New Year, New You!

 2020 was certainly a year of big changes!  How and where you worked, virtual school for the kids, and your eating habits and physical activity might have changed too.

Welcome in the New Year with small, healthy changes which can bring big results!  Let your family and friends know you are ready to make some healthy changes and invite them to join you!

• Start your day with a glass of water.  Drinking water first thing in the morning will help your digestion and will hydrate you for the busy day ahead.  Keep it up by drinking water throughout the day, instead of sugary drinks.  If plain water isn’t your favorite, add a squeeze of lemon, lime, or orange juice, or some cucumber or strawberry slices for extra flavor.
• Add more veggies to meals and snacks.  Add shredded carrots or summer squash to pasta sauce, keep cut-up vegetables like sweet peppers and celery in the refrigerator for everyone to snack on in-between meals.  Stir canned pumpkin into oatmeal or pancake batter.  Shredded cabbage will stretch your soup or stew farther and add lots of flavor and fiber.
• Make physical activity part of your daily routine.  Take the stairs, vacuum the house, lift groceries, carry laundry baskets to start.  Then, take your activity up a level and go for a daily walk (with or without the dog), get moving with a fitness video on YouTube or a virtual class, and play active games (indoors and outside) with the kids - make a scavenger hunt to find items in the house like a specific book, a fuzzy sock, or a wooden spoon.  Look for outdoor items like a stop sign, the number 4 on a mailbox, or the tallest tree on the block.
• Get your zzzzzzz’s.  Quality sleep,  7-8 hours each night, is important for good health and to have energy to think and move each day.  Make a bedtime routine for your kids and for yourself.  Try to go to bed at the same time each night, and to wake-up at the same time each morning.  Think of all of the things you will be able to do when you feel rested and refreshed!

Pick just one change to start with, then build on your success by adding one more change each week.  Make this year the healthiest one yet!