This morning I was reading my New Year’s Detox – No Juicing Required post that I did a couple of year’s ago and became very unimpressed with myself as I proclaimed one of my goals was to be able to do 5 pull-ups by the end of the year. I’m happy to report that I am currently able to do about a half of a pull-up.

This year, I want to write less about wild and crazy physical goals (ok 5 pull-ups may not seem wild and crazy to you but it’s probably the equivalent to doing an Iron Man for some of us) and more about ‘WTF do I need to do to feel great and kick ass everyday’. Because SERIOUSLY – ISN’T THAT ALL WHAT WE REALLY WANT?! So. I created an Anti-Detox.

And this is the right time to do it. Because we are moving in direction of less perfection, and more production.

Seriously, f*ck perfection.

There’s nothing more yawn-worthy than attempting to perfect and control every little aspect of your life. Are you seriously going to spend the entire year trying to lose 5 lbs? Boring.

What if, instead of focusing on losing something/not eating carbs/not eating Cheetos/not being so fat/whatever your favorite negative goal is, you focused on actually DOING something to look and feel good? What if you focused on eating a solid, balanced snack at 3 pm every single day instead of coming home ravenous at 5 and eating everything in cupboard before dinner (which would probably lead to that 5 lb loss you’re looking for). Or, what if you made it a point to improve your digestion and gut health by including more fermented foods and resistant starches, thereby drastically improving your bloating issues, and you just lose the 5 lbs that way without even thinking about it?

This isn’t a ‘focus on doing something positive’ speech, this is a ‘focus on DOING’ speech. Because you know what? It can actually be a hell of a lot easier to do something about your health and the way you feel about yourself than to try to break a bad habit.

HERE’S SOME WAYS TO ANTI-DETOX AND UPGRADE YOUR LIFE THIS YEAR.

Incorporate some of these and watch your bad habits just sort of become less important to you, rather than focus on trying to cut the bad habits out altogether.

1.Eat more fermented stuff. Listen up – the health of your gut is directly related to how well your immune system functions. Catch the flu? Spent weeks fighting a cold that you couldn’t get over? Feel achy all the time? Have weird skin issues? You can probably trace most of these issues back to having too much bad bacteria and not enough good bacteria in your gut. Pick up some good quality yogurt or kefir, drink kombucha and buy some raw, fermented veggies or kimchi. If you spend some time focusing on the health of your gut, I promise you that you’ll have a healthier 2017.

2. Make your own kombucha at home. WHY NOT. Kombucha is a fermented drink that has been all the rage the last couple of years – there are rows and rows of this stuff in the refrigerator section of just about every grocery store now, it seems. You can make it for pennies at home and it’s such an effective (and delish) way to amp up your gut health. Here’s a kombucha kit you can order on Amazon to get it started, and here’s a few recipes!

3. Add apple cider vinegar to your morning routine. ACV contains live bacteria (i.e. probiotics) so, big surprise here, it’s good for your gut! OMG IM OBSESSED, OK? It’s also great if you have digestion issues caused by low stomach acid. If you’re wild, take a shot of raw, apple cider vinegar in the morning. Or just add a splash to salad dressing or your veggies for a nice zingy flavor, or make this tea. There are also some cool vinegar drinks on the market now so this is very on trend (aka you’ll be cool for drinking it).

4. Pick up some turmeric. Turmeric is a crazy potent anti-inflammatory that is accessible to everyone – it’s inexpensive and you can pick it up at your local grocery store. Inflammation is no joke – it suppresses your immune system and makes you feel like sh*t in the short term, but chronic inflammation can lead to heart disease, stroke and a myriad of serious issues in the long term. Add a pinch to smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt or try this golden milk before bed.

5. Start meal prepping this week. If you’re not on this wagon yet, just do it. Even if you suck at it. Believe me when I say that preparing a few meals on Sunday will change your freakin’ life. I see it over and over again, and so many of my clients directly contribute their success to the hour of meal prepping they do every week. And when I say success, I don’t just mean weight loss – I mean having extra time to do the things they actually want to do by not having to be in the kitchen every night. Need help in this department? Check out my Meal Prep like a Badass Guide or talk to me for some individualized help.

6. Eat more plants. Especially with all the frozen fruit and vegetable options these days (seriously – I saw frozen riced cauliflower at WALMART the other day) you truly don’t have an excuse to be eliminating plants from your weekly menu anymore. More plants = more fiber in your diet = better blood sugar control, better digestion, improved heart health, etc, etc, etc. Not to mention all the vitamin, minerals and essential nutrients you’ll be adding to your diet. Win.

7. Eat more fat. OMGGG can we plz just stop being afraid of fat for the love? Healthy fats give us ENERGY (like, a lot), makes our metabolism work the way it’s supposed to, and keeps us feeling full so we don’t binge on crap. Add an avocado a day and report back to me. I dare you.

8.Listen up. I get so many questions about meal timing and ‘is it ok to eat at *insert a specific time*’ – We’ve been conditioned with these food rules but damn, do you know how ridiculously cool your body is? It was made to SURVIVE this insane world we live in. It KNOWS when you need to eat and when you don’t. And it tells you. But we’ve managed to screw this up by following dieting rules and we’ve thrown internal decision making mechanisms totally out of whack. So, I challenge you to stop and listen – be intentionally mindful of your hunger levels and obey them. If you’re able to do this, you’ll be amazed at the results – both physically and mentally.

9.Collagen is the new kale.Glowing skin, shiny hair, strong nails and a healthy digestive system are just a few of the benefits you can get from adding collagen to your diet. Yes, our bodies are made up of collagen, but after the age of 25 we become less efficient at making it. That would explain why we start seeing signs of aging in our late 20’s. I love both Great Lakes and Vital Proteins for my collagen fix and it’s something I take every day without fail. Mostly because I’m vain.

10. Love yourself. Guys, not taking care of yourself is so 2015. We saw a SURGE of the body positive (#BoPo) movement, feminist power (#girlboss) and the self-care trend in 2016 and it’s not stopping any time soon (or, hopefully, EVER). Jump on this wagon – it’s not cool to call yourself fat and it makes you feel like shit and guess what? Nobody cares. Embrace where you’re at, start doing some positive things for your health and your body and you’ll be a heck of a lot happier. And when you’re happy, good things happen.

Happy New Year everyone! I’ve given 2016 a swift kick in the ass and I’m ready. Tweet me @NutrAddiction your POSITIVE New Year resolutions!