Is your family a little weary??
While the New Year has only just begun I find myself extremely focused on what I can do to slooooooow down and strengthen the health of the little people in my life.
For us 2009 simply roared into the festive season. We finished school, celebrated with loved ones here, boarded a plane and then celebrated Christmas with loved ones interstate. We then boarded another plane to return for New Years and now I find myself packing for the 6 of us to go to the US next week!!
So you can see my dilemma of making sure my boys catch up on some rest before we hit WINTER in the States. When I speak to girlfriends, those with children, those without, one New Years theme is VERY clear. They too, all seem keen to raise the bar for themselves this year when it comes to prioritising their health and fitness and finding greater joy in life.
Here, here I say!!
Good health is one of our most valuable assets, yet after the holiday season, many of us wind up with health hangovers caused from sugary, additive-laden diets, excess alcohol and late nights.
If your New Year’s start has been a bit sluggish, then it is not too late to make amends.
Here are some simple things you can do to get back on track and ensure the year ahead is indeed a healthy and happy one.
1. Clean Out the Cupboards!
If you are like most families, over Christmas you would have collected enough lollies, chocolates, biscuits and cakes to last the rest of the year! If you haven’t already eaten everything, now is the time to have a stocktake sale.
Pull out everything in the pantry that is processed, sugary and fat-laden (tip: do this while the kids are out of the house). Now be ruthless. Set aside only the best-quality food or most sentimental of gifts. Put these in an air-tight, non-toxic container and hide it at the back of the cupboard or on the highest shelf for a rainy day—in June.
Now put the rest of the junk in another box and get rid of it somehow. Distribute to family and friends. Donate to charity. Throw it away. You will begin to feel better instantly.
2. Make a Healthy Snack Drawer
The New Year is a wonderful time to replenish the fridge and pantry with some wholesome goodness. In fact, that is what we often crave after the rich, festive food of Christmas. So get busy creating a New Years’ Grocery and Fresh Produce Shopping List, and if you have little people in your house, be sure to include something for them to snack on.
Create a special drawer filled with food that you are happy for the kids to eat and that they can access themselves. Likewise, you can also set aside a shelf in the refrigerator for this purpose. This simple pre-planning will help to avoid those low-blood-sugar meltdowns that sometimes occur in the school holidays!
Some suggestions for your snack drawer or fridge shelf are: fresh fruit, frozen berries or mangos to make smoothies, raw nuts and dried fruits, muesli bars, homemade muffins, cakes or slices, rice crackers or rice cakes, and tinned fish.
3. Order Organic
Often during busy holiday periods we are tempted to order take-away food or buy quick-and-easy processed food for the family to eat. By January, we may find it hard to feel inspired about eating well, let alone creating healthy meals.
So if you’re feeling particularly weary, many organic grocers have a delivery service, so why not order a box of fresh organic fruit and vegetables to your door? You still get to be lazy, but now you also have a fridge full of good food which needs cooking.
The benefits of organic food shouldn’t be underestimated. As research continues to expose the facts about generic food items (for instance, that they are enhanced with hormones and additives, and are most likely irradiated), we realise that purchasing organic food is not a luxury but an integral step in securing our health. Eating organic foods increases our intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, helping us to move towards greater health. It is the way food was meant to be.
Please see Other Tips To Balance the Holiday Hangover…
