Happy New Year! It’s the first week of a new year. Do you believe in New Year’s Resolutions? I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions, I set goals for the year. What are your goals for the year? If you set small goals you can achieve the bigger goals. I’ve heard Steve Harvey say, “inch by inch, it becomes a cinch”. I am going to work on improving my health and hopefully I can help others do the same.

1. Food – 80% of weight loss is what you eat.

• Protein – Meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, seeds, nuts, dairy products, and eggs are great sources of dietary protein. NBC’s “Biggest Loser” trainer Jillian Michaels says you should eat half your weight in grams of protein daily (if you weigh 200lbs eat 100gms of protein). There are a couple easy ways to achieve this, eat protein with every meal. If you don’t eat meat or eggs for breakfast, you can drink a glass of milk or milk in your cereal to get your morning protein. I also incorporate protein shakes in addition to my daily meals. I use milk and egg protein because of my soy allergies, but whey protein is very popular. Read the nutrition label and decide what works best for you.

• Fiber – Part of plant foods that can’t digest or absorb. Although fiber is not digstible, it is good for the body in many ways, says naturopathic physician Wendy Wells. “Eating fiber increases the immune system in your gut, feeds the good probiotic bacteria there, keeps the digestive lining healthy and absorbs and pulls out excess hormones, cholesterol, fat and toxins from the body.” Women need 25 grams per day and men should get 38 grams per day. Fiber will also help decrease the chances of a colon cancer diagnosis. Fiber-rich foods such as fruit, vegetables and whole grains contain fewer calories. The extra chewing time involved with eating high-fiber foods may leave you feeling more satisfied. The bulkiness of high-fiber foods keeps you feeling fuller longer, so you’re more in control of your appetite. You’re inclined to eat less food overall because high-fiber foods are filling. They help you stay regular, so you look and feel lighter and less bloated.

• Carbs – I believe at least 45-65% of your calories per day should come from carbs. Good carbs  (complex carbohydrates) are plant based foods, whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits. These foods contain fiber, vitamins, and phytochemicals in addition to grams of carbohydrate. Bad carbs (simple carbohydrates) come from white bread, white rice, pastry, sugary sodas and other highly processed foods that can make you fat.

• Water – A very important part of a healthy diet. I would recommend you drink 8, 8oz glasses of water per day. I have had several trainers tell me to drink half my weight in ounces of water (i.e. 140lbs drink 70oz).

2. Exercise

• It is very important for your heart health, that you to get at least 30 minutes of cardio exercise at least 3 days a week. If you are trying to lose weight, I would suggest you work out 5 days a week. Remember, you do not have to do all 30 minutes at one time, you can do small workouts during the day.

I hope these tips will help you to get this year started off on the right foot. Remember it is better to do one behavioral change at a time, so maybe this week you focus on drinking more water and next week you add exercise. By the end of the month, you could concentrate on food. I am also a huge advocate of vision boards or mind movies to help you to see where you are going. Look at pictures of what you are trying to achieve or create a mini video/picture collage of your goal dress size. If you can see it, you can believe it, and you can achieve it. I am working on several things this year and I would love for you to take the journey with me.

BMWK, what are your fitness goals this year? How do you plan on achieving them?