1. Drink Homemade Vitamin Water
Starting your day with water and lemon, fresh fruits, veggies and herbs is a small but simple hack for boosting your energy, clearing your skin and increasing your chances of having a successful go at weight loss. You see, we wake up dehydrated from a night of fasting and many of us often go for coffee first thing. I get it, sleep is scarce at times and you’ve got to work! But you’ll feel ten times better if you shift your routine by 30 minutes and enjoy at least 2 cups of warm water with lemon first. This gets the bowels moving, turns your digestive system on, creates a more alert state of mind, and many other side-effects including the look and feel of your skin!
How to do it: pre-make your vitamin waters by choosing the citrus fruits, sweet fruits, veggies or herbs you want to include. Slice them and place them in a sealable jar, fill with water and place in the fridge. Good combos to try: Lemon, Cucumber and Basil or Strawberry, Lime and Mint.
2. Sweat and Work Your Lymphatic SystemÂ
Get that lymphatic system working for you to detox and improve blood flow. Performing daily movement that not only causes you to sweat, but also supports your lymphatic system is important because this is the system mostly responsible for how well your body releases and removes excess toxins from your body. When your lymphatic system isn’t functioning at full capacity, you may feel fatigued, sluggish or have skin problems like acne and breakouts. Getting on a treadmill, going for a power walk, and hitting the sauna are all great weekly goals to set for yourself this year.
3. Laugh
One of the most transformative things you can do for your health is to laugh more! Seriously, laughter is good medicine. It reduces stress and boosts endorphins which means you’re going to see the results of eating clean and moving more quickly than if you’re low on laughter and high on cortisol. The more happy and at ease you are, the more able you are to transform. Find fun ways to engage your senses, watch silly movies with family or friends, play games and see new things! Emotional health is often left unaddressed when one is aiming to achieve new health goals, but the happier are, the more willing you’ll be to practice self-care and make good choices. So have fun, whatever you do.
4. Detox Your Beauty Routine
Are your beauty products hormone friendly? A lot of the chemicals and ingredients in common products like lotions, cleansers and anti-perspirant (which is one of the worst) can disrupt healthy hormone production and overtime increase the toxic load your body is carrying. Considering body products are a daily consumable, it’s wise to look at ways to lessen the impact on your body and the planet by going for greener, healthier options. Coconut oil for example, makes an excellent moisturizer and is completely non-toxic for the body, it’s also antibacterial! Rather than using chemical laden shampoo and conditioner, look for low-impact, plant-based options at your local health food store. These days, finding a non-toxic deodorant is much easier, and clay based products are often a good bet.
5. Schedule Food Prep Days
One of the pitfalls of sticking to your Clean Eating goals is lack of preparation. If you’re running a household, working a job and taking care of a family, finding time to make healthy meals each day can be a challenge. This is where scheduling food prep days comes in. Make Eating Clean a priority, and set aside 3-4 hours a week to do food prep. You can pre-make soups and stews and freeze them, create quick and simple breakfast solutions like these oatmeal jars, and chop veggies and store them in the fridge.
6. Switch to Healthier Cooking Oils
Most vegetable oils go rancid quickly, and the fats aren’t heat stable. Basically what that means is that when you’re cooking with vegetables oils, you’re increasing your intake of “bad fatsâ€, which can be easily changed by swapping out vegetable oils like canola, sunflower and corn oil for things like coconut oil, grass-fed butter or ghee, and for lower temperatures or salad dressings, a virgin olive oil. Fat is super good for your hormones and your skin, you just need to make sure you’re getting the right kind.
7. Eat Clean
Eating Clean is simpler than you think, especially when you’re well equipped with a plan and some prep days scheduled on the calendar. When it looks as good as this Kale Chicken Caesar Salad, who can say no to a lifestyle like this!?  The best part of Eating Clean is that you’re not “dieting†or depriving yourself, you’re simply making good choices that fuel you and your family so you can all enjoy life to the fullest.
When you fill your plate up with real, whole and fresh foods, you’ll notice you feel satisfied and cravings begin to melt away. Consuming sugar actually increases your desire for sugar, so it’s ideal to give yourself a break and reach for fruit instead of something else when you really feel a craving coming on. Another great way to stay on track this year and see results, is to join the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge where we’ve mapped out your meals, your menu, and created a supportive community all for you!