Now that 2017 is a quarter of the way over, it’s time for spring cleaning. Out with the old and in with the new! If you haven’t joined our 52-week challenge to better health and nutrition, now is the perfect time to jump on board.
Bookmark or pin this blog post. Revisit each week to keep yourself on track. At the end of this post there is a checklist you can print off to keep yourself accountable. Let’s get started!
Week Thirteen – March 26 – April 1
Practice the cook once eat twice method. It’s as easy as it sounds! When you have time to cook, cook enough of the food item or recipe that you will have extra to use later. Click here for a Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken recipe that lends it self well to this method.
Week Fourteen – April 2-8
Get at least five hours of exercise this week. It is recommended that you get at least 5 hours of physical activity per week. Back in January, we started with just 2.5 and have worked our way up. If you’re not quite ready for 5 hours yet, start slow and increase a little each week. Some great ideas on increasing physical activity can be found here.
Week Fifteen – April 9-15
Get back on track with menu planning. Menu planning is the real key to success when it comes to healthy eating. If you are new to menu planning, or have slipped a little since the start of the year, now is a great time to recommit. Click here for some tips on getting started with menu planning.
Week Sixteen – April 16-22
Track Food and Exercise. It is said that people often underestimate how much food they eat and overestimate their activity level. Tracking each bite of food that goes in your mouth and each minute of physical activity you do, will help you get a realistic picture of what is actually happening. After tracking this week you will be able to see where you want to make changes and set goals for the weeks to follow. Myplate offers a tracking program called Supertracker that you may find useful.
Week Seventeen – April 23-29
Focus on leafy greens. Dark green vegetables are just one of the five subgroups of vegetables. It is important to include them in your diet each week. Try things like broccoli, dark green lettuce, kale, swiss chard, and spinach. My favorite is Greek Salad.
Week Eighteen – April 30 – May 6
Learn about and practice mindful eating. You can find some great articles here and here.
Week Nineteen – May 7-13
Spend 30 minutes browsing choosemyplate.org. Educating yourself about different nutrition topics will help you on your journey to a healthier lifestyle. Choosemyplate.org is a wealth of information. Find a topic that interests you and learn something new.
Week Twenty – May 14-20
Try a new fruit. You might surprise yourself to find you like something you have never tried before. Be brave and pick up something new from the produce section.
Week Twenty-One – May 21-27
Get 3 cups of vegetables every day. To find out what counts as a cup of veggies, click here.
Week Twenty-Two – May 28 – June 3
Focus on drinking enough water. Are you staying hydrated? The 8 glasses of water a day recommendation is a good starting point. The Mayo Clinic offers some tips on determining how much water you actually need. Click here to read about it.
Week Twenty-Three – June 4-10
Increase your physical activity effort. Now that you have worked your way up to 5 hours of physical activity each week, try increasing your effort a bit. Walk a little farther, run a little faster, lift a little heavier. Be safe, but challenge yourself.
Week Twenty-Four – June 11-17
Learn about and practice portion control. Did you catch my post on portion sizes a few weeks back? If not, click here to learn all about it. It may be the key you are missing in your weight loss or nutrition journey.
Week Twenty-Five – June 18-24
Try a new grain. There are so many grains to choose from other than wheat, rice and pasta. Click here for a post all about grains and how to cook them. Pick up something new at the store and give it a whirl. If you need a recipe idea, comment on this post and I’ll send you some great ones.
Week Twenty-Six – June 25 – July 1
Switch treats for fruit. If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, try stocking up on fresh, canned, and frozen fruits this week. Resist your urge to grab a cookie, pastry, or handful or candy. Try eating fruit instead to curve your craving. You might try one of my favorite smoothies.
Print the checklist below. Leave me a comment each week to let me know how it is going. The third quarter of year will start in July, so check back for weeks twenty-seven through thirty-nine. Good luck!
Click on each page to print your 52-week checklist.
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