Last year, Matt and I were so excited to kick off 2015 with a new challenge: no meat for a whole month. We had gone down this road before, so I imagine we would be successful (it would’ve been hard to not be with Matt’s persistence…but I digress). I never imagined, though, that the first month would lead to an entire year of meatless days. To be honest, I’ve never felt better. I feel healthy and energized, not to mention, super creative because I’ve been forced to devise all sorts of new recipes. Of course, we are always looking for ways to better our lives and were eager to set another challenge for the start of this New Year. Now that we are about a week into the New Year, we figured we would compile a small list of ideas to help implement some positive change in your lives. Here’s to a New Year – New You!
1. Go Meatless – Well, it worked for us, so why not you? We started small, years ago, by doing Meatless Mondays. When we challenged ourselves to a full month of No Meat, we never imagined it would be an entire lifestyle change. However, the old adage is that it only takes 21 days for form a new habit. Since there’s 31 days in January, I guess the new habit was born!
2. Walk more, ride less – Everyone has heard: standing is better than sitting, walking is better than standing, running is better than walking. I am not much of a runner myself; however, I fit in at least 10,000 steps a day. Go ahead and get yourself a Fit Bit. The challenge is so rewarding in the end! And if you have one...let's be friends! Come follow us so we can all motivate one another!
3. Read More – Though Matt and I indulge in different forms of reading – I’m more of the fun-loving novel kind of gal, while Matt is more into recent newsworthy updates – we both enjoy a good reading session while cuddled up on the couch. Turn off your TV’s, unplug from your devices, and turn some pages. It is an amazing get away without ever leaving your own home, and you’ll feel refreshed, relaxed, and rewarded. If you are on GoodReads, come on over and follow me! Let's swap our favorite reads!
4. Drink more water (and herbal tea!) – This little blog post is definitely not the time for me to go into enough detail about the benefits of drinking more water, but I know you all know how important it is. Cleanse your bodies, rejuvenate your skin, and boost your health all from drinking a few more glasses of water. Even try to replace some of your coffee, soda, and other beverages. The benefits are endless, I promise!
5. Write a Gratitude Journal – Spend some time at the end of each day to reflect on some of the positive that passed through your day’s journey. A friend of mine does a Thankful Jar with her kids. Regardless of the method you choose to use, recognize that there is always something to be grateful for, and the more we take the time to reflect upon those moments, the more valuable they become. Plus, it’s always fun to go back and review what made our days brighter.
6. Whatever you choose – Think of something that you can do for you. Be selfish, put yourself first, and make a personalized resolution. Those are always the ones that work out the best, anyway. You don’t need to spend a lot of money, and you don’t necessarily need to change your whole lifestyle just to make yourself feel brighter each day. Make it happen!
Create a new habit, and it will just become part of your lifestyle. Don’t forget to send us some feedback on what New Year – New You lifestyle change you’ve implemented. We’d love to be your biggest cheerleaders!
