How to keep your New Year’s Resolutions: 4 essential steps to staying on healthy track all year round
It’s less than two weeks into 2013 and we bet many of you have already wavered on your New Year’s Resolutions. We get it. They’re hard, they usually offer no immediate gratification and they’re just not fun. Health-related resolutions mostly lead to drastic short-term changes (like spending January drinking only maple water or working out eight times a week) that leave you burnt out and resenting anything that vaguely promises to be good for you until next December rolls around. But baby changes can make a really big difference when they’re followed for the whole year. Here are a few mini resolutions that are making my life a bit healthier in 2013.
How to keep your New Year’s Resolutions »
1. Drink through a glass straw
In the interests of my hydration, I started keeping two super cute glass water bottles on my desk and making a point to refill both of them whenever they dip below a quarter full. A straw was helpful for lipstick-preservation purposes, but soon I felt both guilty for the waste and worried about leaching toxins from sucking on a piece of plastic all day. So I bought a glass straw and now my water-drinking is pleasant, prolific and BPA-free, if a little clinky.
Skinny Straw ($9, strawsome.com)
2. Upgrade your workout bra
I recently acquired a little Michi number that has done wonders for my desire to go to a group fitness class wearing a loose racer-back tank and stand at the front so others can admire my meshy splendour. Come summer, I predict it’ll be motivating me wear a loose racer-back tank and stand in front of people at less healthy places, like bars, and patios.
Michi anti-gravity bra ($80, store.michi.com)
3. Keep snacks to hand
Allowing myself to become starving during those interminable stretches of afternoon at my desk either put me off exercising after work or drove me to eat something I’d regret later. Piles of raw almonds went mostly uneaten so I’m experimenting with keeping a stash of more exciting nutritious snacks like Coconut Cream Pie Larabars and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds from Eden Organic. So far, so delicious.
4. Everything unsweetened, all the time
I’m imagining the piles of uneaten sugar adding up as I make sure to choose all unsweetened everything, from almond milk to oatmeal to jam. I recently became obsessed with Sugar: The Bitter Truth by childhood obesity expert Dr. Robert Lustig (he has a new book out too) so I’m all over reducing unnecessary added sugar—that way the odd sweet treat remains just that, a treat.
