9 steps to a healthier you in 2015 (that are achievable and not utterly ridiculous).

You’ve promised yourself this will be the year you take better care of yourself, right?

Every year you kickstart the first of January full of plans to boost your health, lose those extra few kilos, and prioritise you. Then by the end of the first week of the new year you’ve pushed yourself too hard, and dramatically concluded that exercise is NOT FOR YOU while massaging your aching muscles and eating the post-Christmas chocolates that were meant to last you all year.

Sound familiar?

The good news is most of us have been there too. “Every January people across Australia start off their year with the best of intentions to exercise more, eat better and drink less alcohol,” VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter says. “Unfortunately those good intentions can be hard to maintain, often making people feel worse in the long-term.”

Amen. We know that feeling. We also know it’s unrealistic to tell you to suddenly become a fitness enthusiast who drinks green smoothies 3 times a day, wakes up at 4am to go the gym every morning, and substitutes kale and quinoa for sugar and rice.

Instead we’ve compiled a list of 9 little changes people from the MM Team found helpful in improving their overall health and wellbeing in 2014. Slowly start subbing in a few of these ideas, and you’ll be on the right track to a great new year.

1. Plug into a running app.

If you’re lacking motivation, why not try and get in on an amazing running app? Most of the (good) ones on the market are designed to transform you from a couch potato to a marathon runner over a number of months. One of my favourites is C25K (Couch to 5k). A close second is Zombie Run. Because nothing is going to make you move faster than sound effects thumping through your headphones indicating 800 of these are about to attack you:

For a full list of our favourite running apps from the year, click here. 

2. Use the internet to your benefit.

Gyms can be intimidating, not to mention crazy expensive. If you’re hoping to build those washboard abs up in the privacy of your own home, Youtube can be the non-judgemental (and free) friend you’ve been looking for.

From relaxing 5 minute yoga workouts, prancersise (?!), instructive training tips by Michelle Bridges herself and more, check out what Youtube fitness videos made it onto our radar this year here. 

If all else fails, channel these 80s aerobic dance moves. Bonus: You can sing ‘Shake It Off’ at the top of your lungs at the same time.

3. Switch sugary drinks for water (without compromising on All. The. Taste).

Each bottle of soft drink contains “an amount you would never put in your coffee,” says Jerril Rechter from VicHealth. Yep. Every time you choose a bottle of Coke over water you’re voluntary consuming about 16 teaspoons of sugar.

If you need someone or something holding you accountable, programs like VicHealth’s H30 challenge can be really useful at slowly weaning yourself off the good stuff.

Otherwise, try fruit infused water. Our favourite combinations are listed right here (and they are incredible).

Image via Tumblr.

4. Bring your dog to work.

A study published in the United States in 2012 found dogs in the workplace could lower stress and boost job satisfaction. We love dogs in our office, especially Kate Leaver’s beauty Lady Fluffington and Mia Freedman’s rescue dog Harry.

Harry and Lady Fluffington are frequent (and welcome) visitors in MM HQ. 

They not only bring some cute to the office, but scientists confirm their presence reduces blood pressure, lowers stress levels and reduces overall workplace stress.

We can certainly get on board with those findings.

So, what are you waiting for? There’s no harm asking your boss. Chances are they’re a pet lover too…

5. Put down the cigarettes.

This is a no-brainer. As soon as you stop smoking your body begins to repair itself. Within six hours, your heart rate slows and your blood pressure decreases.Your chances of being diagnosed with cancer or emphysma or having a stroke also significantly decrease.

But it’s not always a easy decision.

If you need a helping hand, try to start the new year with a fresh slate. Log onto www.quit.org.au or call the Quitline on 13 78 48.

Want another incentive? Allow yourself to be a bit vain and check out how smoking has affected the appearance of these sets of identical twins. In each pair, one is a smoker and one is not.

6. Try some simple food swaps.

Don’t go cold turkey on ‘bad’ foods. We speak from experience: this is bound to make you crave them more intensely and then binge eat them in an act of desperation all at once. Like this:

It makes more sense to slowly start swapping unhealthy food items to a slightly better-for-you alternative. But how do you do that without wasting hours on research?

We reckon the FoodSwitch app is pretty amazing. You can basically use it to scan any food product’s barcode and it will generate an alternative brand or product to help you make a healthier choice.

VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter suggests cutting back on salt for starters because we tend to eat NINE TIMES the amount we need as part of a balanced diet. Again, ween yourself off and get your tastebuds used to healthier alternatives. At least then if you continue to get cravings, they won’t be doing your body quite as much harm.

7. Get onto exercise so fun you’ll forget you’re getting fit.

A couple of the Mamamia Team tried out a trampoline fitness class earlier this year. It was incredibly painful, and one of the most intense workouts any of us had ever done. But it was also kind of (dare we say it): FUN!

Aparna, Kahla and Alyx before the class.

The Sky Fit classes we attended were held on big trampoline grids, surrounded by thick bars of orange padding. These were dug-out, rather than elevated, so when we fell (repeatedly), we didn’t hurt ourselves too badly. Our class was only a half hour, but you wouldn’t have guessed it looking at how much we sweated after.

Suffice to say: we were not expecting THAT workout.

To read about our full trampolining experience, click here.

Other fitness trends from 2014 so fun we almost forgot how intense they were included No Lights, No Lycra (only $5.00!) and aerial yoga (reviewed: here), which helps you get toned while swinging from a silk cloth mid-air. We also rounded up the Most Anticipated Fitness Trends of 2015 in one handy post here, so you can jump on those bandwagons before everyone figures out what all the hype is about.

8. Opt for ‘healthy’ alcoholic options.

We know you’re scoffing at the very suggestion, BUT hear us out.

Instead of trying to cut out alcohol completely all at once, why not just combine alcohol with some yummy and good-for-you bits and pieces? Some of our teams favourite cocktails contain enough alcohol to give us the required kick, but also have some redeeming nutritional value. Plus, they’re still beyond delicious:

Interested? Of course you are.

Interested in putting together a berry daquiri, apricot royale, or strawberry margarita? Of course you are. Head right to (kind of) healthy paradise by checking out our favourite cocktails with fruit and veggies included here. 

If you’re keen to cut back on the alcohol, Miss Rechter suggests making little changes in your lifestyle. Try alternating every second drink with water, nominating a few alcohol-free days a week, avoid drinking on an empty stomach. Need extra motivation? Tell yourself another round is not possibly worth the killer hangover you’re going to wake up with the next day.

9. Pledge to move a bit more every day.

A few of the girls in our office became a bit obsessed with their jawbones in 2014. Not the ones on their faces, but ‘The Jawbone’- a nifty little device that  tracks your movement, your sleep cycle and if you want it to, your calorie intake.

Jawbones, unite!

You can even set your Jawbone to vibrate at set intervals to remind you to move, stretch your legs and get a glass of water to keep hydrated. Our editor-in-chief Jamila was so in love she blogged about it over here. 

If funky wrist accessories aren’t your thing the government’s Walk to School campaign can help set you up with others in your community keen to combine their daily exercise and the school drop-off in one.

If you work better with group motivation then organisations like Can Too will slowly train you and a group of friends to run a marathon for free while allowing you to fundraise for charity. Phone apps like TeamUp  can also connect you with others in your community keen on upping the physical exercise in their lives. You can commit to a weekly footy team, or just sub in for a netball team one week when they’re down a player. Totally up to you.

So. There you have it. Those suggestions weren’t that bad, were they?

Let us know your favourite tips and tricks to improve your health below. Suggestions that include moderate amounts of chocolate, alcohol (and some horizontal running) are encouraged too.