Every year we learn more about the human body, what causes us harm, and more importantly what we can do to live well—longer. With this in mind, we’ve combed through recent research and published articles to uncover what the experts say are the best health goals for 2015.
4 health goals for 2015:
1. Embrace fats. Fat, the good kind, is beneficial for everything from your heart to your metabolism to hormone function. Enjoy avocado with breakfast, coconut oil in your smoothie, and a drizzle of olive oil over your salad. Try raw desserts that utilize nuts and coconut oil for healthy fats (replacing butter). We really like This Rawsome Vegan Life’s Peanut Butter Cups with Dark Chocolate. Gluten and dairy-free, these are decadent and satisfying.
2. My personal favorite. Look at the food, not the calories. Gone are the days of pre-packaged low calorie (or high calorie for that matter) snacks. Look for foods that are nutrient dense and in a whole form. If the ingredient label has more than 5 ingredients, ask yourself why and if its necessary. And then choose foods that are clean!
3. Take 10. Every day, take 10 minutes to do something that is truly nourishing for you. Dry brush and take a bath; spend 10 minutes reading something compelling; call your sister, best friend, therapist; write a letter; put your legs up the wall and rest. This is the year that we do less, not more. This is the year of less distraction. Of living less in our brains and more in our body and our experiences.
4. Move five minutes out of every hour. You’ve heard of HIT (High Intensity Interval Training), which helps boost your metabolism by taking your body through periods of anaerobic and aerobic activity. (Definitely add a HIT class to your list if you haven’t.) But on a more basic level, getting up to move every hour will give you at least 40-60 minutes of exercise in a day, and provides your mind with a productivity-boost. Plus, calisthenics, i.e. burpees, push-ups, sit-ups, etc. can help tone your body. Or go for the burn and jump rope!
With her love of health and writing, Melissa has written for such publications as Shape, Natural Solutions, Yoga Journal, Self and Pilates Style, and has created recipes and food-oriented stories for such publications as Delicious Living and Cooking Light.
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