5 Small Changes that Will Help You Maintain a Healthier Lifestyle in 2020

This post is sponsored by Ocean Spray® as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. All opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Happy New Year! If you are like me, the New Year comes with the feeling of a fresh start, a chance to make big changes. However, sometimes it is the small changes that have the biggest impact on our lifestyle, especially when it comes to trying to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

If I started out the new year resolving to make it to the gym every day and only eat kale at every meal, I know I wouldn’t be able to stick to my goal. The funny thing is, I know this and I still tried to make big changes like that for years and then I would get down on myself when I gave up a week into January. So over the last few years, I have continuously made small changes that were easy to stick with, and as they become habits instead of just resolutions I would make more simple changes to my lifestyle.

With 2020 upon us, it is the perfect time to share some of the changes I have made that have given me big results.

5 Small Changes to promote A Healthier Lifestyle

Get to sleep! I am naturally a night owl, but I am insanely jealous of the morning bird moms who are completely put together in the school drop-off line. They have been up for hours and have crossed off countless things on their to-do list by the time we hit the car line. Meanwhile, I used to set my alarm for 5am in hopes that I would suddenly be able to spring out of bed but instead I would hit the snooze for two hours, and arrive at drop off still in PJ pants. The problem was that I wasn’t letting go of the night owl side of me when I would get that second wind at 8 pm, I would start a project, clean the house, or write, and before I knew it, it was 2am. In order to make myself wake up earlier, I needed to create a nighttime routine and stick to it. I started with setting my alarm at 6:30 and then moved to 6:00, and it was freezable as long as I got myself to bed on time. Getting a good night’s sleep has had a substantial change in my mood, appetite, and skin.

Eat Breakfast! My grandmother always told me “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, but for years I had just been grabbing a black cup of coffee and starting the day. I was frazzled before creating a morning routine, so I would grab my coffee as I rushed the kids to school and wondered why I couldn’t push through a workout or was exhausted at the grocery store. I have started eating a healthy well-rounded meal each morning, it doesn’t take a lot of time when you plan for I have seen a huge difference in my energy level. I have stopped guzzling cups of coffee every morning as well and started pairing my breakfast with a cold glass of Ocean Spray® Pure Cranberry Juice. I have always loved cranberry juice and Ocean Spray® is a staple in our fridge, so it was a natural change, especially when I learned that Ocean Spray® Pure Cranberry Juice has no sugar added, no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives and only has 60 calories per serving.

Get active! In the past my resolution would be to get the gym every day, and while there are days I love being at the gym going every day never stuck. Some days I feel like I’m wasting an hour in a sweaty gym because the weather is perfect, other days my to-do list is so long, I can’t imagine getting changed and spending an hour working out. I learned that trying to change myself into a daily gym-goer was too big of a change, but simply being active every day was a lot easier to maintain. On those beautiful days, I get out and go for a bike ride or try a new activity like kayaking. On the super busy days, I make sure that I get out of my pajamas and at least into yoga pants and sneakers, there is something about having my shoes on that gets me moving so I do quick exercises to get my blood flowing throughout the day like taking a break from my computer and doing jumping jacks for a few minutes. Staying active, no matter the activity has a big impact on my energy level and my ability to get a good night’s sleep.

Find ways to de-stress! As a mom, it is easy to give all of yourself to everyone else. Your kids always need you, your husband, your family, and your friends need you. There is always housework to do and errands to run. However, it is so important to find a little bit of time to unwind and de-stress. Get a massage, take a bath, lock the door and paint your nails, whatever makes you relax do it! You need to take time to fuel your soul so that you can continue to be there for everyone else and of course be that fun mom you want to be.

Snack healthy! Instead of picking off the kid’s plates or grabbing a high-calorie sugary snack on the run, plan ahead. Keep healthy snacks that you love on hand so you won’t be tempted to eat junk. One of my favorite snacks is a refreshing smoothie, living in Florida means I am constantly hot, so a smoothy is my favorite afternoon cravings killer. I make a lot of my smoothies using whatever frozen fruits we have in the freezer and some Ocean Spray® Pure Cranberry Juice. Each 8-ounce glass of Ocean Spray® Pure Cranberry Juice is equal to 1 cup of fruit (the USDA MyPlate recommends a daily intake of 2 cups of fruit for a 2,000 calorie diet) so it is the perfect way for me to get all my fruit servings in throughout the day, while enjoying a treat I love.

These small changes have made a big impact on my lifestyle and how I feel every day, now that they are routine, I plan to add more small changes. What are some small changes that you are implementing this year?

Fuel Yourself Every day with Ocean Spray® Pure Cranberry Juice.

Make sure to be kind to your body this year and incorporate Ocean Spray® Pure Cranberry Juice. Each bottle of Ocean Spray® Pure Cranberry Juice is made from the juice of over 850 cranberries and contains 100% cranberry juice, making it a great way to fuel you every day.

Ocean Spray^® Pure Cranberry Juice is available at Target, Kroger or Walmart!