As all the gifts have been given and unwrapped and the festivities of Christmas and  Hanukkah are now over, it’s time for us to contemplate New Years. Each year, we  make resolutions for the new year on how we want to improve ourselves and our lifestyle. For  many of us, the major resolution is usually to lose weight or be healthier.

Now,  the phrase “be healthy” can be interpreted in so many ways such as to lose weight or to eat organic and gluten-free, and that is why it is important that at the beginning of your be healthy resolution, you define what healthy is to you. Don’t look to others or to celebrities, but to your own mind and body to reflect on what it is that you want yourself to be.

For me, being healthy is  giving my body everything that it needs nutritionally in order to function properly. In addition, our bodies crave movement, so it’s very important that we exercise. And last but not least, sleep is one of the best things you can do for you mind and body, because we need rest to continue our busy lives everyday.

First Healthy Tip : TAKE VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS

As two-time Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr.Linus Pauling stated, “Nearly all disease can be traced back nutritional deficiency.”  Now while that quote is slightly scary, it brings to the forefront how IMPORTANT nutritional balance is specifically in terms of vitamins and minerals in the body. Unfortunately, today its hard to get all of our needed daily vitamin and mineral intake from the food we take.

This little color wheel shows all the daily needed vitamins and how to get them from food. I for one know I can’t always fit everything in into my meals, so that’s why I take a daily multi-vitamin.   Courtesy of Dr. Oz

Second Healthy Tip: PEDOMETERS ARE YOUR FRIENDS

Download the app Pacer for your iPhone or buy a pedometer. These gadgets track your daily steps, so you can see how much you are really moving per day. The daily recommended number is 10,000 steps! This may seem like a lot, but if you’re active and moving about the number is easier to reach than you think. It’s so important that we don’t live sedimentary lives, so start tracking and get walking!

 -Pacer App 

Third Healthy Tip : GO TO BED

Many of us live crazy hectic lives partly due to work, school, families  and whatever else we’ve got going on. Even in all this craziness, it’s  important that we don’t deprive our bodies from the rest it deserves. Seriously, try to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night, and on the weekends allow yourself to sleep in an extra hour or two (it won’t hurt anybody!)

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I hope you’ll use these three tips when making and implementing your Be Healthy New Years Resolution. And hey, if it doesn’t work out this year, there’s always the next!

– Julia Gundlach