When we set new year’s resolutions, we tend to only keep them for January before we give up or forget about them. Making a permanent change on a whim is hard. That’s why it’s easier to break your goals into smaller, more manageable periods.
We’ve put together a seven-day challenge to help you on your fitness journey. Once you start practicing healthier habits, you’ll find ways to make changes that are easier to manage for your lifestyle. And hopefully, these habits will last throughout the rest of the new year (and beyond).
The junk food cleanse
With the hope of giving you more energy and lowering your blood sugar, we challenge you to cut out junk food for one week. Our habits of snacking on chips and salsa or helping ourselves to cookies in the office may make this easier said than done. To make this challenge less daunting, we’ve gathered several steps to help you cut out junk food.
Start with the right breakfast
On a quiet Saturday morning when you’re awake before the rest of your house, you might be tempted to make a large plate of syrup-covered pancakes or tuck into a heaping bowl of sugary cereal that’s meant for kids. Instead, try adding berries or sliced bananas to a bowl of oatmeal, which may help lower blood sugar.
Maybe it’s Monday morning and you slept in, so you’ll just grab a latte filled with cream and sugar and then help yourself to office donuts. Instead, try one of these easy breakfast ideas to get you out the door in the morning.
Fill up on water
Besides needing water for a number of other bodily functions, drinking enough water can keep you feeling fuller.
If plain water is too boring for you, try adding a slice of lemon to your glass to get both lemon’s benefits and the benefits of hydration. If you’re looking to cut out sodas, sweet tea, and iced coffees with added sugars, we recommend coconut water for your fix of sweet drinks.
Find new snacks
Sometimes, snacking is a mindless habit just to keep our eyes, hands, or mouths busy. Sipping on water instead can help with that. But sometimes we need to snack for energy when our blood sugar dips too low. In those cases, we recommend these healthy travel snacks for when you’re in between meals.
Now, if you have an insatiable sweet tooth, or if you’re just trained to have dessert after dinner, you can replace junk food with healthier options. Check out our recipe for a sugar detox smoothie that can satisfy your cravings. We also recommend fruit, almond butter, or even sweet herbal teas when you’re in the mood for ice cream or cookies.
After seven days, practicing these techniques may become a healthy habit for you. If you notice a difference, share this challenge with your family and friends and see if they can handle the challenge, too.
