While everyone is busy making resolutions they may not keep, you can arm yourself with these healthy secret weapons for a more beautiful, balanced 2015:
1. A healthier, heartier breakfast. Every good New Yorker loves a bagel, but instead of a corner deli version with 350 calories before any toppings (seriously, a bagel with cream cheese at your local store could be half a day of calories in one meal), I found 100 calorie bagel thins from Toufayan called “Smart Bagels” that are loaded with heart-healthy, filling fiber. Load one up with egg whites, natural peanut butter, or low fat cream cheese with chives and you’ll feel like you’re getting the real deal without guilt. For obvious reasons 100 calorie bagels top my healthy secret weapons list.
2. Try working out, for free. While everyone is rushing out to join gyms they may never go to again after the first day, Life Time Fitness is offering 4 totally open and free days for ANYONE in the tristate area to come try via the Commitment Day program. Their health clubs are state of the art, posh, and even offer free childcare while you dabble in yoga or weight lifting. You’re more likely to end up being diligent about working out if you feel like you have all the resources and none of the excuses. Just sign up at CommitmentDay.com/festival for your free workouts.
3. Save some cash. If your income is unpredictable or you just can’t commit to a regular amount to put away, try the $5 method. We suggested this to our readers and the concept has gone viral. One reader recently wrote in to say that by saving every single $5 she has come into contact with she has saved over $3300 this year alone. Pretty impressive!
4. Look more rested. The less stress/better rest resolution topped our readers’ lists this year, and while eliminating stress/adding sleep hours isn’t always easy, there are a couple easy tricks. Pick an eye cream with a truly active ingredient list so you’re doing more than just moisturizing the area. Neutrogena makes a Dark Circle Repair pen that’s loaded with active ingredients and real mica particles to instantly brighten the entire eye area, giving the appearance of a decent night of sleep.
5. Don’t skimp on the snacks, just snack smarter. If you’re addicted to salty things late afternoon snacks, ditch the greasy chips and snack smarter. Get some fiber-rich hummus (which is also great for skin and your immune system), and dip anything from olives to pretzel thins to get your salty fix without the empty calories of bagged chips or cheese puffs. Sabra makes the tastiest hummus you can find on store shelves, and they’ve got a ton of varieties to suit every palate. I’m a huge fan of the little portable hummus with pretzels cups– they’re easy to stash in the work fridge for snack-mergencies (they happen), and I throw them in my son’s lunch bag all the time for a healthy protein boost.
