With every New Year, people want to hit the ground running when it comes to their health and fitness goals. Here are my top ten daily habits you can start doing right now to make sure your body is getting what it needs to function optimally!
Prioritize protein at every meal- generally 20-25g at each meal across 3-4 meals per day. If you want to know how much protein you need daily, check out this blog post I made all about protein!
Hit your fiber goal- for women this should be a minimum of 25 grams per day and for men 35 grams per day. If you can tolerate more, then have at it! Tolerating a high fiber goal means you are able to eat 35-45 grams (or more) of fiber per day without much digestive distress. You should not be constipated, nauseous, extremely gassy (some is okay) or uncomfortably bloated. If you are, then cut back to the minimum amount as outlined above and work your way up to a higher intake!
Add fruits and/or vegetables to every meal- this will help you hit your fiber goal and assists with gut health. We need about 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, which is hard for me to hit too! You can supplement with a greens powder (code alexisfitco) or fruit and veggie capsules if you need to but getting the nutrients from food will always trump a supplement.
Create a meal plan, cook in bulk and make a grocery list for the week- this can help eliminate decision fatigue and allows you to have meals ready to go. You can assess what you're already eating now, and see what adjustments you can make to so the meals can be pre-made and ready to go! We usually cook rice and potatoes, a veggie (broccoli, green beans, peppers, onions) 3 chicken breasts, 1.5 lbs of ground turkey and 1.5 lbs of ground beef and make meals for the week for 2 people. We switch things out every now and then and will have pasta, soups, casseroles or stews but we always have staple meals ready!
Track your intake/daily habits either with macros, calories, or satiety/satisfaction with meals. I utilize various tracking methods with my clients so they can keep track of their progress whether that's with macro tracking or certain daily health habits to help them reach their goals! If you aren't tracking anything then how can you know if you are progressing?
Make sure you are drinking 2-3 liters (68-100oz) of water per day with added electrolytes. You can use pink salt with lemon and-or lime for added electrolytes or you can use LMNT packets to get them in as well. I do not like the liquid IV's or anything with added sugar in them as sugar is not an electrolyte and we generally get enough from our diets. Depending on the energy demands of the day, I usually drink half an LMNT packet in 30 oz of water instead of a full one. Disclaimer: if you have any cardiac, renal, or other serious medical issues, you should ask your doctor or dietitian if drinking LMNT is okay for you.
Make sleep a priority and find stress-reducing activities that you enjoy. If you aren't sleeping well and if you can't manage your stressors, then you won't be able to recover well which also means you won't have the energy you need for movement and workouts or for the mental load of staying consistent with your healthy lifestyle.
Get in daily movement- this doesn't have to be a gurgling hour long workout or a HIIT training session, this can be a 30 minute intentional walk, a Youtube yoga session, or a quick training session in the basement. It is important to schedule time for weight training though as this can assist with longevity, bone density, metabolic function, sleep quality, mood and so many other things!
Get sun daily, and for those living in the Midwest (or anywhere that's always grey) where this is not always feasible, at least get outside daily. You can also purchase a Light Therapy Lamp (found this one on Amazon) to help mimic the daylight indoors which can assist with sleep regulation, focus, mood and energy.
Embrace the lifestyle- if you aren't able to nail the basics (sleep, sun, water, fiber, protein, daily movement) then adding in additional variables to your plan will be really challenging and likely not attainable. Having a coach can be an added benefit because they can help keep you accountable, make adjustments/changes to the plan for you, and guide you along the way!
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