How To Kick Off A Healthy (Paleo) New Year
A new year is the perfect time for a fresh start. Whether you want to finally lose some weight, get fit or get on top of some health issues – there's no time like today – right now – to dive into the Paleo Diet
Where To Start
Have you got any lingering treats left from the festive season? Instead of promising to get stuck into a healthy regime, just as soon as you finish that last box of chocolates, throw it away! Your body will thank you for it.
The best way to start is, well – to actually start! Throw yourself right into it.
Organise
Sit down and plan your menu for the next week, meal by meal, then shop for everything you need. If it's in your fridge or pantry it's easy to prepare some great Paleo meals
Look through paleo websites and paleo cookbooks for inspiration for delicious meal ideas. Experimenting in the kitchen is a great way not to get bored. Paleo is no reason to have a bland, boring diet!
Whenever you cook, make at least double what you need. You can take the rest into work for lung the following day, or freeze for future dinners when you don't have time to cook.
New to Paleo?
If you've not yet started a Paleo diet before, depending on how you ate before, you may get “carb flu” as your body adjusts to fewer carbohydrates. You can go cold turkey into Paleo (and remind yourself how much better you're going to feel once you acclimatise) – or you can slowly transition into a paleo diet, gradually reducing grains.
The initial period of following the paleo diet is a great time to read as much as you can about this lifestyle. It's great to understand why it works so well. When changing the way you eat, you're also likely to get a lot of questions from family and friends – so being well read up on Paleo comes in very handy
Unfit?
Instead of launching straight into a hardcore fitness routine, it's often great to start slowly. Walking is one of the best ways to increase your fitness, with the added benefit of fresh air and sunshine.
Weight to lose?
If you have weight to lose, Paleo is a great place to start. Once you reach a plateau – it's time to change things up a little. Some people have great results with techniques like low carb (or even nutritional ketosis) or intermittent fasting. Everyone is different, so it's important to find out what works for you
Where are you right now? Are you new to Paleo, or needing to refocus? What are your health aims for this brand new year? I'd love to hear in the comments below!
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Oh no now I have no excuses! I think with me it will have to be slowly, slowly catchey monkey.
Anything too drastic and I am afraid I just give in. One look at me and you can tell. My wife is the fitness addict, think it might be time to join in, maybe once a week…
Slowly is better than not at all, Jim!
I’m just looking for new ideas, I’ve been overweight for at least 5 years, I find it difficult to resist all the lovely treats. Just been staying with family and we all had way too much food.
My sisterhas been telling me about Paleo so I thought I’d try the 30 day intro.
Good luck Patsy, let us know how you get on!
The thing I find really so annoying when I am trying to have a good diet & cutting out all the rubbish, is the way no one really believes me. The people I work with are the worst, it’s like we are all having cakes and so are you whether you want one or not! Thanks for the support workmates.
This year I am just going to say it’s a health thing & I don’t want to talk about it. Worth a try?
I think people are often jealous that you are taking control of your health – and they aren’t.
I’ve decided to go paleo this year (and drag my family with me hehe). I was talking to some friends about feeding our animals on an evolutionary diet (whole prey for the dog and cats, grow our own fodder for the ruminants) and my friend told me my animals ate better than I did. I realized she was right and began to look into evolutionary human diets and here I am 🙂 I’ve never had healthier animals so it stands to reason the same would apply to us.
My main goal was/is weight loss, but after reading more on paleo I’ve realized I can help if not cure my depression, burgeoning arthritis (at 26), and avoid diabetes (which every single member of my mothers side of the family has)
That’s great news Stephanie – so much easier if the family join you on your paleo journey. Good luck!
In March I took pasta, breads, and sugar to a minimum and I have lost 83 pounds. I have decided to go paleo with the new year. I am doing this to be healthier not anything else. Thanks for the information and I will be following you on interest.
Thanks for all the information you have provided in your posts. I have been considering following a paleo lifestyle (I say lifestyle instead of diet as diets seem to fail, so changing my way of thinking) for a while now and the time has come to take that leap of faith. I know that it wont be easy, but it’s time to take charge of my life and to put be a little selfish and put myself first for a change. Hopefully the whole family will benefit from whatever the results may be!