherings, and sweets lurking around every corner, it’s easy for your healthy habits to go right out the window.

And you’re not alone.

A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that most Americans typically gain between 1-2 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s day. Not so bad, right?

Another study from the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab found it may take up to five months to lose that innocent one pound of holiday weight. Yikes.

So once the New Year hits, it’s time to shift your mindset and get back on track.

Here are some New Year’s healthy habits to help you nourish your body.

When starting any new habit, you’ll be more likely to stick with it if you plan out how to work it into your routine.

You’ll also be more likely to form healthy habits when you envision how you feel once you stick with them.

These New Year habits should help you feel healthier, happier, and more energized. Try using a daily planner or downloading a habit-tracking app onto your phone to help you stay motivated and on track.

1. Start With a New Year Gentle Cleanse 

The beginning of the year is all about starting fresh, making it the perfect time to do a cleanse. It’s especially recommended if you’re feeling tired, sluggish, or bloated, and your digestion is feeling off.

While our detox organs (liver, lymph, digestive system, skin, lungs, etc,) do a great job of removing bodily waste, sometimes they can get overtaxed.

Constant daily stressors like poor diet, not drinking enough water, pharmaceutical use, air pollution, infections, exposure to pesticides, and unhealthy ingredients in cosmetics can all negatively affect the way our bodies function.

Doing a cleanse is like pressing the reset button on your system and can give your body a chance to heal and restore itself. After doing a cleanse, many report feeling lighter, more clear-headed, and energized. It can also help you break those nasty sugar and caffeine cravings.

Cleanses of the past often had us doing mystery juice cleanses that left us starving.

Instead, start with an easy mini cleanse for 7 days. Here’s how.

1. Eating completely organic and unprocessed. Go for lots of fruits, veggies, and lean, healthy protein.
2. Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water (herbal teas are okay)
3. Focus on sleeping well.
4. Use a sauna if possible.
5. Stick with light exercises like yoga and walking.
6. Avoid any alcohol, smoking, caffeine, refined sugars, and processed foods.

For an extra boost, use a powerful yet gentle supplemental cleansing, herbal blend like Flor•Essence Liquid Tea Blend. Made with 8 antioxidant-rich organic herbs and inspired by a Native American recipe, each of the ingredients in this tonic work together to nourish cells while encouraging the body to cleanse at the cellular level.

With benefits supported by research, sip this 30 minutes before meals for the best results.

💡 Not sure if a cleanse is right for you? See these 16 Signs Your Body Could Use A Detox And Why It’s Important 

2. Eat More Fruits and Veggies

Adding a variety of vegetables and fruit into your diet is one of the best habits to build if you want to stay healthy.

Fruits and veggies contain necessary vitamins, minerals, fiber, and plant compounds that keep your body nourished and your cells healthy.

They also provide much-needed antioxidants. These compounds neutralize free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can cause cell damage over time and can lead to a variety of diseases. There are thousands of antioxidants, so eating a variety of plant-based foods is best.

Together, these nutrients support healthy immunity, weight, and metabolism, but eating more plant-based is also associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic diseases later down the road.

Unfortunately, the CDC reports that only about 1 out of 10 of us are eating enough fruits and veggies.

It’s recommended that adults get at least 5 servings a day, although some studies suggest 10 is best. The CDC has a calculator here where you can check what your personal recommended servings of fruit & vegetables should be each day.

With a little prep and planning, eating more fruits and veggies is an easy habit to develop.

Here are a few easy ways to add more fruits and veggies to your meals:

1. Add veggies to pizza when out or at home (basil, peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, artichokes, olives, etc.)
2. Add veggies to scrambled eggs and omelets (broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, kale, tomatoes, etc.)
3. Stock up on frozen veggies which are easy to add to soups and sautees.
4. Swap out cauliflower or broccoli rice for white or brown rice, or do half and half.
5. Top plain yogurt with fresh berries.
6. Blend fruits and veggies into smoothies (fresh baby spinach has a neutral taste when blended and is super healthy.)

For convenient nutrient dense superfoods on the go:

1. Try a water-soluble green drink like Green Blend from Flora. It’s a blend of fermented grasses, organic whole foods, superfoods and herbs that will nourish your body with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, prebiotic fibers, and health-promoting phytonutrients that will boost your body’s nutrient intake in less than 48 hours.

2. Support energy, with Organic Red Beet Crystals from Flora. Made with organic beets and instantly soluble in water or tea, Organic Red Beet Crystals provide an easy and delicious way to get the health benefits of beets as often as you like. Add to dips, soups, herbal teas and smoothies.

💡 For a quick boost of nutrients, enjoy this easy Beet-Turmeric Refresher

3. Add Acerola Cherry Powder to your daily shake or smoothie. Acerola cherries contain essential, plant-based nutrients like zinc, manganese, B vitamins and are a surprisingly good source of potassium. They’re also one of the world’s richest natural sources of vitamin C, which supports the absorption of iron, healthy immunity, bones, cartilage, teeth, and skin.

💡 For a fun recipe, try these Immune Boosting Gummies

3. Get More Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids

We need to eat healthy fats for hormone balance, energy, and help with the absorption of nutrients like vitamins A and D.

The problem is, 90% of us are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat that we must get through our diet in order for us to stay healthy.

In the body omega-3, essential fatty acids play many roles. They support cognitive health and also help to balance hormones, support good mood, and a healthy cardiovascular system. There is evidence that they also promote healthy hair, skin, and nails. (1, 2, 3, 4).

So how many omega-3s do you really need?

After years of research, Udo Erasmus, a scientist and nutrition expert, found that eating a diet with twice as many omega-3s to omega-6s, is ideal for optimal health. The typical American diet currently serves up about ten times as many omega 6s as omega-3s.

Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines are great sources of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).

But if eating fish is off the table, opt for plant-based sources of omega-3s as ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) from foods like walnuts, flax, and chia seeds.

For the right balance of essential fatty acids in a plant-based formula that is based on Dr. Erasmus’s years of research, try Udo’s Oil 3•6•9 Blend. Made from a healthy blend of organic flax, sesame, and sunflower seed oils, it has a rich, nutty, and buttery taste. You can drizzle over salads, and soups, or add to smoothies to get your daily dose of healthy fats.

💡 Learn more about the important benefits of essential fatty acids.

4. Drink More Water

Our body is 70% water and needs to have it replenished to stay healthy. So if you’re always reaching for juices or other sugar-laden beverages, it’s time to drink more H20.

Water aids our digestion, transports nutrients to cells, helps the body remove waste, and regulates our body’s temperature. It also helps provide cushioning and shock absorption for our joints, organs, and other tissues.

Drinking more water may also help you burn more fat and eat less, as we often mistake being hungry for being thirsty. One study found that water increased metabolism by 30% within 10 minutes after drinking, which lasted up to 40 minutes. [5]

According to the Mayo Clinic, “the amount of water you need depends on a variety of factors: the climate you live in, how physically active you are, and whether you’re experiencing an illness or have any other health problems.”

Forget the 8-glass-a-day (8 ounces) rule, which is now considered outdated.

Health experts now recommend drinking half your weight in ounces of water per day as a starting point. So if you weigh 150 pounds, aim to drink 75 ounces of water per day. Of course, drink more if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, live in a dry climate or exercise intensely.

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Hailey Josephine