My 2019 Health Resolutions

Since many of my resolutions always seem to revolve around health, I decided they deserved their own dedicated post this year! Here's what I've got planned to (hopefully!) make 2019 my healthiest year ever.

Work out (at least) three times a week. For the past several years, I've been incredibly disciplined about doing Pilates twice a week, every week. Unfortunately, more often than not, that's all I do. I'm not going to kid myself and vow to start exercising every single day, but I know that I can and should add at least one more workout session each week. It can be an hour of strength-training, it can be Spinning, whatever--but it has to be something. If I work out more than three times a week, great. If it's just three, great. But I do want to make that third time a must this year.

Eat better. I've never been a super healthy eater. I will almost always take a bowl of pasta over one filled with salad. But I also know I need to make some changes. I'm not planning on dieting my way through the year, and I'm not trying to lose a ton of weight or anything. But I do want to make healthier choices, focusing on a few main areas: eating more veggies, eating less sugar, and eating fewer complex carbs. If I follow those few rules, I'll be much better off. I did Whole 30 last February, and I'm planning on doing that again next month (somehow I'm never mentally ready to take it on in January--ha!) as a kind of reset for my eating. After that, I'll focus mainly on the veggies/sugar/carb thing. Seriously, if I just make those three changes, it should make a big difference for me.

Take my vitamins. I'm so bad about this. I'll get on a kick and take vitamins for awhile, but then I'll start to forget, or I'll run out, and suddenly I realize it's been months since I've downed one. But I really want to start up again. Vitamins are probably the easiest way to improve your health. Whenever I interview dermatologists for my stories, they almost always recommend taking multivitamins since the healthier your entire body is, the healthier your skin will be (and the better it will look!). And obviously it goes beyond skin. Vitamins can help everything from your heart to your immune system to your brain. So, this year, I'm getting on a regimen! Last week, I went to BJ's Wholesale Club and stocked up on a bunch of them including NatureMade Multi for Her (for general health), Culturelle Probiotics (to improve digestion and gut health!), and NatureMade Vitamin C Adult Gummies (especially important in the winter--and as a mom--when you are surrounded by germs!). While there, I also grabbed L'il Critters Gummy Vites Complete Multivitamins for my kids. (I've made a resolution to have my kids take their vitamins regularly, too.) As I move forward, I'd love to start adding some additional options like turmeric and vitamin D, but I'm trying to start simple! Best parts about buying vitamins at a wholesale club are 1) the value, and 2) they come in jumbo-sized jars, so it will take me much longer to run out--and then fall off the vitamin wagon!  

Get more sleep. I've always prided myself on being one of those people who "doesn't need a lot of sleep." But lately, I'm starting to reconsider that. I mean, I'm tired a lot of the time! And I think the lack of sleep has been taking a toll on my skin. (Like many other organs in your body, your skin really needs you to sleep so it can repair itself.) My problem is that I stay up really late (usually between midnight and 1am) for no good reason, and then I wake up early--usually between 5:30 and 6:30am--because of my kids. I can't do much about my mornings, so I want to start going to bed earlier (ideally around 10pm) at least a couple of times each week.

Floss regularly. This has been on my resolutions list since I was a teenager. I go through spurts when I'm great about it, flossing every single night like a champ, and then I go through stretches where nothing seems harder than taking sixty seconds to run a piece of string through my teeth before bed.  But this is my year, baby. In 2019, I will become an every-night-without-exception flosser! Mark my words. 

Drink more water. Sigh. This is another perennial list lurker for me. Frustrating because I actually love water! It's the only thing I drink besides coffee (and the very occasional glass of wine). But I have just never gotten in the habit of drinking enough of it. May 2019 be the year that I finally start chugging H2O like a boss. 

Do you guys have health resolutions for 2019? If so, I'd love to hear them!

Thank you to BJ's for sponsoring this post. Are you a BJ's member? If not, click here to join.