I love a new year for so many reasons, they say “fresh start syndrome” is no joke, we are conditioned at the start of every week, month and especially the year to clear the slate and get serious with goal getting. And for most of us, this involves some form of a health goal. Well the Vitamin Shoppe is right on board with you this year and I’m working with them this quarter as an Ambassador to encourage you #getyourgoalon!

In this post I’ve got a quick review of 8 healthy things you can do now to power your strongest year yet and some products that can help you along the way. Read to the bottom for some quick instructions on how to win yourself a $50 gift card to the Vitamin Shoppe to encourage you to get going on your goal getting!

Are Supplements Really Necessary?

If you follow me, you know I don’t talk a lot about supplements with the exception of high quality protein powder for the most part. The reason for that is because I’m a true vegetable advocate and not 100% convinced that supplements are the cure-all some hope them to be. I’d hate for someone to take a pill and think “I’ve done my healthy deed for the day” and then drive right though the drive thru and take a nap.

Supplements are exactly as they sound, a way to supplement a healthy lifestyle. If you’re not already maximizing your health through quality food and honest exercise, there is very little a supplement can do to help you out. With that said, if you are already on top of your healthy diet and exercise game (and if you’re reading this blog, I assume you are well on your way 😉  ) then there are some supplements and other helpful products that can take you to the next level.

Why the Vitamin Shoppe?

I’m enjoying this partnership with the Vitamin Shoppe because they offer up quite a bit more than a bottle of pills as their name might suggest. And in fact, they have made a commitment to help folks like you and I, achieve whatever health goal we have set for ourselves in 2016! I was super stoked to see the versatile product offering they included in the #getyourgoalon kit that showed up at my door last week.

8 Things You Can Do & Products You Can Use To #getyourgoalon

1. Stress Less. Did you know that Ashwaganda is an adaptogenetic herb that is supposed to help the body manage stress? I didn’t and I’m looking forward to giving it a shot.
2. Get a Good Night’s Sleep. I feel like sleep is way underrated when it comes overall optimal health. We say “diet and exercise” are the keys, but sleep should be right up there with it along with stress management. Melatonin is supposed to help folks a get a more restful night of sleep because it’s involved in circadian rhythm (your body clock). However, I’ve never tried it — I’m a naturally gifted sleeper 😉
3. Keep it Moving. It’s not just the minutes day that you’re engaging in planned exercise, it’s how much you move all day long that matters most. Sitting is the new smoking so getting a grip on your daily total movement is a huge part of a healthy lifestyle. If you don’t already have one, get your paws on a step counter — stat!
4. Get Organized. This can mean so much and is so true. In the case of my #getyourgoalon kit, it was a vitamin pill case. And yes, I TOTALLY use one of these and it has nothing to do with being very old and/or senile. It’s a matter of being efficient and organized! Depending on how many vitamins you take (I have 4 right now), you can take just as much time to fill up the case for the entire week as it would to dish out one days worth of vitamins. That’s just good time management 😉
5. Cook with Healthy Ingredients. This goes right to the core of my Clean and Colorful Concept, Universal Diet Truth #1: Eat Less Processed Food. Avoid things with ingredients lists, and if they have a list, use ones that have food listed as ingredients. This kit included coconut oil. Which I love and was literally out of. So stoked this saved me a trip to the market! I use it in smoothies, coffee (sounds weird, unless you know bullet proof coffee) and for general cooking.
6. Manage Your Weight. True in so many ways! This kit included a variety of protein powders which can be super satiating and caloricly efficient. I use use whey as it’s dense and highly bioavablie, but if you have a problem with diary, there are many plant based products that can be quite good as well. And here are a few more tips for you if you’d like a little more advice on how to pick a protein powder.
7. Recover After Your Workouts. Getting out there to exercise is one thing and recovering properly is another. Not all workouts require special products for recovery, but a very intense workout that tore down muscle tissue for growth can be optimized with some post-workout recovery fuel. A smoothie will do the trick, but something like a powdered recovery drink can be more gym bag friendly and timely. It’s important to get that protein in within 20 min of finishing your workout when your muscles are most venerable and willing to absorb the nutrition.
8. Go with your gut. I wrote an entire post on “how to host a healthy gut party” and probiotics are a beneficial part of that process. I’ll be adding these guys to my weekly vitamin regimen now that I have them in my hands again.

If you’re curious about what else Vitamin Shoppe has to offer, you can check them out on FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest with the handle @VitamineShoppe and use #GetYourGoalOn to grab their attention!

Are you ready to get your goal on?!

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Vitamin Shoppe.