Ashley Caroline Photography
It seems a lot of people are into the “new year, new me” theme right now which is totally fine but not my cup of tea. I don’t mind sticking to the same me but maybe with a few changes here and there.
For those of you looking to make some improvements in the health + wellness category of your life, here are 5 changes you can make. You don’t have to do them all at once, choose one to get started with and go from there!
1. Choose 1 bath/beauty/hair/skincare product to swap out for a safer option
I know, we use a lot of products, so where to start? Pick something you’re running low on. Maybe you need a new deodorant soon. I highly recommend Primally Pure, my favorite deodorants are the charcoal and the lavender and Mike likes the tea tree! They contain good-for-you ingredients such as coconut oil, baking soda, arrowroot powder and essential oils.
Maybe you don’t need new deodorant just yet, that’s fine too. In this cold weather a few of my friends and family members have been complaining about dry skin. We went up to NY for the holidays and my hands started cracking and got all red, it was gross! I immediately started using Beautycounter’s cleansing balm and my dry skin cleared up in just a few days. Two friends swapped out their aquaphor for the baby balm and they’ve had amazing results too.
Beautycounter offers safer skincare options and they have so many products from hair and makeup to moisturizers and stuff for baby too! The point is this: find something you’re running low on or check out safer brands and order something you’ve been thinking of getting! Primally Pure and Beautycounter are my favorite brands and are all about getting safer products out on the market, I highly recommend both! If you have any questions about this please contact me!
2. Drink more water
I bet you’ve heard this one before. It is so important to stay properly hydrated! Start by drinking 1 extra 8-ounce glass of water each day. A few clients of mine have had great success doing this first thing in the morning. They keep the water by their bedside or go right to the kitchen and drink up. You can do it, too!
3. Eat more veggies
Yah, I bet you’ve heard this one too. Honestly, I think there are a very small amount of people in this world who actually eat enough vegetables each day. Lately I’ve been writing down what I eat (I like doing this every now and then) and I was surprised to see I usually have only 4 servings/ day. Yikes!
How to increase your veggie intake: Ummm, eat more of them 😉 Ok really though, find something you like and either buy it already made or make it yourself. Add it into your breakfast (veggies + eggs are always yummy) or throw it in with lunch or dinner. Just start with 1 extra serving.
A few of my favorites are: Steamed broccoli with salt + pepper. We eat this almost every day with our eggs. I also love charred broccoli (bake in the oven at 375 for around 30 minutes, depending how charred you like it). Sauteéd kale, big salads, roasted cauliflower..there are so many options! Again, if the idea of cooking said veggie is going to stop you from having it, buy pre-made!
4. Get into an exercise routine
This is a big one. Whether you want to lose fat, gain strength or increase your cardio capacity, exercise is important. But you already knew that. So how can you increase your workout frequency?
Find something you really enjoy doing. Maybe you can try a spin class at a local studio or join a gym and take advantage of a complimentary session with a trainer. The trick to this one is not setting super high expectations for yourself. If you aren’t working out at all at the moment, aim for 2 days/ week. If you already head to the gym that often then add one extra day in. There are so many workout options out there nowadays, do some homework to find a good option and maybe even ask a friend to tag along so you can hold each other accountable. You can join my online training program where I write up individualized workouts for you to do on your own time, if that happens to tickle your fancy 😉
5. Sleep more
If you happen to be in the minority of people who do get enough shut eye, please disregard this one. Optimal sleep time is 7-8 hours, how many are you getting?
I chat again and again with clients who think this is one of the hardest things to improve upon because apparently, there isn’t enough time in the day! You may not want to hear this, but time is what we make of it. If you are dedicated to going to sleep 30 minutes earlier, you will make the time to do so. Maybe you scroll a bit less on Instagram or DVR that tv show and watch it over the weekend instead. You can squeeze an extra 30 minutes in, you just have to really want to.
These changes aren’t all too drastic and I wrote them this way purposely . The best way to consistently do something is to make it realistic to begin with. So I’ll say it again, don’t overwhelm yourself with these. Choose one, put your mind to it and do it well.
Xoxo,
Cait
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