Are you eager to make changes that will help you and your family to get healthier this New Year?
I am, too!
One of the most exciting things about celebrating the arrival of a new year is the thought of a fresh start and reaching for new goals. There’s something so hopeful and even a little intoxicating about it.
But here’s my problem… I tend to make my goals too big. Too lofty. Too all-at-once, change-everything-in-my-life-in-one-fell-swoop. Know what I mean?
When it comes to healthy living, that’s not what I would recommend. Not at all.
In my own journey (which you can read about here), I had to take it slow. It was definitely a process, made up of small, but intentional steps, with a fair bit of stumbling and mistake-making mixed in.
I didn’t do it all at once. I didn’t revamp my entire life overnight.
That would have been too much for me, and chances are, it’s too much for you. That said, it shouldn’t diminish our desire to a) set big, awesome goals, and b) work diligently towards them.
Once we know what we want to work towards, we simply need to take it one step at a time. Little by little, we get closer to where we want to be. Each small habit we create, each substitution we make, each new skill we learn, it all adds up to saying “yes” to our health.
And no matter where you’re at in your journey, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at this for years, you can take that one next step. We all can.
This list is intended to be a little bit of inspiration, and a whole lot of resource, for you as you choose some next action steps to bring you closer to achieving your goals. Pick just a couple, or even just one. But then? Do that one thing. Make that change. Don’t sit on it. Go forward!
Waste Less
1. Choose one of 29 ways to reduce waste in your home (not to mention save money while you’re at it).
2. Make the switch to using cloth diapers.
3. Stop buying paper towels and napkins.
4. Creatively repurpose and put some ideas to good use in a new way.
5. Ditch the wrapping paper and gift bags and go eco-friendly with your gift wrapping.
6. Start a mason jar collection (and pick from 31 ways to use them in your kitchen).
Eat More Real Food
7. Learn to define real food.
8. Cut your kitchen prep time.
9. Take a simple first steps to eating real food.
10. Get better at finding real food in the grocery store
11. Pick a new strategy for helping your husband and kids transition to real food.
12. Give yourself grace to serve real food even in imperfect situations.
13. Save money on real food at Costco.
14. Pick of one these 5 frugal real food meals to make.
15. Choose a new time-saving tip to try for getting more real food on the table, and fast!
16. Try roasting a whole chicken (it’s simple!), then use the bones to make broth.
17. Find a new source for one of the foods on this list.
18. Check out how I would feed my family on a super-tight budget and gather some money-saving ideas for your own budget.
19. Make your own spice mix (choose 1 from this list of 17!)
20. Start using your crockpot to make something beyond the typical stews and casseroles.
21. Decide on a sweetener to avoid, and a new one to try, this coming year.
Make Quick Switches
22. Use your crockpot to make the easiest homemade yogurt ever.
23. Figure out what one small change you could be making and how to get over the barrier that’s holding you back.
24. Make any of these 20 easy real food switches and substitutions (they even come with a printable chart).
25. Choose one of these 21 strategies for cutting down the sugar you consume.
26. Commit to one simple way that you can improve your digestion and gut health (this is a change that goes a LONG ways towards greater health overall!).
27. Switch out one or two of your pantry staples for these healthier choices.
28. Find a simple homemade recipe to learn to make (and breathe easy about the ones you don’t make!).
29. Try out an easy recipe to help you learn to bake more homemade goodies.
30. Choose one of these 7 foods to avoid (and find our suggestions for alternatives to replace them).
31. Add more fruits & veggies to your diet with one of these five simple and tasty ideas.
32. Take just a few minutes to learn to properly read a food label.
33. Switch over one of these nine common kitchen products to get rid of more hidden toxins.
34. Make just one of these ten quick and easy household switches.
35. Make a plan to avoid just one of these four, toxic fake foods.
Clean Greener
36. Make just one of these 67 homemade, all-natural cleaning recipes.
37. Take a baby step to having a naturally clean home.
38. Add one of these frugal, non-toxic cleaning basics to your grocery shopping list.
39. Or if you’ve already got those basics, try out one method for using them in your home.
40. Freshen up your carpet with this super simple, 2-ingredient recipe.
41. Try out this clean-as-you-go method for keeping your shower and tub naturally sparkling.
42. Save your kid’s clothes, your time and your sanity with this little stain removal trick I use.
43. Just one of these homemade kitchen cleaners removes a whole bunch of toxins from this important place in your house.
44. One of these two-minute air freshening sprays will do wonders in your home.
45. If you make nothing else, this DIY all-purpose cleaning solution is a multi-use winner.
46. Why do all the work? Let the sun whiten your whites.
47. Whip up a bottle of this 2-ingredient (well, 3 if you count water) natural stain remover that really works.
48. Need to disinfect after winter illness? Try one of these two non-toxic disinfectants.
49. Dealing with old stains? Here’s a safe and easy method for getting set in stains out of (almost) anything.
50. Stop pouring toxins (and money) down the drain. Make your own better, cheaper, safer 4-way soft-scrubber.
51. Already cleaning naturally? Speed up the process with these time saving tips for non-toxic cleaning.
52. Choose one of these 5 ways to detox your laundry routine.
Love Your Skin (Naturally)
53. Take a stab at making your own deodorant with this simple, all-natural recipe.
54. Get inspired to make some changes by reading through my own personal (and frugal) beauty routine.
55. Need anti-dandruff treatment? Makeup remover? Check out these safe & natural beauty products you can make at home.
56. This is one of the simplest ways to “make” your own shampoo and conditioner ever.
57. Got oil? You can make a facial cleanser that works like a charm (and feels like a spa).
58. Remove this harmful product from your home and your hand-washing.
59. Your kitchen probably already has the 4 ingredients you need to make these all-natural facial cleansers.
60. Make one out of this long list of skin scrubs, toners, cleansers, masques and more – all easy, all naturally nourishing.
61. Do you use toner? It’s fast and easy to make and so good for your skin.
62. Got chapped or irritated skin? This DIY skin soothing salve is the perfect solution.
63. Save money by using regular kitchen oils to make luxurious skincare products.
64. Keep your skin healthy with tips and recipes for the winter months.
65. Give skin brushing (and its many benefits) a try.
66. Make our homemade foaming facial cleanser (for a fraction of what you’d pay to buy it).
67. Pamper yourself (or a friend) with some homemade belly butter for pregnant mamas.
68. Evaluate your need for sunscreen and the products you’re using (and even make your own).
69. Whip up a batch of incredibly awesome hard lotion bars and lip balms (so easy my kids can do it with me).
70. Want the ultimate healing salve to put on any owies? Create your own DIY organic herbal salve.
71. Treat yourself and your skin to this simple, inexpensive homemade cocoa body scrub and body butter.
72. Take some simple steps towards safe and natural personal care by looking up what you’re already using.
Raise Healthy Kids
73. Having a baby? Take the time to consider 10 decisions for parents of newborns that you might not have thought about yet.
74. Understand more about diaper rashes and how to heal them.
75. Determine a new way that you’ll be intentional about raising your kids to enjoy and eat real food.
76. Choose a safer bath product to replace what you’re using with your little ones.
77. Make healthier lunches for your kids by incorporating one of these five tips into your planning.
78. Get more of the good stuff in them with with these 45 real food snacks for kids.
79. Help your kids kick the screen habit with a “No Screen Month”.
80. Find a new recipe for making healthy ice pops and frozen treats to remove grocery store and ice-cream man temptations.
81. Add a few ideas to your repertoire of on-the-go healthy snack ideas for your toddler.
82. Make a plan to include your child in the gardening this year and teach them to love vegetables more.
83. Come up with a family policy for how you’ll handle sticky situations like junk food at parties and celebrations.
84. Tackle your child’s picky eating with a gracious, balanced approach (that will still lead to good habits in the end).
Move That Body
85. Make an exercise plan that will actually work for you.
86. Already know the exercise you love to do? Take that and make it into a more consistent routine.
87. Stay motivated to keep reaching for your fitness goals, even when you don’t feel like it.
88. Pregnant? Tone those stomach and pelvic muscles for a more comfortable pregnancy and post-partum recovery.
89. Calling all busy moms: Stay fit with simple 10-minute workouts that actually work.
Keep Your Family Well With Natural Remedies
90. Start stocking your natural medicine cabinet with a few of the items on this list.
91. Give an alternative remedy a try before an over-the-counter prescription (like how I healed my son’s skin infection without antibiotics).
92. Add some clay to your medicine cabinet and give it a try in one of the eight ways our family uses it.
93. Dealing with MRSA? Here’s a safe, natural, inexpensive cure that’s definitely worth trying.
94. Learn a new natural remedy in this ultimate round-up of 65 recipes and tips.
95. Soothe that sore throat with one of these five home remedies.
96. Or, ditch the cough drops and replace them with these homemade herbal throat lozenges.
97. Put together a small, natural first aid kit to bring with you when you go on the road.
98. Fighting ear infections? Try these holistic methods before you resort to other treatments.
99. Treat a nasty cold with one of these 10 natural cold remedies.
100. Fight the yuck this winter with our favorite herbal remedies for colds and coughs, stomach viruses and headaches.
101. Try one of our most popular remedies ever – the cold kicker. This stuff works.
What healthy changes do you plan to make in 2015?
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