It’s Resolution Time!
It’s that time of year again, when most of us are putting the holiday décor away while also ruminating on which of the top three New Year’s resolutions we want to try:
1. Eat healthier
2. Exercise more
3. Get organized
Every January, we hear these three New Year’s resolutions again and again, and we’ve found there’s a relationship between all three!
Starting with any one of these goals will have a positive ripple effect on the other two. Research is clear: there’s a link between having too much clutter in our homes and struggling to shed the extra weight that plagues us. In fact, statistics show that people who struggle with clutter are 77% more likely to be overweight or obese.
Living with clutter is stressful, and feeling stressed leads to cortisol release….chronically elevated cortisol leads to weight gain.
“Cortisol is released in response to stress and it can keep blood sugar levels high and put on fat around the middle.” ~Francie Silverman
“It’s very hard to lose weight when you live with constant stress. Cortisol is a fat storage hormone.” ~Caitlin Pfeil
Starting slow and taking baby steps towards your goals are the keys to getting started with a new habit.
“The biggest obstacle is feeling overwhelmed.” ~Karen Riggs
Here are some helpful tips in each category to get you started:
~ Eat Healthier ~
Caitlin Pfeil, our certified Functional Medicine Health Coach helps people every day to get started with eating healthier.
Drink more water
Everyone should be drinking at least half their weight in ounces each day.
Try adding mint, lime, lemon, strawberries, raspberries or pineapple as an infusion to make it more fun!
Balance your blood sugar
Be sure your breakfast consists primarily of protein and fiber.
At a meal, eat veggies first, then protein and fat, and lastly, starches and sugars.
Pair your carbs with a fat or protein to control blood sugar and crush cravings.
Get sufficient fiber
Consume at least 1 cup of veggies per meal and 1 cup of berries per day.
Fiber helps keep you feeling full so you make better eating choices.
Fiber also helps move toxins out of your body, lower cholesterol, and balances hormones.
~ Exercise More ~
Francie Silverman, Masters in Nutrition, our Lifestyle Educator works with patients to develop healthy living habits which includes exercise.
Tracking your steps helps you stay motivated
Use a Fitbit, Oura ring, apple watch or phone app to easily keep track of your steps.
Shoot for the recommended 10,000 steps per day (about 1 hour of walking).
This doesn’t have to be done all at one time – just moving throughout the day will add up.
Recruit an exercise buddy
This can be a friend, family member or neighbor.
Accountability increases success!
Exercise doesn’t have to mean a gym membership
When exercise is more fun, we’re more likely to be consistent. Try adding paddle-boarding, yoga, dancing, hiking, skiing/snowboarding, ice/roller skating, hula hooping, canoeing, or rock climbing to your regimen this year.
~ Get Organized ~
Karen Riggs, our office manager has a personal organizing business on the side, KROrganizing. She helps people declutter and make their home and environment feel more peaceful and less stressful.
Start small
Pick a small area (like a drawer) to clean out.
Decide what’s trash, what to donate and what to keep.
Then, put like things together in the drawer (socks by color, etc).
Pick a category to declutter
For example: pens, mugs, medications, makeup, keys, craft supplies or games.
Find everything in that category in the house so that you can see what you have.
This will make it easier to purge.
Set a timer for decluttering
Start with 5-15 minutes.
Work your way up to more time each day or week.
This will make the time you’re spending seem more manageable.
Be patient with yourself, but don’t give up. If you go outside of your plan for a day or two, remind yourself of your new goal and lovingly reassess appropriate steps.
Here’s to a Happy New You!