So January has come and gone and you really haven’t even thought about your hopes or goals or resolutions for this new year …

NO BIG DEAL.

I mean, who cares when your new year starts? Now is better than later (or never), and sometimes you just need a breather to get back into that post-holiday groove.

Not to mention that so many people start the year off with big lofty goals but fail to keep them — those resolutions are often unrealistic when you bite off more than you can chew.

So HEY, congrats on not doing that! Maybe you’re actually ahead of the game 🙂

Now that you’re in a good spot to start tackling some of those healthy living aspirations, here’s a list of goals that this wellness expert feels are realistic and incredibly helpful to drastically improve your health in 2023.

Let’s get to it!

1. Eat At Home More Often

And no, I don’t mean using Uber Eats on the regular.

Preparing your own snacks and meals at home gives you so much more control over the quality of your food. Ditch the pre-packaged foods and cook your meals with a variety of fresh ingredients. Use quality oils (think olive, avocado, and coconut) instead of commercial seed oils which are found in most packaged foods and restaurants — this one thing will dramatically change your health by reducing inflammation in the body.

We have more access to quick and easy healthy recipes than ever, so put Google to work and find them! Plus, eating at home saves you quite a bit of money.

Need some ideas for quick and healthy meals?

—> Download my 7 Amazing Easy Rotation Meals here!

2. Consume More Protein

Chances are you are not eating enough protein. I believe that if people truly understood what protein does for our bodies, everyone would be eating more of it! It’s not just for building muscle, even though that is a great reason.

Our bodies use protein for:

• immune function and support
• the building of cell membranes
• cell and tissue creation and repair
• transporting oxygen and nutrients throughout the body
• producing hormones and enzymes

Also, complete proteins which and are found in meats, eggs, fish, poultry, and dairy contain essential amino acids which our bodies need for basic function. I also like to remind people that these amino acids are the precursors for neurotransmitters that keep our mental health balanced and healthy.

Common things that happen when you do not get enough protein are hormonal imbalance, weak immunity, slow metabolism, diminished focus, and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. 

I personally think the official RDA recommendation for daily protein needs is very low. I prefer aiming for 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight.

Sounds like a lot but I promise it’s not that hard if you are consciously adding protein to every snack and meal.

3. Drink More Water

Yeah, you already know you need to be doing this. We all do.

Water is the most important nutrient for our bodies, and it is also the most common deficiency. A person can go 8 weeks without food, but only days without water.

Here Are 14 Reasons to Stay Hydrated:

• Improves oxygen delivery to cells
• Transports nutrients
• Enables cellular hydration
• Moistens oxygen for easier breathing
• Cushions bones and joints
• Absorbs shocks to joints and organs
• Regulates body temperature
• Removes wastes
• Flushes toxins
• Prevents tissues from sticking
• Lubricates joints
• Improves cell‐to‐cell communications
• Maintains normal electrical properties of cells
• Empowers the body’s natural healing process

And, it makes your skin look a whole lot better!

I think the key is mixing it up so your water isn’t so boring. For me that means rotating between dropping in a lemon or lime slice, adding a few drops of chlorophyll, or throwing in a pinch of sea salt. All give extra health benefits and add a little flavor.

Lastly, if you want to know your ideal intake of water, try this equation:

—> Take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2. Now put that number as ounces of water.

—> Now take the ounces of diuretics you consume (coffee, soda, etc)  and multiply it by 1.5. Then add that number to the first number.

Now you have your ideal amount!

I don’t know about you, but I just figured out I need to drink more water…

4. Support Gut Health

Seems like everyone is talking about gut health these days, doesn’t it?

But what does it mean to have a healthy gut? Well, your gut microbiome is the foundation of your health. Good gut health means you have a balance between the good and bad flora in your digestive system. And here’s a fun fact: 80% of your immune system is located in the gut!

The gut aids in the digestion of the foods you eat, absorbs nutrients, and uses it to fuel the body. An imbalanced gut will negatively impact your immune system and make it more challenging to stay healthy. In addition, your gut is where metabolic waste and toxins are elimated, so you will struggle to get rid of those toxins if there is imbalance. Symptoms of an unhealthy gut include brain fog, diarrhea, constipation, joint pain, chronic fatigue, chronic illnesses and inflammation throughout the body.

Some ways to support good gut health are:

• Minimize stress
• Eat a real food, nutrient dense diet
• Slow down while eating and chew your food well
• Avoid long term use of antibiotics and antacids
• Incorporate gut healing foods such as bone broth, fermented foods, and collagen peptides
• Consider gut healing supplements (see my favorite one here!)
• Take a high quality prebiotic/probiotic to support good gut flora (this is the one I recommend, use AMANDAK15 for 15% off!)

—> You can read more about gut health here!

5. Take More Baths

This one surprised you, didn’t it?!

But detox baths are an incredibly effective (and inexpensive) way to improve your health. They lower stress, encourage the body to get into a parasympathetic state, and allow you to sweat out many toxins. You can even add in some epsom salts and essential oils for added benefits. 

It’s really a simple concept — our bodies deal with toxins all day long … in the air, in the things we touch, in the products we put on them. And sweating is a way of releasing those toxins. Toxins are drawn to the surface by the hot water and cleansed away as the water cools.

Also we deal with so much stress and overstimulation in our lives, giving our bodies and minds the time to truly relax and get out of that fight or flight mode allows so many functions of the body to work optimally. Digestion, sleep, hormone regulation, you name it. All good things.

I recommend adding in 1-2 cups of epsom salts for added benefits. Just make sure to get the kind without any added fragrances.

And FYI, epsom salt baths are known to:

1. Improve circulation
2. Calm muscles
3. Lower blood pressure
4. Help you lose weight 
5. Detox the skin
6. Get rid of headaches
7. Reduce stress
8. Improve sleep quality

If you choose to add essential oils, make sure to add the drops to the epsom salts before putting them in the bath water.

—-> These are my favorite healing essential oils, I use them daily!

Lastly, make sure the water is hot enough to make you sweat! And then relax for about 30 minutes. I’m telling you, it’s pure heaven.

6. Ditch All The Plastic In The Kitchen

We pretty much all know that we should get rid of plastic, right? Whether you do it for environmental reasons or to better protect your health, reducing the amount of plastic in our lives is definitely a good thing.

When it comes to our health, many plastics contain toxins such as BPA, phthalates, and flame retardants. These plastics can leach chemicals into our foods and drinks, thus finding their ways into our bodies and wreaking havoc. In fact, the chemicals in plastic can have an estrogenic effect on the body, contributing to hormonal imbalances which seem to be the norm among everyone in this country.

And while it might seem overwhelming and expensive, it’s actually easier than it seems.

Here are some ways to get started:

• Swap plastic cups for glass or stainless steel options. These are the ones we have.
• Give reusable silicone bags a try! I really like these.
• Toss those plastic food containers and get these glass ones. We use these every single day!

This may not seem like that big of a deal, but it’s actually makes a significant difference to our endocrine systems. It’s so worth it!

7. Switch To Safer Personal Care & Cleaning Products

The majority of our personal care and cleaning products are full of legally allowed toxins and carcinogens. Products on the shelves in America are highly unregulated, and many chemicals in them are linked to so many illnesses and diseases. Everything from allergies and asthma to infertility and cancer, which means this is something that cannot be ignored.

This is a big one to tackle, but I encourage you to make some swaps to safer options throughout the year. Start with products that affect your whole home and family, and then go from there. When something runs out, replace it with a safer option.

This is a huge part of my business, so please reach out anytime if you are looking for recommendations. I have several listed HERE.

—-> And make sure to grab my free download of the Top 10 Essential Product Swaps You Need To Make For Better Health!

8. Prioritize Your Sleep

We all know that we are piles of goo if we don’t get enough sleep. It’s important to get enough sleep so our immune systems stay healthy, our bodies aren’t run down, our stress levels stay low, and our adrenals get good love. And our skin looks better, too! But did you know that sleep is an important tool for detoxing, too?

The brain detoxifies at night as it cleans itself of harmful waste proteins that build up between brain cells during waking hours. When the brain doesn’t get enough sleep and these waste proteins build up, you experience extreme fatigue and brain fog. Over the long term, this may increase your risk of brain diseases such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Here are a few tips to create a solid sleep routine:

• Try to go to sleep around the same time every night.
• Make sure your bedroom is dark and cool.
• Try to stay away from electronics for at least an hour before bedtime.
• Consider investing in blue blocker glasses and/or a red light to encourage your body to product melatonin and have ideal circadian rhythms. These red light products are fantastic!
• Invest in high quality supplements to support the body’s sleep process. My favorites are Kalmz and these CBD products.

Literally everything about your body, mind, and spirit will function better with optimal sleep. Don’t sleep on the importance of sleep! (see what I did there, I couldn’t help myself)

9. Create A Healthy Relationship With Technology

As someone who runs her business predominantly online and is the mother of a high school boy, I definitely understand the difficulties that come with screen time. It’s really, really hard to find balance when it seems to rule our lives.

But we are bombarded with phones, computers, tablets, smart watches, streaming devices, and more all day long — which means EMF exposure, eye strain, and overstimulation of our brains and nervous systems.

And while I realize and appreciate how much easier they make our lives, we have to acknowledge the harm that can come from overuse and even addiction.

Here are a few things we can do to make our relationships with technology healthier:

• Turn off notifications! Constant pings from your phone are disruptive and mess with your brain’s balance of neurotransmitters, specifically dopamine.
• Take regular breaks from your phone and computer. Literally get up and walk away from them!
• Always put your phone on airplane mode while you sleep. This protects you from EMFs and allows your body to rest better.
• Turn off your router at night. Everyone is asleep, right? You don’t need WiFi then. This company has great products to make this easier!
• Don’t use wireless headphones or earbuds. I know this is unpopular, but no one needs that much radiation directly on both sides of their brain. I love these wired earbuds with EMF protection!
• If you need accountability, ask for help! And if you’re a parent, it’s in your kids’ best interests to monitor this for them — their brains are not developed enough to set these boundaries for themselves. Trust me, I know it’s hard.

I know this is a big can of worms kind of topic, but I really do feel it’s an incredibly important piece of our health journey.

There You Go!

Ok, I was totally going to add “exercise more” or “move your body”… but y’all already know that one. So I’m going to trust that you will do it 🙂

I hope you guys found this helpful and are inspired to start working your way through the list. Remember any steps you make toward a healthier lifestyle matter. Just pick one of these and START.

It typically takes 30 days to make something a habit, so that means you could tackle one per month and still have some wiggle room … because hey, life happens.

Here’s to a happier, healthier and more well balanced 2023!

HEY. Just so you know,
I BELIEVE IN YOU!