I love goals. Especially goals related to my favorite parts of life: fitness and wellness. With fitness, accomplishing a goal takes a plan, scheduling, dedication, sweat and the right training. With wellness things can become confusing due to the sheer number of topics there are to cover when it comes to seemingly simple goals, like losing weight. How many calories do I eat in a day to sustain my current weight? How do I know the difference between organic and not organic foods? Do I add vitamins to my diet? How do I find time for fitness in my busy schedule? Can I get by on six hours of sleep each night? All of these are important factors in supporting your wellness and weight loss goals. And finding your way into that itty-bitty bikini!

Supporting your fitness and wellness goals is my job! If your  goal is to take control of your wellness – in addition to the marathon you’re running (kidding! unless we’re not… that’s covered, too!) – it’s a great idea to enlist the support of a professional, like a coach. Ask questions. Create a plan. Track down the right information and the necessary experts with the help of your coach. Having a resident expert is one of the easiest ways to “instantly upgrade” your wellness and health.

And just because I know you all LOVE lists, I have 5 more ways you can “upgrade” wellness from a few of my favorite experts. It’s like being bumped from coach to first class on that 14 hour flight…!

1. Designate a table in your house where you will eat all of your meals and snacks without the television, newspaper, computer or smartphone around to distract you. By simply cutting out the extra noise that often accompanies eating, you will automatically become more mindful of what you are putting in your mouth – and therefore more likely to make better food choices or eat less. – Alyse Levine M.S., R.D., founder of Nutritionbite
2. Follow your own preference about when you eat your smallest and largest meals. Some folks like big breakfasts, some prefer big dinners. Either works fine. Don’t worry about what X or Y study says. Your personal preference should dictate the choice. – Alan Aragon, nutritionist and author of Alan Aragon’s Research Review
3. Every time you see a water fountain, take 10 big gulps. Most people are at least somewhat dehydrated, so this is a reminder to increase your water intake. Drinking 10 gulps is like getting eight to 10 ounces of water. Do that eight times a day, and you’ll be much better hydrated. – Martin Rooney, CSCS, founder of Training For Warriors
4. Make a list of your absolute favorite foods in each group – meats, vegetables, fruits, carbs. Try to come up with at least 10 foods for each. Ignore the stuff that you’ve heard everyone ‘should’ eat, and instead focus on foods that you love the taste of. Make that your grocery shopping list. – Aragon
5. To manage tasks at home or at the office, you can get a lot more done if you work in 30 minute intervals. Use a simple timer on your phone or computer to track the time you spend on a particular task. When you reach 30 minutes, stop, and move on to the next thing. This approach forces you to be productive because you only have a very limited window to work on a task before moving on to the next one. You may have to come back around to the same task a few times in a day, but you’ll always be making progress. – Jim Smith, CSCS and founder of Diesel Strength

In health!
Natania