It’s a NEW YEAR… Time for new hopes, new dreams, and a clean slate for us all. Ideally, we would never have to make New Year’s resolutions because we would already be living our lives to their fullest potential. However, even those of us with the greatest motivation and the best intentions tend to lose focus and fall off the wagon. As much as we all want to improve our lives by eating healthier foods, exercising more, and creating better habits, we find ourselves bailing on our resolutions one by one, and making the same resolutions year after year.

If you are just beginning your new and improved healthy life, you are bound to be full of energy and enthusiasm. I know you are tempted to tackle every item on this list immediately, but I encourage you to fight that urge. Building new habits take time. Your body and mind need time to adjust to change.

Start out by just doing ONE thing, and continue doing that one thing every day until it feels like a natural part of your life. You have the greatest chance of success if you do not feel overwhelmed. Once you incorporate one healthy habit into your life, (and this may take a few weeks before it feels routine) feel free to take on a second healthy habit. Remember, this is not a sprint—you are in it for the long haul! You can create a healthy, vibrant life, one habit at a time.

Here are some of our favorite tips:

1. Get outside

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Did you know that exposure to sunlight results in increased production of the mood-lifting hormone, serotonin? That’s right—getting outside will put you in a better mood. Whether you’re gardening, swimming, jogging, walking your dog or shoveling snow, make an effort to get outside for at least 30-minutes every day. For those of you living in cold-weather climates, I know it’s hard. Bundle up. Get a good pair of gloves and a hat. You will feel energized, your mood will be boosted, and there’s a good chance that being outside will lead you to do some form of exercise.

2. Eat Your Greens at Breakfast

Every morning, I get up and eat my leafy greens. Some days, it’s kale. Other days, it’s collard greens. Sometimes it’s raw, and stuffed into my blender with a bunch of fruits and vegetables for a delicious green smoothie. Other days, my greens are steamed and thrown into soup, or eaten alongside a bowl of oatmeal. If you can’t stomach eating steamed greens in the morning, then start out by blending delicious smoothies. If you throw a handful of raw kale into any kind of banana-berry smoothie, I guarantee that you won’t even know it’s there. Kid-approved. Trust me! Waking up and doing something healthy sets the tone for the day. You are much more likely to make healthy choices throughout the day if you start out with a healthy, vegetable-filled breakfast.

3. Begin a Yoga Practice

Now you KNOW I couldn’t get through this post without discussing yoga. I love yoga for many reasons—the first reason being that it is an activity that is suitable for EVERYONE. My 60-year old mom can do it, my 4-year old son can do it, my own 36-year old body that sometimes cooperates and other times is too inflamed from an autoimmune flare-up can do it. Why is yoga suitable for everyone? It’s suitable because there are many different types of yoga—And one of them will suit you! Whether you turn to yoga for relaxation, meditation, healing, mind-body connection, improved flexibility, or simply for a muscle burning, sweat-inducing workout, you will reap the benefits. Yoga is a transformative experience, and your own personal yoga practice will transform as your needs change. My own practice began as a means of rehabilitation and healing. It then moved on to serve as a physical fitness challenge, as I learned to test the limits of my body’s ability to balance, invert and stretch. Today, it has become a journey of peace and a moving meditation. Begin your own yoga practice this year, and see where it leads you.

4. Avoid Foods with Labels

If you want to start a healthy eating plan this year, focus on eating REAL food, not weird processed food products. Don’t worry about dieting, and don’t worry about counting calories. Good food is fuel. If it requires a label and a list of ingredients, don’t buy it. An apple doesn’t require a label with a list of ingredients. Neither does a head of broccoli. Get it? Very simple. Eat real food, prepare it yourself (if possible), and lay off food that had to be processed by someone other than you. Be prepared to feel better than you’ve felt in a very long time.

5. Turn off the TV

Now let’s get one thing clear…. nothing makes me happier than a really good show. However, I am VERY disciplined with my TV time. I allow myself one or two shows a week, and for those couple of hours that I’m on the couch, I’m on the couch. I’m not exercising, I’m zoned out, and nothing productive is happening. I definitely understand the importance of relaxation, and I think we should all carve out some time to relax and to do something enjoyable. An hour at a time is reasonable, but you will not find me on my couch all night. When I’m up off the couch and the television is off, I get more done. I eat more mindfully. I move more. I exercise more. I write more. I read more. I cook more. I sleep more. Overall, I am more productive with my time, and my actions are more consistent with that of a healthy, happy individual.

6. Take Photos

Over the past year, I’ve discovered that photographs are a great tool for recording and tracking fitness gains. Are you trying to improve your flexibility? Track your progress with photos. Take a photo of yourself doing a backbend today, and in six months, take a photo of yourself doing the same backbend. You will see progress. Are you trying to bulk up and increase muscle mass? Take a photo of yourself today, and take one at the end of each week so you can monitor your progress over time and see the results of your hard work. Are you trying to lose weight? Ditch your scale, and take photos of yourself regularly instead. Photos don’t lie, and photos won’t drive you crazy by documenting the very small day-to-day fluctuations of your weight. Photography is a wonderful tool—take lots of photos this year, and let your collection of photos become a visual journal that inspires you to continue down the road to good health.