Goals for a Healthy and Happy 2014
Wow, is it just me or did Christmas come and go with the blink of an eye? I guess that’s what happens when you’re having fun and eating good food.
I made eggplant rollatinis with roasted green beans, red peppers and mushrooms in this marinade for dinner and it paired perfectly with a glass of red wine.
I also got a pretty exciting gift from Brandon that some of you might’ve already seen on Instagram yesterday.
I guess I’ve got some baking to do!
So it’s back to work for me today but my thoughts are already shifting to the new year. It ought to be an exciting one; between our wedding in April and a trip to Maui to celebrate, I’m as giddy as a school girl.
Besides that, I’ve got a few other things that I would like to focus my attention on in the coming year. I don’t like the word resolution because I feel like it’s implying there’s a problem of some kind {I’m aware it’s all in my head} so I prefer to make goals that help me keep my health a top priority:
Make a plan. The easiest way for me to stay on track with a healthy diet and exercise is to have a planned schedule. I usually sit down at the end of every week to meal plan and write down my workouts for the following week. Then I make time over the weekend to prep what I need for lunch and dinner so that I can easily whip something up when I get home after a long day.
I was kind of scattered last year with random pieces of paper everywhere so I’m pretty excited to use my new Emily Ley Simplified planner for 2014.
It has a monthly calendar along with hourly layouts and corresponding to-do lists for each day. Plus, there’s an inspirational quote on every page.
I personally love having a place to write everything down because it helps me clears my mind at the end of the day. There’s nothing worse than contemplating tomorrow’s to-do list while you’re trying to fall asleep!
Unplug at night. Speaking of sleep, I’ve developed a bad habit of checking Pinterest or reading blogs at night before I shut the lights out. While I like to think it doesn’t have an effect, I know it makes it harder for my body to calm down and achieve restful sleep. Settling in with a good book would be much better for relaxing the mind and body for a good nights rest.
Drink more water. One of the most important things we can do to look and feel our best is to stay hydrated. I’m pretty good about bringing water with me to work but I can be lazy when it comes to getting refills. My goal for the new year is to refill my bottle.
Staying hydrated gives you more energy to knock out a workout, makes your skin glow, and prevents overeating. Plus, it deters prolonged sitting by forcing you to get up and go to the bathroom frequently. That’s one solution to so many problems!
Give up dairy two days a week. I’ve done a pretty good job at giving up meat but I just can’t get away from cheeeeessse! There are conflicting studies regarding dairy and our health but I’m interested to see how cutting it out two days a week will affect my body. Keep an eye out for more vegan recipes next year!
Reduce stress. Stress is one of the most destructive things we can do to our health so it’s vital that we learn how to keep it in check. Things like meditation and yoga can help tremendously but something as simple as learning to take deep breaths and think of something happy can ease a moment of panic. I often struggle with this so I’m hoping to find new ways to relax and just go with the flow.
Eat less sugar. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 5 teaspoons (20 grams) of sugar per day (for women) but this doesn’t include sugar found in foods such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy.
I have to have dessert every single day and even though I keep my portions small, I feel like I’m reliant on having sugar. I know it’s not realistic to completely give it up but I want to break the daily dessert habit and pay closer attention to how much sugar I consume.
Floss all of my teeth. It’s an easy thing to overlook but flossing is so important, not just for our dental health but for our overall health. Not doing it can actually increase your risk of a heart attack!
I’m good at flossing my teeth regularly but I tend to skip the ones in the back that are difficult to get to. My dental hygienist shared a funny saying the last time I had my teeth cleaned: “Only floss the teeth you want to keep”…WHAT? I want to keep all of my teeth!! I can’t help but think of that every time I floss now and it makes me reach for the ones in the back too.
Schedule down time. One thing that many of us forget to do is take some time for ourselves. Whether it be sleeping in Saturday morning or taking a relaxing bath every Sunday evening. We all need those moments to look forward to so that we can keep our sanity!
What are your goals for a healthy new year?
Yay for more vegan recipes!! I have cut out dairy in about 90% of my diet, so I am SO looking forward to those!
I need to sit down and make a list of goals like this. I’d definitely share the reducing stress and sugar goals. I’d also like to get better at planning my workouts. Enjoy your new KitchenAid!
I’m such a sucker for a good planner, and that one looks absolutely gorgeous. And yay for a new stand mixer! I got one for Christmas last year and absolutely love it.
Ooo the new year’s goals… I’m still working on mine, but better stress management and self-care are definitely two big areas I’ll be focusing on.
Floss my teeth is the only one I actually do and that’s only because it was my new years resolution 2 years ago! I really need to disconnect at night and schedule downtime but I’m going to consider these past few days on holiday as my downtime for now. Can’t wait to see all of the baking to come!
That planner looks amazing! I try to write down all my to-dos in my planner at work before I leave for the day, otherwise I lay in bed at night thinking about everything.
One of my goals is to go to yoga at least once a week. It’s something I neglected for a really long time, but I’ve been going more during the holidays so I want to keep it up.
Looks like you’ve got some great goals! While I stick to monthly goals, I might have to borrow some of these for January ;-)
First of all, I am LOVING that planner!!! I am on the hunt for a new one, so I am going to check this out ASAP!
Secondly, I need to jump on the teeth flossing bandwagon! I know it’s good for me, but I just get so lazy! lol!
I really like these little goals. None of them seem out of reach, but helpful little tid bits. :) So excited for 2014 for you, it’ll be such a great year! So glad you picked Maui (it’s my favorite island).
Awwh, Brandon is so nice, what a fabulous present!
I think I need to sleep more and cut down the amount of sugar I consume ;-) Let’s see how it goes! x
These are great goals! I want that planner like….now. I should probably try to cut back on sugar as well. I used to eat dessert of some sort every day and even though I don’t do that anymore, I go through binges. Like withdrawal haha so pathetic. I haaaave gotten better about flossing though but I need to remember every day! It’s more important than we (I) realize.
I bought a new planner for this year too! I’m really hoping it helps me and that I stick with it! I also want to focus on drinking more water and try to reduce stress … I feel like the stress one is a biggie for me! Hope you had a very merry christmas!!
“Only floss the teeth you want to keep” <– Haha! That's actually an awesome saying :) As for 2014, I am looking forward to reading more and enjoying life more during the week. I tend to throw my weeknights away thinking the entire day is wasted because of work. I'm going to try to make the most of it because – as much as I want it to be true – there isn't an end in site of my working career anytime soon ;)
Ugh, flossing. It’s such an easy thing to do, but I never ever ever do it. So bad. I’m with you on the whole making a plan thing! A plan is especially important if I want to make a group fitness class, which I’m hoping to do a lot of this coming year. Oh, and unplugging at night… I suck at that one. We’ll see.
just came across your blog and I’m LOVING it! we have some things in common, between a nearly-one-year-old blog, an upcoming spring wedding (May for us!), and a love for healthy food AND treats :) how did I not find you sooner?! can’t wait to follow along in 2014 :)
I’m happy you found me too! That’s so exciting you’re also planning a wedding. I can’t wait to read more about it. :)
Oh my gosh that planner is to DIE for. I am such a sucker for a planner!! That also goes for desk calendars and such. I think one of my goals is also going to be to unplug. I’m really terrible at it, but I like the idea of making a manageable goal of just unplugging right before bed. Right now I’m on the computer until my eyelids literally won’t stay open anymore.
A great list of goals that definitely got me thinking, too (and I love your planner!). Drinking more water is a big one for me. I completely revamped my diet and routines last year and got down to my goal weight, so 2014 will be all about continuing with my healthy changes and making smart decisions moving forward. I have a serious reliance on diet soda to get through my day, so I’m working on replacing one of those soft drinks with another bottle of water. I’m good about taking one to work, too, but rarely refill either! This will be The Year of the Refill! :)