Like many people my New Year’s resolution is to live a healthier lifestyle.  What can you do in 2015 to make your life healthier?  Here are just a few small changes you can make to help make your body healthier in 2015.

1. Stop Smoking!  Smoking is the number one bad habit that can sabotage your health.  Think smoke inhalation from a fire, on a long term, daily basis.  Every time you smoke a cigarette you are damaging your lungs, so do whatever you have to do to eliminate this dangerous and expensive habit from your life.  Just think, if you smoke a pack a day at 5 dollars a pack, you could save $1825 a year!

2. Stop drinking soda!  I know, I’m totally ruining your day.  When you are thirsty your body is craving water.  Soda, both diet and regular, contains all sorts of chemicals which your body has no use for.  Diet sodas can be especially damaging. Chemical sweeteners have all kinds of side effects and with long term use they are detrimental to your health.  A soda occasionally is probably okay, but water should be your main drink of choice.

3. Eliminate fast food from your diet and eat at at home!  By making your own food from raw ingredients, you not only get to ensure that you know exactly what is going into your food, but you will save thousands of dollars a year!  Just about anything you buy ready made, can be made easily at home and by making your own, you won’t have to wonder exactly what some of these foreign sounding ingredients are.  If you can’t pronounce it, I can guarantee, you don’t want to eat it.

4. Throw away that margarine!  I don’t care what brand it is, throw it in the trash.  Lab created fats are a healthy illusion created by the companies that mass produce them.  These things are less healthy than real butter, but that is not the message the advertising is sending.  Just remember, if it doesn’t come from a farm, don’t put it into your body.

5. Ditto with canola oil, corn oil, etc.  These mass produced and mass advertised products contain GMO’s that have been outlawed in just about every country in the world, except the US.  Yep, you can thank good old fashioned politics for keeping it legal here.  Our politicians don’t really care if these products are good for us or not, they care about the money they receive for their campaigns from big business.  I use coconut oil and olive oil for all my cooking, there are tons of studies out there that back up the benefits of these two oils.  Do your research!

6. Stop using fabric softeners!  According the the Allergy and Environmental Health Association, fabric softener is “the most toxic product produced for daily household use”.  Holy Crap!  Fabric softeners are a witches brew of hard to pronounce chemicals, that produce softness by actually coating your clothing in a layer of these toxic chemicals…ewwww!  I hate static cling and I love wonderful, fresh smelling clothes and sheets, but what is a girl to do?  I have recently discovered dryer balls.  I know it sounds really hokey, but give them a try.  I bought some that are real wool and I put whatever scent of essential oil I happen to be in the mood for, on them.  Three balls go into a load, I put about 3-4 drops of essential oil per ball in with the load and it comes out smelling fresh and fabulous!

7. Stop using artificial sweeteners!  I know, this kind of goes along with my little soda rant, but there are plenty of you out there that can’t make it through the day without a pack or multiple packs of sweetener in your coffee or tea or whatever.  A teaspoon of sugar has about 16 calories, a teaspoon of honey has about 21, personally, I don’t think this is going to make or break anyone.  If you use more than a teaspoon or two in your drink you are essentially drinking sweetened water anyway, thus making the coffee or tea essentially not necessary.   Until recently, I used to Stevia to sweeten my tea which is a great natural alternative with no calories.  I still keep Stevia on hand,  but recently I have moved on.  I was watching Dr. Oz one day and he suggested using cinnamon instead of sweeteners.  Cinnamon is not only a natural spice, but it has insulin regulating properties as well, making it a very healthy addition to your drink, and it’s pretty potent, so you don’t need a whole lot.  Since I have switched to flavoring my coffee with cinnamon I feel like I don’t have as many issues with my tummy.  If you have problems with stomach upset or bloating it may be from dairy, I feel so much better now that I have eliminated the need to put half and half in my coffee.  Try it, it can’t hurt.

8. Eat Organic!  My husband and I started the transition to organic several years ago and we are healthier now than we ever have been.  We rarely get sick and neither of us are on any prescription drugs and I think we can attribute that to our much improved diets over the past few years.  I know, everyone seems to think eating organic is more expensive, but in the long run it’s not.  If you choose healthy foods that aren’t laden with chemicals I promise, you will see your health improve.  Not to mention the fact that many people report side effects like, weight loss, less frequent migraines and being able to get off antihypertensives and diabetic medicines.  If you take care of your body, it will reward you with good health, and you may find that the number of prescription drugs you need diminishes.

9. Take care of your body’s largest organ-your skin!  Your body is an amazing thing and your skin is your body’s first line of protection against the outside world.  It helps protect you against infection and it deserves your attention.  First, wash your hands frequently.  Viruses can live on surfaces and then enter your body when you touch a mucous membrane such as your eye or your mouth.  Remember, anything you put on your skin can possibly be absorbed through your skin.  Washing your hands with plain soap and water is aways your best defense against infection.  Alcohol based liquids are okay. providing they don’t have a lot of artificial scents, colors, etc.  Baby wipes are for baby butts, don’t use them on kids hands or faces, these things are laced with all sorts of chemicals that you don’t want you or your little angels to be ingesting.  Make the switch to organic cosmetics and lotions.  When it comes to cosmetics your body will thank you for going natural.  Not only can toxic chemicals be absorbed through the skin, but also inhaled in the form of powders used around the face and nose.  If you have problems with asthma, stay away from cosmetic powders you can inhale, your lungs will thank you.

10. Get up and move!  We all know that exercise is essential, it’s just that it’s winter and it’s so much cozier on the couch.  If you’ve put on a few pounds over the holidays the easiest thing to do, is head to the gym to work it off.  If you don’t have a gym membership there are plenty of things to do that are better than sitting on the couch.  If you are stuck in a desk job getting up and moving multiple times a day is better than nothing.  Walking is good, there are tons of exercises you can do in your home, if you have the internet (I’m guessing you do) you have access to a wealth of information.  You can find all kinds of exercises that will work for you.  Start small and add a bit of activity every day.  Work out with a friend and you can motivate each other.  Try a new activity that gets you up and moving.  My daughter made my husband and I try rock climbing and we discovered all sorts of muscles we didn’t know we had!  It’s a new year, try something new, if you live in the north and you’ve never cross country skied, try it.  If you live near the beach surf, snorkel, run in the sand!  The possibilities are endless.

Make 2015 your healthiest year ever!

Jean Marie Stanberry  jeanstanberry.com   @jeanstanberry

Author of “Laying Low In Hollywood”, “One World United”, “The Illusion of Order” and “Blood, Sweat and Fears.  All Jean’s books are available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com as paperback and on all major e-readers.