Happy New Year Everyone!!! Instead of your typical New Years post about how to set goals and resolutions, I instead am going to ask you a question….does anyone remember their resolution from last year? If yes, did you achieve it??? And, if yes, Congrats to you!!! If not, there is likely a reason.
I found a statistic that states as follows: “The most rigorous study of New Year's resolutions, conducted by researchers at the University of Scranton, shows a steep drop off in how long New Years resolutions stick around. Seventy-seven percent of the resolvers studied made it through a full week, then 55 percent stuck with their goals for a month. By June, six months into the New Year, only 40 percent of those who had made a New Year's resolution were still sticking with the goal.” http://www.vox.com/2014/12/29/7434433/new-years-resolutions-psychology
Many of the time the reason for this drop-off is that we make our goals far too lofty and unachievable or get frustrated when we don’t reach them right away, and then we either forget about them or give up. It’s quite common and this year I hope it doesn’t happen to you.
Instead of setting unrealistic goals this year, I want to challenge you to try something new. Whether it be a new fruit or a new veggie, a new grain or a new workout. Setting a goal such as: I will try one new vegetable each week for 4 weeks, is so much easier to achieve than I will eat only vegetables at lunch time forever. Once you achieve your goal in your 4 weeks, then you are able to set a new one. As I have always said, small changes lead to the biggest results.
I have come up with a list of some delicious grains, fruits and veggies and fun workouts you may consider trying in the New Year. If you try them, let me know what you think!
Grains:
Quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, spelt, kamut, freekeh, wheat berries, farro, millet & teff
Try one or try them all! My personal favorite? Millet! It has been my “grain of the week” for about the past 2 months. With its high fiber content, you stay satisfied longer and it tastes great with veggies mixed in!
Fruits & Veggies:
Brussels sprouts, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, purple potatoes, leeks, sprouts, beets, parsnips, fennel, artichokes, persimmons, asparagus, star-fruit, pomegranate, kale, broccoli leaves, cauliflower, collard greens….I can absolutely keep going but I don’t want to overwhelm you.
Workouts:
The Megaformer, barre, booty-barre, boxing, running, weight training, hire a personal trainer, small group training (which I am currently doing with my BFF and we are having SO much fun!), circuit training with a friend, boot-camp, zumba, anti-gravity yoga, yoga, hot yoga, hot yoga boot camp, pilates…..I could keep going but find something that interests you and makes you happy and do it! I consider going to the gym my social activity of the day because it is fun and I love being there, find a place and a workout that gives you that same feel and you cant go wrong!
Now also, if you haven’t heard of the Megaformer workout, it is a MUST try! If you happen to be in the Jersey area, you have to try my amazing cousin’s class at CoreFire Pilates - http://www.corefirepilates.com/ this class has me sweating and crying in the first 10 seconds….that is not an exaggeration.
And finally, here are a few things I urge you not to try this year. I found this awesome article when I was searching for some inspiration on what to write about for this post.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/blog/nutrition/2014/12/diet_trends_that_you_should_di.html
This article goes through the trendiest diets to ditch for 2015 and has awesome opinions from other dietitians in the field. All for one amazing reason….they don’t work! The last few months of this year I have “tried” out quite a few fad diets as an experiment. I did them fully and fully committed for 2-4 weeks and took note on how I felt, my energy levels, my interest and where I found it most difficult to, “stick with it.” What I found is that even as a dietitian knowing what I know about healthy substitutions and how to stick with something – I was so bored, I was frustrated and the 2-4 weeks couldn’t end fast enough. And the best is when the experiment ended each time, the first thing I ate was something I “wasn’t allowed to” on the diet. Therefore defeating the whole purpose of the diet and solidifying the fact that a diet that cuts out any major food group really doesn’t work. I did this for you guys, I hope you appreciate it J
After reading the article and this post I urge you to continue to come back to us here at Head to Toe throughout this year for more ideas, recipes and solutions for any challenges you may have when it comes to creating a healthy lifestyle. Remember, it is all about lifestyle changes and small ones are the ones that last.
And as a bonus, for when you try your new grain, try this amazing recipe, it is one of my favorites!
Have a very #happyslimhealthy New Year!!!
Enjoy!
Wheat Berry Salad
(Makes 6 Servings)
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups wheat berries
1 Can cannellini beans
¾ cup roasted unsalted pumpkin seeds
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 Red or Orange Pepper, finely chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup kale, finely chopped
1 scallion, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper
Option: Serve over a bed of spinach or arugula
Directions:
1. Cook wheat berries according to package directions. Let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, pumpkin seeds, beans, celery, cranberries, pepper, kale, scallions, olive oil and lemon juice.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
-Jenna A. Stock, RD
I found a statistic that states as follows: “The most rigorous study of New Year's resolutions, conducted by researchers at the University of Scranton, shows a steep drop off in how long New Years resolutions stick around. Seventy-seven percent of the resolvers studied made it through a full week, then 55 percent stuck with their goals for a month. By June, six months into the New Year, only 40 percent of those who had made a New Year's resolution were still sticking with the goal.” http://www.vox.com/2014/12/29/7434433/new-years-resolutions-psychology
Many of the time the reason for this drop-off is that we make our goals far too lofty and unachievable or get frustrated when we don’t reach them right away, and then we either forget about them or give up. It’s quite common and this year I hope it doesn’t happen to you.
Instead of setting unrealistic goals this year, I want to challenge you to try something new. Whether it be a new fruit or a new veggie, a new grain or a new workout. Setting a goal such as: I will try one new vegetable each week for 4 weeks, is so much easier to achieve than I will eat only vegetables at lunch time forever. Once you achieve your goal in your 4 weeks, then you are able to set a new one. As I have always said, small changes lead to the biggest results.
I have come up with a list of some delicious grains, fruits and veggies and fun workouts you may consider trying in the New Year. If you try them, let me know what you think!
Grains:
Quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, spelt, kamut, freekeh, wheat berries, farro, millet & teff
Try one or try them all! My personal favorite? Millet! It has been my “grain of the week” for about the past 2 months. With its high fiber content, you stay satisfied longer and it tastes great with veggies mixed in!
Fruits & Veggies:
Brussels sprouts, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, purple potatoes, leeks, sprouts, beets, parsnips, fennel, artichokes, persimmons, asparagus, star-fruit, pomegranate, kale, broccoli leaves, cauliflower, collard greens….I can absolutely keep going but I don’t want to overwhelm you.
Workouts:
The Megaformer, barre, booty-barre, boxing, running, weight training, hire a personal trainer, small group training (which I am currently doing with my BFF and we are having SO much fun!), circuit training with a friend, boot-camp, zumba, anti-gravity yoga, yoga, hot yoga, hot yoga boot camp, pilates…..I could keep going but find something that interests you and makes you happy and do it! I consider going to the gym my social activity of the day because it is fun and I love being there, find a place and a workout that gives you that same feel and you cant go wrong!
Now also, if you haven’t heard of the Megaformer workout, it is a MUST try! If you happen to be in the Jersey area, you have to try my amazing cousin’s class at CoreFire Pilates - http://www.corefirepilates.com/ this class has me sweating and crying in the first 10 seconds….that is not an exaggeration.
And finally, here are a few things I urge you not to try this year. I found this awesome article when I was searching for some inspiration on what to write about for this post.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/blog/nutrition/2014/12/diet_trends_that_you_should_di.html
This article goes through the trendiest diets to ditch for 2015 and has awesome opinions from other dietitians in the field. All for one amazing reason….they don’t work! The last few months of this year I have “tried” out quite a few fad diets as an experiment. I did them fully and fully committed for 2-4 weeks and took note on how I felt, my energy levels, my interest and where I found it most difficult to, “stick with it.” What I found is that even as a dietitian knowing what I know about healthy substitutions and how to stick with something – I was so bored, I was frustrated and the 2-4 weeks couldn’t end fast enough. And the best is when the experiment ended each time, the first thing I ate was something I “wasn’t allowed to” on the diet. Therefore defeating the whole purpose of the diet and solidifying the fact that a diet that cuts out any major food group really doesn’t work. I did this for you guys, I hope you appreciate it J
After reading the article and this post I urge you to continue to come back to us here at Head to Toe throughout this year for more ideas, recipes and solutions for any challenges you may have when it comes to creating a healthy lifestyle. Remember, it is all about lifestyle changes and small ones are the ones that last.
And as a bonus, for when you try your new grain, try this amazing recipe, it is one of my favorites!
Have a very #happyslimhealthy New Year!!!
Enjoy!
Wheat Berry Salad
(Makes 6 Servings)
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups wheat berries
1 Can cannellini beans
¾ cup roasted unsalted pumpkin seeds
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 Red or Orange Pepper, finely chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup kale, finely chopped
1 scallion, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper
Option: Serve over a bed of spinach or arugula
Directions:
1. Cook wheat berries according to package directions. Let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, pumpkin seeds, beans, celery, cranberries, pepper, kale, scallions, olive oil and lemon juice.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
-Jenna A. Stock, RD