My 2019 Health Resolutions

Since many of my resolutions always seem to revolve around health, I decided they deserved their own dedicated post this year! Here's what I've got planned to (hopefully!) make 2019 my healthiest year ever.

Work out (at least) three times a week. For the past several years, I've been incredibly disciplined about doing Pilates twice a week, every week. Unfortunately, more often than not, that's all I do. I'm not going to kid myself and vow to start exercising every single day, but I know that I can and should add at least one more workout session each week. It can be an hour of strength-training, it can be Spinning, whatever--but it has to be something. If I work out more than three times a week, great. If it's just three, great. But I do want to make that third time a must this year.

Eat better. I've never been a super healthy eater. I will almost always take a bowl of pasta over one filled with salad. But I also know I need to make some changes. I'm not planning on dieting my way through the year, and I'm not trying to lose a ton of weight or anything. But I do want to make healthier choices, focusing on a few main areas: eating more veggies, eating less sugar, and eating fewer complex carbs. If I follow those few rules, I'll be much better off. I did Whole 30 last February, and I'm planning on doing that again next month (somehow I'm never mentally ready to take it on in January--ha!) as a kind of reset for my eating. After that, I'll focus mainly on the veggies/sugar/carb thing. Seriously, if I just make those three changes, it should make a big difference for me.

Take my vitamins. I'm so bad about this. I'll get on a kick and take vitamins for awhile, but then I'll start to forget, or I'll run out, and suddenly I realize it's been months since I've downed one. But I really want to start up again. Vitamins are probably the easiest way to improve your health. Whenever I interview dermatologists for my stories, they almost always recommend taking multivitamins since the healthier your entire body is, the healthier your skin will be (and the better it will look!). And obviously it goes beyond skin. Vitamins can help everything from your heart to your immune system to your brain. So, this year, I'm getting on a regimen! Last week, I went to BJ's Wholesale Club and stocked up on a bunch of them including NatureMade Multi for Her (for general health), Culturelle Probiotics (to improve digestion and gut health!), and NatureMade Vitamin C Adult Gummies (especially important in the winter--and as a mom--when you are surrounded by germs!). While there, I also grabbed L'il Critters Gummy Vites Complete Multivitamins for my kids. (I've made a resolution to have my kids take their vitamins regularly, too.) As I move forward, I'd love to start adding some additional options like turmeric and vitamin D, but I'm trying to start simple! Best parts about buying vitamins at a wholesale club are 1) the value, and 2) they come in jumbo-sized jars, so it will take me much longer to run out--and then fall off the vitamin wagon!  

Get more sleep. I've always prided myself on being one of those people who "doesn't need a lot of sleep." But lately, I'm starting to reconsider that. I mean, I'm tired a lot of the time! And I think the lack of sleep has been taking a toll on my skin. (Like many other organs in your body, your skin really needs you to sleep so it can repair itself.) My problem is that I stay up really late (usually between midnight and 1am) for no good reason, and then I wake up early--usually between 5:30 and 6:30am--because of my kids. I can't do much about my mornings, so I want to start going to bed earlier (ideally around 10pm) at least a couple of times each week.

Floss regularly. This has been on my resolutions list since I was a teenager. I go through spurts when I'm great about it, flossing every single night like a champ, and then I go through stretches where nothing seems harder than taking sixty seconds to run a piece of string through my teeth before bed.  But this is my year, baby. In 2019, I will become an every-night-without-exception flosser! Mark my words. 

Drink more water. Sigh. This is another perennial list lurker for me. Frustrating because I actually love water! It's the only thing I drink besides coffee (and the very occasional glass of wine). But I have just never gotten in the habit of drinking enough of it. May 2019 be the year that I finally start chugging H2O like a boss. 

Do you guys have health resolutions for 2019? If so, I'd love to hear them!

Thank you to BJ's for sponsoring this post. Are you a BJ's member? If not, click here to join.

How to Survive Whole 30 (I'm Halfway Through!)

Spinach, smashed potatoes, and a turkey patty with mustard. (Hey, does it look like an English muffin with tons of butter or am I just having hunger hallucinations? LOL)

My favorite snack: apples and homemade cashew butter

A few of the Whole 30 essentials I rely on. (Top two photos by Pau Loyo Fernandez.)

If you're a regular watcher of my Instagram stories, you likely know that I'm in the middle of doing Whole 30! I wasn't psycholologically ready to do it during January like the rest of the world (lol), so I started February 1st. That means, I'm in the home stretch now! I'm planning to do a full recap after I'm totally finished, but I wanted to do a little check in now to talk about how it's going, what's worked for me, etc. Here it is, broken down into a little Q&A format.

First, what's Whole 30?
Quick summary in case you've been living under a rock: Whole 30 is a 30-day clean-eating plan where you eliminate all dairy, grains, legumes, sugar (and that's all sweeteners including maple syrup, agave, artificial sweeteners, etc), alcohol, and soy, as well as any baked goods with "approved" ingredients (i.e. pancakes made with coconut flour and almond milk). I know, I know--it sounds totally crazy.

Why did you decide to do it?
Because I'm a horrendous eater. With the exception of a few months, a few years back, when I did the Paleo diet (remember that?), and of course, random stints throughout my life when I briefly decide to "be healthy," I've been a longtime crappy eater. I love carbs, and I rarely crave vegetables or meats. I'm also in a long-term torrid love affair with dairy. I would be perfectly happy spending every day eating pasta and cold cereal, drinking Starbucks lattes, and having some sour gummies for dessert. So, I wanted to challenge myself to give up all of the crap I naturally gravitate to, while at the same time forcing myself to consume more vegetables and protein. And I wanted to see if I felt--or looked--any different after eliminating the not-so-great stuff and loading up on the good-for-you stuff.

So, how hard has it been? 
Honestly? Not that hard--most of the time. If I have a stocked fridge and a plan of what I'm going to eat, it's really, truly not bad. Most of the moments that have been difficult have been 1) random times when I haven't gotten to the store and my greens have gone bad or we're out of eggs or something and I just have no clue what to cook. Then suddenly I'm starving and thinking how easy it would be to whip up a box of mac n' cheese or grab a few crackers. Whole 30 is brutal if you're not prepared, but not so bad if you are. 2) Dining out. It's a huge bummer to go to a restaurant and avert your eyes from the pasta section of the menu or from the dessert your tablemates are getting, and then order a salad without cheese and a sad piece of salmon. And don't get me started on parties! So far, I've had three small cheats, and two happened at restaurants, one at a party.

How do you feel? 
Pretty good! But not like "transformed" or anything like that. You hear a lot of people talk about how they have so much more energy on Whole 30 or how they feel like a new person. That's not my experience--at least so far. For the first three or four days on Whole 30, I was exhausted. It was horrible! I felt like I could fall asleep at any moment! That did go away though, and ever since, I've felt like I have my normal energy levels. I'm also way less bloated in my tummy area. That happens very quickly--within the first few days.

Are you hungry all the time?
No. Most of the time I'm fine, but I am definitely usually famished right before a meal (and in a way I never was with "regular" eating--I just never let myself get that hungry). I've had two days so far where I've been weirdly starving ALL DAY, basically no matter what I ate. On those days, I just ended up snacking a little more (on Whole-30-compliant stuff), and just tried to deal. Luckily that has only been two days out of over 20 so far! Most days I'm fine with three meals and small snacks after lunch and dinner.

What do you eat for breakfasts?
Eggs. It's almost always eggs. I usually make scrambled eggs and then combine those with tomatoes, spinach, or bacon. And then sometimes, I'll have a Daily Harvest* smoothie, as well, in order to get some greens in. Smoothies are Whole 30 compliant (as long as they aren't made with dairy, sugar, etc), but they are frowned upon. The Whole 30 gods prefer you to chew your food, which I get, but sometimes you're busy or you hate straight kale, and a smoothie works for you. I don't do them every day, but I do have them a few times a week. And I always do the green-veggie-heavy ones (nothing overly fruity) and then mix them with coconut water or almond milk, and Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. On those mornings when I couldn't look at another egg, I would put dijon mustard on a slice or two of deli turkey and roll it up. (These are also one of my favorite snacks!) With Whole 30, you're supposed to get rid of the whole notion of "this is a breakfast food" or "this food is only for dinner," so this was one way I did that. 

*I'm obsessed with Daily Harvest, by the way, and will likely do a separate post about why they are so awesome. (So yummy! So healthy! Beyond easy!) But in the meantime, if you'd like to try them, you can get three free smoothies on your first order if you use this link. Definitely worth a try!

And what do you eat for lunches? 
Usually either leftovers from something I had cooked for dinner earlier in the week or a big salad. My favorite salad combo is arugula, proscuitto, sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and pistachios. Yum! I also love eggs for lunch and one of my favorite lunch creations is two eggs over easy, served over guacamole, cherry tomatoes, sausage, and hot sauce. But lately my most frequent go-to has been a turkey burger slathered with dijon mustard (no bun--duh). 

And what about dinners?
I try to cook a couple of times of week (but I definitely don't have the bandwidth to make something fully from scratch every single night--or even most nights). I've done various forms of chicken, steak, etc. I once made a fabulous spaghetti squash dish (recipe below), and if I want something quick and easy, I love spiralized zucchini noodles with Italian sausage, and jarred spaghetti sauce (just make sure it doesn't contain sugar--most do). 

Snacks?
Snacking is frowned upon (though not prohibited) with Whole 30, but screw that--I get hungry between meals! My go-to snacks are unsalted cashews, dried apricots, and (my ultimate favorite) sliced apples dipped in homemade cashew butter.

Any favorite recipes? 
Yes! I've been amazed how yummy a great Whole 30 recipe can be. These are few of my favorites so far, and all of these healthy recipes are truly delicious enough to make whether or not you're doing Whole 30. This chicken-sundried-tomato-and-spaghetti-squash casserole is surprisingly yummy, this Whole 30 chicken piccata is out of this world, this cashew butter is lifechanging (it tastes like frosting! But there's zero sugar!!), and this Mexican Shakshuka with Spiralized Sweet Potato is fabulous.

So that's where I am! I'll be back with a full report once I'm done with the entire program (FYI, I'm adding a day since I had a few cheats in there, so consider this a Whole 31!). I'll give tips and suggestions at that point, but if you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to ask them here. 

And of course, if you've done Whole 30, I'd love to hear any tips you have, and I'd loooooove any suggestions for favorite recipes or snack ideas. Tell me below!

Why Starbucks and I Are On a Break

photo via Observationally Inclined

Starbucks, you know I love you. But you've let me down. To use the parlance of parents everywhere: I'm not mad at you--I'm disappointed in you. 

It wasn't always this way. I'm a longtime Starbucks fan. In fact, I come from a family of what you might call "Starbucks superusers." (My mom collects Starbucks mugs from every single country and city she visits, if that gives you an idea.) So, let's just say, we like you. We frequent you. We buy a lot of lattes.

And the funny part: I don't even consider myself someone who particularly likes coffee. I've never once made it at home, for instance. Because I don't like just any coffee. I like Starbucks. And what I like most is the ritual of it all. I like hitting Starbucks on my way to work and walking out with a cup that says "Alyssa." (Or, if we're being honest, "Allysa," "Melissa," or once even, "Lester.") I like feeling the warmth through my gloves in December or the icy coolness on my palms in July. I'm one of those weirdos. 

For years I enjoyed a torrid affair with you, expressed through a one-or-two-a-day latte habit (always in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon). So it was a sad, sad day, this past fall, when I abruptly had to abstain because I stopped eating dairy and soy. And Starbucks? I've missed you.

That's why I was overjoyed (yes, overjoyed) earlier this week, when I read that Starbucks was going to start serving coconut milk today! I actually let out a shriek. This was huge! Hallelujah! Prayers answered!! 

I quickly told my mom (she drinks dairy, but as the aforementioned superfan, was still excited that I was going to once again be a part of the Starbucks gang). I told my husband (he doesn't drink coffee but knew that this was going to be a gamechanger for me). I was so freaking excited and started composing a tweet sharing my joy, when I noticed something a little further down in the story: The coconut milk you will be serving is loaded with sugar. (Not to mention a ton of other gross artificial ingredients, but we won't even get into that right now.)

Starbucks, why you gotta hurt me so?

Dunkin Donuts is already guilty of this b.s. (They started serving almond milk recently--yay! But it's the supersweet, sugary kind--boo!) But you, Starbucks? YOU?

I expected better from you.

I'm not sure why corporations assume that people who can't have dairy automatically want their coffee to taste like birthday cake, but well...we don't. I mean, if I want sugar (and I never do), I'll ask for it or add it myself with one of those little brown, pink, or yellow packets you so conveniently already offer in your store. 

I mean, really, how hard would it be to serve unsweetened coconut milk instead and let the people decide for themselves how sweet they want their drink to be? Our lattes, our choice, dammit.

So, thank you for trying, Starbucks. I like to see that you're making an effort. But please, can you offer an unsweetened non-dairy alternative? Pretty please with no sugar on top?

Thanks, SB. Until then? We're on a break.

(Or should I say...Lester.)

Fed Up: The Movie The Food Industry Doesn't Want You to See

Have you guys seen the documentary Fed Up yet? I saw it a few weeks ago, loved it, and then watched it again this weekend with my parents. Afterwards, my parents and I had an hour-long discussion about the film, which I don't think has ever happened...!

If you haven't seen it yet, it's a must-see. It's entertaining, eye-opening, and will likely significantly change the way you think about food, shop for food, and eat. 

From various reporting and reading I've done over the years, I knew a lot of the facts in the movie already (fat's not the problem, sugar is; processed food is bad; low-fat isn't better for you; eat more real food, etc), but they presented them in a very clear, easy-to-understand way that I loved. Plus, I still learned a ton. For example, I had no idea just how complicit the government is in the obesity problem or just how powerful the sugar and processed food industries are--and it's all pretty scary. 

I've included the trailer below for you to watch, if you'd like--and I definitely recommend seeing the movie if you haven't already. (And, by the way, this post is not sponsored in any way, shape, or form. I just think the movie is something people need to see!)

Have you seen Fed Up yet? What did you think? I'd love to discuss below!