5 Tips for a Healthy and Happy 2020!

As a personal chef in Delaware, I know a thing or two about trying to cultivate a healthy lifestyle. With the new year fast approaching, I’m sure many of you are starting to pen New Year’s resolutions. Having provided boutique catering for many community members in Wilmington and Middletown, I’ve come up with 5 of my own tips that will help you kick start a healthy and happy 2020!

1. Eat more home-cooked meals

Many of you will start off 2020 by resolving to “eating healthier.” The process of eating healthier begins at home. While eating out is often more time effective, it is not healthier or cheaper. The benefits of cooking at home far outweigh the efficiency of eating out. When you make home-cooked meals, you not only control the ingredients going into your body but you also control the portion size. Overeating is a huge contributor to obesity and long-term health problems. When eating home-cooked meals, you can determine your own portion size and limit how much food you eat. Save time and energy by making easy home-cooked meals like chicken and vegetables or fish and lentils.

2. Boost up your vegetables

Eat more vegetables

We’ve heard it over and over, “Eat your veggies!” I’m here to remind you that increasing the amount of vegetables you eat every day is a fast track to a healthier immune system and lifestyle. Vegetables are naturally low in fats and calories and high in potassium, vitamins, and dietary fiber. Choose to snack on broccoli, kale or spinach. If you can’t stand traditional vegetables, there are other options like kale chips or veggie straws — just start somewhere.

3. Take a cooking class

I’ve been lucky enough to be a personal chef and provide boutique catering in Delaware. With that, I’ve had the opportunity to teach many cooking classes where I share some of my best cooking and entertaining hacks. Starting the new year off by fine-tuning your cooking skills is the perfect way to embark on a healthier lifestyle. Learning tricks from chefs will help you create more dynamic meals at home, shake up old recipes and leave your friends and family satisfied. Cooking classes provide a nutritional and culinary foundation that will enable you to cook better, healthier, and more flavorful food. Interested in taking a class? Reach out and we can find an option that works for you!

4. Stay hydrated

Just like eating your veggies, staying properly hydrated is essential in your quest for a healthy and happy 2020. Many people spend their days extremely dehydrated and don’t even realize it. Investing in a water bottle and taking it with you to work, school, and the gym will not only change your body, but improve your mental health. It will help curb overeating, maintain energy, and keep your mind sharp and active. Make your hydration more fun with an infused water bottle. You can add in fun flavors such as rosemary, lemon, or your favorite fruit!

5. Find time to be active everyday

While this final tip is nothing you haven’t heard before, I want to emphasize that the type and length of exercise doesn’t matter so much as the consistency of it does. While only carving out 15 minutes a day to walk around the block doesn’t seem like much, doing it every day is what will make the difference. Whether you do triathlons or a few squats in your living room, find time each day to focus on your body and listen to what it’s telling you. Start where you’re at and grow from there! If you are struggling to find the time to exercise, think about where else in your day you can carve out time. Can you wake up 15 minutes earlier for yoga, or hire About the Table to allow 2 nights a week at the gym while still eating healthy?

Overall, we all know the basics of being healthy. One of my favorite things about being a personal chef in Delaware is that I am able to take something that I love and use that help families get healthier every day. Here’s to a healthy and happy 2020!