RI Resolutions: 5 Ways To Reboot Your Body In The New Year
It's almost that time...Get ready to ring in 2016 as your most fab self with these easy to co-opt tips and tricks from local influencers in the fields of exercise, healthy eating, and of course (Would you expect anything else?), style.
1. Looking for an under-the-radar but totally effective cure for too much vino or too many carbs? Go ahead and copy local lifestyle blogger Meg Mattera: "I absolutely swear by Activated Charcoal. I pop them like they're going out of style because they are so perfect. You know those mornings when you had one too many glasses of wine the night before and now you have to be at an 8am meeting? Activated Charcoal. Like a thousand times over. (It) binds itself to toxins in your digestive system and carries them out of the body...I (also) have a more than slight intolerance to gluten that I like to forget about when I'm out to dinner and the bread arrives. I cannot tell you how many times those little capsules have saved me from bloat and feeling gross (just being real). They are easy to find on Amazon, or even at Whole Foods, so first chance you get, grab em." [For more tips and local favs from Meg, click here.]
2. Hate the gym? Cailee August, RI-based healthy eating coach and blogger (who's lost 35lbs and successfully kept it off!), is right there with you: "Does the idea of an afternoon at the gym sound like torture? Then don't do it! A big mistake people make when trying to live a healthier lifestyle is that they force themselves to do exercises they hate. Sure, it may work for a week or two, but unless you enjoy it, you'll never keep it up...Find an activity you love. For me, it's walking...Going for a walk clears my head, gives me energy, and helps me de-stress." [Want other helpful hints from the girl behind Hello Healthy Eating? CLICK here.]
3. Sure, exercise is important. But, if you happen to be on the other side of your 20's, it doesn't matter how hard you workout if your diet sucks. Get the skinny on this from 40-something singer/songwriter for nationally acclaimed band Eddie Japan (They just finished an East Coast stint opening for The Motels), cool dad, husband, and style blogger David Santos: "Most people wait until winter is over to lose weight, but why not get a head start as you go into the more sedentary, snack-filled months? Between the holidays, football parties, and the 12 feet of snow outside your door, it's easy to put on the pounds between November and March. But if you knock off 5-10 pounds now, you might actually be inspired to keep them off...Tip: Exercise is always important, but weight loss is mostly about diet. Make a few tweaks to what you usually eat (and drink!), and you should see 5-10lbs come off in a few weeks." [Clickety click here for even more from David.] And for those of you 25 and under, I say enjoy it while you can.
4. So, it's yea to tweaking your diet (of that extra beer, burger, or bowl of chips), but a resounding nay to being a meal skipper. Listen to Amy Desmarais of Pure Barre Cranston and make it your mission in 2016, or sooner (as in this week!) to bring a healthy snack or two along for the ride: "I make sure I carry food with me at all times, that way I don't go into starvation-binge mode at the end of the day. Some easy go-to snacks - nuts, fruit, hummus, and vegetables." [For more insight from Amy, click here.] In other words, add some #snackprep (and meal prep too, for that matter) to your Sunday night schedule.
5. Finally, reward yourself for sticking to your new eating and exercise routines by doing something nice for your body and your mind. Like a relaxing massage and/or treatment at the spa. Providence IT Girl Phoebe Stenberg favors Alayne White and their 'Everything But The Kitchen Sink', a full body scrub and an oatmeal mask, or their 'Delicious', a 2 hour treatment that includes, according to her, the best facial you will ever have, a 'spassage', and a multi-peel. [Find out all about Phoebe's other local favs by clicking here.] Me personally? I gotta say that the 90 minute massage at The Spa at The Ocean House will have you feeling like you're Gigi Hadid or J-Lo.
Interested in trying yoga, Pure Barre, Or Nice Legs in the OS (aka, Ocean State) in the New Year? Get the inside scoop about these workouts in these My RI Life posts from the PattyJ.com archives:
My RI Life: Yogi And Cool Girl Giana Rosa Giarrusso
My RI Life: Rock Star Aesthetician And Yogi Mary Colburn
Lift, Tone, And Burn: C'Mon Get Healthy With Jaime Sweeney Of Pure Barre RI
My RI Life: Allegra Micheletti of Nice Legs Studio
Ciao for Now,
Patty J
Photo Credit: Photo by micha_h/iStock /Getty Images