switching it up.

i think i made it clear that i think making a mile-long list of goals at the new year is a little silly.

what i don’t think is silly is changing small habits to become a better person overall. it really is so easy to change one or two things to slowly develop better habits!

this month (and, well, this year really!) i am teaming up with the simply bar and participating in their simply switches movement. you have heard me rave about simply bars before, so when i heard about the simply switches idea i was quick to jump on board!

a brief explanation from the simply bar website:

How many new years have you kicked off by saying, “my diet starts now,” or “this year I’ll hit the gym every day”?
If you’re like us, this approach just hasn’t worked. So we’re trying something simple in 2011:

Simply Switches is our “get real” resolution: a campaign to make health a habit, one switch at a time.

What are Simply Switches? They’re small, achievable shifts in eating, exercise and lifestyle habits – simple changes that don’t require a lot of effort, but really go the distance for your health. A Simply Switch can be choosing a green tea instead of a sugary latte in the afternoon, or going to a yoga class after work instead of going home to watch TV. By making three Simply Switches each day, we’re inspiring positive changes that actually last. Join us!

We’ll be tracking our switches on our website daily (www.wellnessfoods.ca/simplyswitches) with the help of Registered Dietitian Mary Bamford. Come share your Simply Switches and join our interactive discussion – we’ll talk about what works, what doesn’t, and we’ll keep each other motivated!

To keep you going, we’ll give away two boxes of Simply Bars to a different participant each week. And at the end of the month, we’ll give away 50 healthy lifestyle baskets, worth $150 each (because come February, we’re all going to need a boost to keep switching!)

doesn’t that sound exciting? and, to make it more exciting, i will be giving away one of the incredible gift baskets at the end of this month! i will let you know the details of the giveaway when the time comes, but start making some simple switches in your own life so you can enter to win.

i have thought of several simple switches that i will be making this month. here are a some of the switches i have in mind:

1. eat more of a variety.

i have fallen into the habit of eating the same things all the time. yogurt and granola for breakfast, a chicken or turkey wrap for lunch and a dinner that involves chicken or turkey.

our bodies crave variety and, just like with exercise, our bodies can stop responding positively if we eat the same things day in and day out. i am going to make a few simple switches and increase the variety in my diet.

i started today with a tuna sandwich for lunch instead of the chicken wrap that i had for lunch every day for the past five work days.

i don’t think i’ve had a tuna sandwich in over a year! this was a delicious and simple switch. i plan to keep the momentum going this whole month with different meals. i bookmarked several recipes to try that involve protein options aside from chicken and turkey. i am excited!

2. reduce the snooze.

i can’t say “no more snooze”—but i can reduce the amount of time i spend pressing the snooze button on my alarm every morning. i typically press snooze for 90 minutes. not kidding.  this month, i am going to try to press snooze for no more than 30 minutes. this is a simple switch and it isn’t too tough. quitting the snooze button cold turkey would be rough, but i think i can scale it back quite a bit without a problem!

3. flowers.

my awesome sister gave us this vase for christmas. it has a little chalk board on it and we can write whatever message we want.

marshall wrote the latest one, in case you couldn’t tell.  i purchased some flowers yesterday and when i got home today and saw them on the table, they really brightened up my mood!

the simple switch of replacing the table centerpiece with fresh flowers has made a world of difference. i think fresh flowers should be around at all times.

4. stretching during commercials.

if i want to touch my toes before the end of the year, i need to work on it!

i don’t watch a ton of TV, but marshall and i do have a few shows we like to watch together. instead of going to the kitchen for a handful of cereal on every commercial break, i am going to use that time to stretch my legs. hopefully this simple switch will help me touch my toes faster!

5. more meatless meals.

i didn’t mention it, but one of marshall’s new years resolutions is to eat less meat. i don’t have a problem with eating meat every day, but he does. he really doesn’t want every meal to include meat, so i am making a simple switch to incorporate more meatless meals into dinners at home. this goes right along with my first switch of eating more of a variety, so that’s nice. it isn’t hard to eat meat-free meals, but i just never really make them.

we started last night with a lemony hummus pasta paired with baked tofu. you can bet i will be looking to a few friends for recipe ideas.

there you have it! a handful of simple yet important switches that i plan to make this month. please join me and make a few simple switches of your own.. at the end of the month, those switches could earn you a super sweet gift basket and WILL earn you some super sweet new habits.

in other news, dinner tonight was too delicious not to share.

momma b hooked it up with some delicious vegetable beef stew.

i love my toucan spoon! he is friends with my owl spoon that you have all seen before. he’s from costa rica. man, that must have been a long flight for the little guy.

paired with a fresh, crisp salad. trying to eat more veggies these days.

and now i am watching the jazz game, pondering what to do with six overripe bananas. i will letcha know how that goes.

that’s all for now!

Qs~

1. do you press snooze? for how long? i would go as far as saying that i have, on some occasions, pressed snooze for 3 hours. back in the day where i used to *try* to work out in the mornings. gave up that dream long ago.

2. what is your favorite meatless dinner? let’s face it, this is more for my benefit than anything else :)

xo. janetha g.