7 Changes That'll Help You Get into the Shape after the Holidays ...

1 Switch to Water

This is absolutely essential to losing weight in the New Year, especially if you are someone who loves to drink soda and sugary drinks. If you want to start drinking more water, turn it into a challenge for yourself. Make it your New Year’s Resolution that you’re only going to drink water for the entire year. I did it a few years ago, and while it was hard, it made me feel so much healthier!

2 Prepare Your Water Beforehand

If making sure to drink the proper amount of water is a chore for you, make it easier by preparing your water beforehand. This is especially important if you like to diffuse fruit and vegetables in your water. Each night or each morning, find a few different water bottles around your house and fill them with ice, water, and your preferred fruit and veggies. When you’re not constantly pouring 24 ounces of water into water bottles along with ice and fruit, and it’s just a once a day thing, this will feel so much easier and much less like a chore!

3 Prepare Healthy Snacks Beforehand

Just like water, it’s much easier to eat healthy when you have the snacks on hand. Don’t keep bags of chips around, instead, make a point to chop up your fruit and vegetables immediately after you come back from the grocery store. It will make snacking so much easier and healthier throughout the week!

4 Stop Buying Pre-packaged Snacks

That being said, completely stop buying chips and sweet treats altogether. When I’m grocery shopping, I usually make it a point to avoid the aisles that have your typical processed foods like chips, pretzels, cookies, etc. altogether, unless I really need something. When you don’t have that stuff in your house, there’s no pressure to want to eat it!

5 Start Small with Your Workout Routine

If working out has never really been your favorite thing, start small. Pull up workouts on YouTube that are only around the 15-minute mark, or go for a brisk walk with a friend. Starting small with your exercise won’t make it feel so overwhelming and you won’t get discouraged as easily!

6 Buy More Fruit and Veggies

Make a point to buy more fruit and vegetables in any form this year. If you don’t often crave vegetables, try something different like dried fruit, or my personal favorite freeze-dried fruit. Keep trying different combinations of fruit and vegetables until you find healthy food that is fueling you that you absolutely love!

7 Incorporate Exercise into Your Routine

If you can, find little ways to be more active every day. For example, if you park close to your work but there’s a parking lot that’s just a little bit farther away, park there and get a little bit more exercise into your routine. The more you push yourself, the bigger your results will be!

Will you try any of these tricks this year? Let me know how they go in the comments!