Welcome 2019!
It can be difficult to recover from all the holiday festivities (with lots of delicious food!) but many people are motivated by the start of the New Year. We are a well into 2019 and want to give you a few tips to help you stay on track this year!
While I do not advocate for "dieting", I do believe strongly in a healthy lifestyles rich in delicious, healthy foods, mental/emotional care and fun physical activity. Here are a few tips to help motivate you to “get going” and kick off the New Year feeling great!
BE POSITIVE - No one feels worse when they eat better and move more. Think of how great your body, mind and spirit will be when you are taking great care of it! - Really explore your reasons for wanting to make changes in your diet/lifestyle and try to keep that in mind when you are tempted to eat something that is not the healthiest option or skip your activity for the day. Hang motivational sayings or images to help keep you focused and remind yourself of your goals. - If you do end up indulging, try to keep it to a small indulgence AND don’t beat yourself up, just get right back to it. Don’t let one slip up derail your efforts completely.
FOCUS ON DELICIOUS, HEALTHY FOODS Concentrate on what you need to include for a healthier diet rather than everything you want to eliminate. It is critically important that you don’t just stop eating because you are trying to eliminate the “junk” from your diet. There are so many delicious and nutritious foods in the world and young athletes need fuel (See THIS BLOG about fueling properly). Also when we allow ourselves to become too hungry, we tend to make unhealthy choices and eat considerably larger portion sizes. - Start with fluids! Hydration is so important, especially for athletes. Check out the blog on hydration to get some ideas of where to start by CLICKING HERE. - Make a list of your favorite, nutritious snacks/meals and talk to your parents about making sure you have those foods available. Plan ahead and always have a healthy snack in your bag so that you aren’t scrambling to find something to eat.
THROW AWAY THE DECADENCE - I’m definitely NOT talking about the new cozy slippers or beautifully scented candles you received this holiday. It seems to me that there are always a few little holiday candies, cookies and treats lingering in my cabinet overstaying their welcome well into the New Year. Though Aunt Susan was very thoughtful for making you 2 pounds of chocolate peanut butter marshmallow caramel desserts, you do not need to eat them until they are gone. Ask your parents (or do this, if you are the parent) to take them to work or simply throw them away! If there are tempting foods in your environment, YOU WILL EAT THEM. So dispose of the unhealthy foods in your home – it’ll be better for everyone. If they are not there, you will not be tempted. - With that being said, make sure you have other healthy options for when those sweet/salty cravings hit. Dried fruit or fresh fruit with a little bit of whipped cream can satisfy that need for sweets or plantain chips or an individual sized bag of popcorn (NOT the movie butter flavor☺) can cover the salty moments. Wishing everyone a healthy and Happy New Year!
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CHEERS!
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