6 Little-Known Habits to Help Achieve Your Resolutions, Part 1 of 2

Posted byLisa at Micro of the MacroPosted inHealth & Well-BeingTags:, , , , , , , , , ,
In Flagstaff, there is an annual pine cone drop for New Year’s Eve!

Happy 2025 to all of you in my blogging community!  I hope the year ahead brings you plenty of reasons to smile and be grateful.  If you’re a new year’s resolution maker, whether you share your intentions with others or keep them quiet, I hope you will find something beneficial in this post.

Recently, I spoke with a far-away friend via Google Meet (which is like Zoom without a time limit, apparently.)  It was a fun three-hour chat, with plenty of laughs and hijinks from Izzy, my crazy kitty.  As our conversation came to a close, my friend was asking me health questions and taking notes.  Afterwards, I started thinking, maybe you would be interested in some of the principles that I have studied over the years and adhere to every day.  I feel these habits provide a strong foundation for me to continue to feel good on all levels.  (My yearly lab work is testament to that.)

Happy new year from Izzy! She likes being a part of everything in this house.

That being said, I want to share 6 of my daily practices, 3 today and 3 in next month’s post.  (Please note that I do not receive a commission for the products I mention here.  It’s sometimes hard to find a company you can trust, and these companies formulate great products in my opinion.)

Slices of lemon and/or lime add electrolytes to water.
  1. Hydrate with powdered electrolytes, coconut water, and juicy fruits.  (NOT the stuff filled with sugar, dye, and other chemicals.)  Each time there is any action between or inside our trillions of cells, water is required.  By drinking plain tap or even bottled water, we can’t be sure our cells are absorbing what they need.  Electrolytes (which are basically charged minerals) from quality sources keep your energy going, blood flowing, cells communicating, nerve impulses firing, bones building, muscles contracting, and much more, according to this article.  Because I prefer the salt in my powdered electrolytes to be natural and not lab-made, I get mine from Redmond Life.
  2. Heal your gut lining.  If you’re like me in that you’ve partaken of more than your share of bread over the years, even if that behavior is in the rearview mirror, chances are your gut lining is in need of repair.  Genetically modified wheat can open the cellular connections in your gut that serve to deliver nutrients and keep out toxins.  When this gateway system is compromised, immune function suffers, and your biology can be adversely affected in a number of other ways.  I’ve found Intelligence of Nature’s Gut Support to be a great product.
  3. Limit processed foods, and read labels on those you can’t pass up.  Because food manufacturing is unregulated in this country, you may be eating all kinds of things you wouldn’t dream of consuming otherwise.  For one, most of us eat and drink way too much added sugar.  The CDC’s current recommendation for added sugars is only 10% of total daily calories (that’s 12 teaspoons for a 2000 calorie diet – still too much in my estimation!) for those over 2 years of age.  (If you’re curious, they advise that children 2 and under should not be given any foods or beverages with added sugars.)  In 2018, Americans aged 20 and older averaged 17 teaspoons a day.  Refined sugars contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is now more prevalent than alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis, liver cancer, or any other liver disease.  In addition, refined sugars can contribute to metabolic syndrome, premature aging, and cognitive deficiencies, according to this Harvard Medical School write-up.
A salad shared at my mom’s recently. Unlike refined sugars, the sugar in fruit is coupled with fiber, a favorite snack of healthy gut microbes.

These habits have changed me.  No more post-workout headaches, I’m fitting into my skinny jeans again, and I haven’t been sick in over a year.  We desire results like these from our new year’s resolutions, right?

I hope you’ll give at least one of my daily foundational habits a try, and please look for my final 3 in next month’s post.  

Habitual Blessings,

Lisa

The content of this article is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified health care professional before acting on any information presented herein. Any statements about the possible health benefits of any subject discussed have not been evaluated by medical professionals or the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness.

34 thoughts on “6 Little-Known Habits to Help Achieve Your Resolutions, Part 1 of 2”

  4. Thank you for sharing all these awesome tips! I like to have fruit on my salad, especially apples, because it is sweet with a bit of a crunch. I love blueberries with anything! My mother always pushed the fruit when we were children and I tried to do that with my four kids. It is crazy how sugar is in everything, and it is easy to get too much. I do think that too much sugar makes you very tired. Wishing you blessings in these January days! You do inspire us with each and every post.

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  7. Hi Lisa, I couldn’t agree more with your first three foundational tips for better health. Like many of us I’ve spent far too many years eating breads, foods high in sugar and to a lesser degree processed foods. It’s only been the past year I’ve cut out (or limited) all three and I feel a HUGE difference. So, thank you for this. It’s a hugely important reminder! Much love to you and Izzy! 😊

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  9. Good advice Lisa. Unfortunately, my year is not starting out that great thanks to a bad injury that is having a horrible ripple effect across my health in general…tough to go from a minimum of 7 miles running a day to 0 and most of my workout schedule has been banned by my surgeon. You give me inspiration to make it through and hopefully make better choices in my future intake…still not eating the overly colorful veggies though hehehe.

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