Top 5 Tips To Up Your Health Game In 2023
Here are the TOP 5 TIPS to up your health game in 2023 from Certified Trainer and Nutrition Coach Lindsey Day
Even if you don't like New Year Resolutions, it's helpful to re-establish a solid routine to feel your best after a hectic holiday season! This is often the time of year when our health tends to take a hit—whether it be from one too many holiday cookies that didn't agree with our system, to the stress of juggling work and holiday gatherings!
1) Eat five servings of fruits and veggies every day
I recommend more veggies than fruits. A large scale meta-analysis found that five servings tends to be the lucky number.(1) This is the point at which the disease risk goes down greatly! Fiber and micronutrients (found in fruits and veggies) are critical to our health! You typically need at least 25 g of fiber per day (from a VARIETY of plant foods!) to adequately feed your healthy gut bacteria. Remember, disease begins in the gut!
2) Eat one serving of protein in each meal
Unlike carbohydrates and fat, protein cannot be stored in the body. That’s why it’s important to space it throughout the day. Protein is not only key for any body composition goal you may have, but amino acids (broken down form of protein) also form the building blocks of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals needed to feel happy, motivated and focused) and hormones like thyroid hormones. Not to mention, your immune system relies on protein to function properly!
3) Find ways to make your food taste good!
If you don’t like what you’re eating, you’re not going to stay on top of your healthy ways!
4) Come up with some kind of a food prep system!
Or if you’re always busy and on the go, try a meal prep company! My new favorite meal from Paleo On The Go is the Salmon Breakfast Bowl!
5) Have some kind of a fitness routine in place that includes a combination of cardio and strength training.
Don’t make the common mistake of thinking that cardio alone is sufficient to optimize your health! There are benefits to weight training that we simply cannot get from cardio! For example, did you know after age 30 muscle mass tends to decline and it does so very rapidly by age 50.(2) This is a problem because reduced muscle mass leads to increased risk of osteoporosis, a slower metabolism and increased body fat, which again, weakens the immune system, increases inflammation and disease risk. Plus, muscle mass is extremely beneficial for better blood sugar control, which relates to overall feeling good, from avoiding cravings to energy crashes.(3)
Resistance training is particularly important for diabetics. Resistance training doesn’t have to mean going to the gym and being like Arnold Schwarzenagger. You can do bodyweight squats and planks at home, carry your kids around, take the stairs more, do yard work or move boxes around your home.
If you’d benefit from a customizable fitness and nutrition challenge program, you’re welcome to enter to win a free spot in my NuTriDay app! We’re kicking off the “charge up challenge“ in the app this January! I’ll be doing a live drawing on my IG (@lindseydayfitness) to pick a winner on Wednesday Jan. 4, 2022 at 5pm eastern! The winner will be announced in an upcoming email. Details and entry form here!
Lindsey Day is a Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach, a former broadcast meteorologist and is the founder of NutTriDay Fitness and the NuTriDay Fitness App. Lindsey is currently working on obtaining her Master's in Nutrition and is helping people achieve optimal health and wellness through better nutrition and fitness. Learn more at: nutridayfitness.com
