There are five days left of January and what better way to spend them than getting really fit! There are seven days in a week and unless you are training for some sort of competition, it is not necessary to be a strict fitness/nutrition freak all seven days of the week. That is why I am giving you five days to give fit a go!

• Drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. (Ex. if you weigh 150 pounds, you will drink 75 ounces of water per day.)
• Eat breakfast. (Even if it’s just a piece of fruit with 1 Tbsp of peanut butter or a glass of skim milk, something is better than nothing!)
• Eat every three hours. (It doesn’t need to be a giant meal and it doesn’t need to be three almonds. Caloric intake varies from person to person, but keep in mind that if you are a fully grown, generally healthy adult, a diet of less than 1300 calories should be medically supervised.)
• Eat at least two servings of veggies every day.
• Eat at least two servings of fruit every day.
• Do not add salt to any of your food.
• No sweets or added sugars! (Cookies, cakes, ice cream, candy, refined sugar, etc)
• No soda! (Neither regular nor diet.)
• No alcohol! (All alcohol has 7 kcal per gram and is metabolized to fat in your body.)
• Eat only low fat dairy products. (No full fat dairy products.)
• No white foods. (Choose whole grain pastas, breads, and cereals, oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, black rice, etc for your carbohydrates.)
• No fried foods. (Try steaming, grilling, or baking instead.)
• Take a 20 minute brisk walk everyday. (This can be broken into two 10 minute walks if necessary.)

Don’t make yourself crazy with your nutrition. There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to healthy eating. You have to figure out what works for you. Lean meats, legumes, nuts, seeds, veggies, fruits, low fat dairy products, and whole grains are your best choices. It is not always about making the healthiest choice, it is often about making the healthier choice.

Remember, it’s only for five days! You can do it!