Back on the Healthy Horse: Reset your Health and Making Achievable Goals

Welcome to 2018! Happy New Year and many of us might be making resolutions to become healthier and happier, from eating healthier to disconnecting from our phones. Although setting goals are great for development, only about 8% of people make their New year's resolutions habits and find success in them. So why not set yourself up for success? Hit that reset button rather than overhaul your life with a dump truck.

The key to making sustainable goals is making SMART goals:

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely

Bad Example: I want to eat healthier in the year of 2018.

Good Example: I will eat 2-3 servings of vegetables a day at lunch & dinner.

When hitting that reset button, you want to make sure your choose habits that you know you will adjust for your overall goals or resolutions. Start by choosing a simple habit:

• Avoid that added sugar [Check out the Nutrition label for the NEW Added Sugar line]
• Decrease alcohol consumption [We all know it's high during the holidays, so just limit during training season]
• Get back into training schedule [Go into the new training season with purpose and positive mindset to reach your goals]
• Stay hydrated [Keep a water bottle with you or at your desk so you just have to reach out and drink]
• Get back on a sleep schedule [Get back into a routine of 6-8 hours of sleep]

These are some easy ways to get back on track to your goals, no matter what they are going into 2018. Notice how there is no "try this new diet". I prefer "refocus period" because diet has a negative connotation. A new diet could help you in this refocus, but diets are the quick fix, not long term sustainability, so if you choose to try a new diet in 2018, keep mindful of learning from the guidelines of the diet and ask questions. You never want to deplete your body of good nutrients while trying to eliminate the bad.  A balanced dietary intake looks like adjusting away from the high sugar, high carbohydrate foods that we all consumed a lot of during the holidays, and choosing vegetables, high-quality protein and fruits to ease that sugar craving we all have after all the sugar cookies and pie.

You've made your reset goals for long term health, but what can you do right now? Choose whole, real foods that are unprocessed have healthy fats, lean proteins, vitamins and minerals. The following are foods are reset foods:

Sweet Potato - high in beta-carotene which is a vitamin A precursor and great to help with skin cell damage and plays a role in skin cell turnover.

Kefir - a probiotic, is great for reset your gut health and the microbiome. Research has shown that it can boost immune system and help control blood sugar.

Asparagus - a prebiotic for that kefir! Low in calories but high in nutrients which are crucial for a healthy lifestyle. Steamed asparagus is best, taste and bio availability wise!

Green Vegetables - High in antioxidants and phytochemicals, which slow free radical damage. With high water content and high fiber content, these vegetables help keep you full while bringing daily calories down from the holidays.

Fennel - This acts as a diuretic, flushing out your system, then the vitamin C helps increase collagen production. Then fiber helps for healthy digestion and keeping you full for longer. It adds great flavor and can be roasted and added to salads as a side.

Wild Salmon/Sardines - High in those healthy fats, Omega-3 fatty acids, salmon and sardines also has anti-inflammatory agents that are great for any active individual.

Pecans, walnuts & almonds - Snacking smart with these nuts or use as a topping for roasted vegetables, these are high in omega-3s and have been shown to lower body weight and reduce the risk of weight gain, which many of us saw during the holiday season.

Here's a recipe that is easy to make and has many reset foods to start your 2018 on the right foot. Find other healthy recipes to fuel your body and give it the nutrients it may not have gotten much of during the holidays, as much of our holidays were in that 20% of food we consume arena [Check out my blog on the 80/20 rule for athletes - Coming Soon]

Start your year strong and add these foods and habits to finish strong later on.