What Can You Expect in 2017?

It’s a new year! Filled with opportunity for new adventures, new experiences, and a new way to look at life.

How the year plays out is entirely up to you…you have choices! So why not choose the best and make the most of each of the 365 days that unfold. Live today…fully! Be in the moment. Be in your body. Be the best person you can be every minute of every day. And when you fall a little short of where you want to be…take it in stride. Embrace the suck, and just move forward because each step holds a new promise.

So…let’s see what’s in store for 2017, shall we?

When it comes to our diet, we have the best of intentions. And just when you think you have it nailed, a tray of something oh-so-chocolate-and-creamy passes by you as you finish off dinner. You convince yourself you only live once (which is true) so why the heck not. After all…you deserve it! And you reach for it with eager fingers, promising yourself that you’ll work it off tomorrow…

We all fall off the healthy purist wagon! And in 2017, you can take your recovery in stride as you cleanse your body a little bit everyday rather than go to the extreme with periodic cleanses.

Look for daily detox drinks you can mix up at home from simple ingredients like lemon, green tea, and apple cider vinegar. As you cleanse your liver and keep the toxins we accumulate through everyday life in our modern world to a minimum, you’ll begin to see changes to your eyes, your tongue, your skin, your mood, and your overall health.

Overall health in a more sensible manner will be the theme of the year. We eaters are getting way too smart to buy into the notion that living on a single food, like grapefruit, for any extended period of time is going to give us long term, sustainable results. We demand more from our meals: taste, simplicity, and nutrition, free from added chemicals that may alter our hormones, make us fat, and possibly grow a second head!*

*OK, that last one has never really been proven…but some artificial ingredients may make you feel like you’ve grown a second head…just sayin’!

Look for guilt-free snacking. You can easily make this happen in your own kitchen! How about spending time to create zucchini chips or sweet potato fries in a more natural way? Lose the hydrogenated junk and discover how amazing food really tastes.

When you’re looking for easy, find out how your mother’s casserole has found its way to a bowl near you. The Buddha Bowl is a simple, and apparently “Zen” way to enjoy your veggies and a whole bunch of other stuff. While this is not new, it’s bound to make a splash in 2017.

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We are slowing down, getting strong, and stretching out! While strength training is still important whether you’re male or female, how you build up your biceps and create a solid core are changing. You can still do hard pounding, sweat drenching cross fit training and weight lifting; in fact, that extra intensity can be just what the doctor ordered when you’re trying to sculpt your body. And, sweating it out includes sweating out toxins so it’s all good!

However, don’t forget to slow down, stretch, and care for those muscles. After all, you want to be able to climb mountains when you’re ninety! So give yourself some love.

Yoga. Meditation. Reiki. Crystal Therapy. Acupuncture. Massage. These are those little health and wellness tools that feel more like pampering and yet, allow your body to shift and sculpt in ways that pure body building does not accomplish.

It’s about whole body health. Your muscles as well as your mind. All supported with food that’s healthy and alive! It’s a way to spiritually connect with your inner self while you improve the appearance of your outward self.

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It’s time to get off the bus!

No matter what your age, travel is more than a destination. It’s an experience we want to sink our teeth and hands and boots into. When we travel, we are looking for adventures lived rather than simply pictures of scenes we saw yet didn’t participate in.

Check off items on your bucket list when it comes to adventure and experience. Hike mountains, ride across open countryside on wheels or beasts, cook the local cuisine, meet new friends, and really take in the places you visit.

Our national parks continue to pique interest, especially in the off season when crowds have dwindled and prices are lower. Afterall, who doesn’t love budget travel? All the fun without spending too much green.

It’s all about timing!

It’s also about stepping on the beaten tourist route and exploring a place the way the locals do. What’s “everyday” to them is all new to you. See the cultural sights through a different set of eyes. Visit museums, local theatres, local hangouts, and events like fairs, festivals, and sporting events. When you get there, pick up a local paper and see what’s happening around town. No matter how fantastic (the concert of the year) or corny (the sauerkraut festival) it may seem…check it out because you’ll never know what you’ll find.

My husband and I once went on a wine tasting trip and ended up in someone’s backyard listening to some amazing bluegrass music under a full moon, swinging in a hammock to a warm summer breeze, all because we decided to attend a local fundraising event. We were welcomed with open arms, even though we weren’t from “around them parts” and raised our glasses and made a toast with our new friends-for-the-evening.

Life is full of surprises…look for them on your next travel adventure!

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