It’s the beginning of the year 2020!  So much to look forward to and like many of you I am looking at ways to get the year started off great!  Eat healthier, exercise more, get out in nature more, spend time and visit with friends and extended family, these are the types of New Year’s resolutions I have on my list.  Things that are not daunting but more doable and in my control.  That’s what I’ve learnt over the years, making New Year’s resolutions that are in my control makes it easier to accomplish and gives a positive boost to my psyche as the year progresses. That’s why these goals are not Climb Mount Everest type of goals but more achievable, ones that can be achieved in as little as a couple of months. The key will be to stick with them for the long haul and make it part of my lifestyle and routine.

2020 A year full of exciting new changes.

It’s hard to believe that Hitesh and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary this year! Where has the time gone?  2020 is a big year in other ways too. My kids are all moving out this year! It’s a HUGE deal for Hitesh and me! For the first time in 25 years we will have no kids in the house.  My eldest is moving into her own apartment and my twins are heading off to college this fall.  Rather than feel down about it all, I’m looking at the positive side of it; I’m going to travel more.  So many friends and family scattered all over the country, and now I’ll get a chance to visit them.  Siblings in Michigan, Philadelphia and Dallas; visit with friends in Atlanta and Vancouver, see my aunties in New Jersey and Myrtle Beach, and we are even heading to Kenya this summer to see Hitesh’s family.  I’m excited for this next chapter of my life.  It’s poignant yet exciting at the same time.

Exercise More.

I already workout on the average 4 days a week, but I want to up it to 5 days a week.  Why not 7 days? Because body does need a break and for whatever reason I have a hard time getting out to workout on weekends when the entire family is home sleeping late, so instead I am going to do just a little more exercise on the weekdays.  In addition to my usual 3 days of strength-training and 2 days of cardio routine, I’m looking to get in at least 30-45 minutes of good heart-rate increasing cardio workout every day.  I’ve noticed that staying on top of a brisk cardio routine 4 to 5 days a week is the key for me to maintain a healthy weight with added benefit of a good nights sleep.  You know what this means?  Not just a stroll or a walk in the neighborhood, but a fast brisk walk, or a walk uphill, or even a jog, whatever it takes to get my heart rate up, up enough that it’s just a little difficult to talk and carry on a conversation.  I’m also aiming to get in more hikes.  My friend Padmini has been an amazing hiking buddy and I hope to continue hiking with her more in 2020.

Garden more:

Gardening is in my blood. I can’t live without it! I was telling the family recently that I had the worst nightmare ever, and they asked me what it was.  It told them that I dreamt we moved into a home that had the tinniest backyard imaginable with no room for a garden! I need my flowers and greenery! I do spend a lot of time in my garden, but days can go by when I don’t go into the yard because of my busy schedule. This year I want to change that. I’m want to aim for spending at least 30 minutes of outdoor garden-time every day no matter what time of day it is.  More time is even better but the key here is spending time every day outside, even if it’s sitting outside in my garden with just a cup of tea. I need to put it on my calendar so life obligations don’t sideline it.

Meet with friends and keep in touch with family more:

Last year I made it a point to meet with my friends more. I was proactive in texting them just to say, “Hi, have a good day.”  Or to send a picture of a flower or my garden in bloom. Even if I couldn’t see them, I wanted them to know I was thinking of them.  I plan on continuing to do this with them and also with my siblings and cousins this year. I want to increase my “high-touch” communication more, and take it to the next level and meet more for coffee or lunch instead of just for a special birthday occasion or holiday.  I’ll probably get a few “No, I’m busy.” but this year I want to be persistent.

Eat healthier.

I am vegetarian and eat healthy most of the time; my vice if you call it that is carbs – in the form of naan, rice, pasta, and chapatis. I love these carby vegetarian breads and pastas and though I don’t eat pasta often, I do love my chapati with my curries and I can buy them readymade at the Indian stores which makes it even easier to add this to my dinner menu.  This year I’m going to start making chapatis at home the way my Mom used to make them.  I used to make them at home for years but then in the last few years the Indian stores made the most delicious chapatis available for purchase and I stopped making chapatis at home, why bother when I could buy delicious ones readymade?  But with anything readymade it’s never going to be as healthy as homemade! I don’t care what the labels say; homemade will always be the healthiest!  With just whole-wheat flour, water and a pinch of salt, my Mom always made chapatis at home. She made them thin and fluffy and would slather each one with ghee.  Two of these thin chapatis are enough to satisfy, and with a steaming bowl of delicious curry and a side of protein-rich daal, this is as wholesome as it gets for a delicious vegetarian meal.  So that’s one modification I’m making to my Indian dinner routine, homemade chapatis!

Cook more brothy dishes:  The second change to my cooking habits is to start making more brothy dishes like the Asian noodle soups, Vietnamese Pho, Miso broth based soups, and even take my go-to Indian curries and make them more into stews and soups.   Because what I’ve noticed is whenever I have a big bowl of ramen soup I feel full and satisfied and yet light at the same time.  Not weighed down after.  It’s the flavorful broth that makes these Asian noodle bowls so delicious and fills me up without feeling stuffed and heavy.  What this means for me is to start experimenting with creating my own flavorful broths at home. With so many herbs and spices and sauces available nowadays this shouldn’t be that hard, at least I hope not!  I’ll post what I create and I encourage you to get creative with them and create your own variations.

Share with you new and exciting articles on healthy living.

There are so many interesting and helpful articles that I come across on living a healthy lifestyle, and take away a little bit of wisdom from each story to incorporate into my life.  In the new year I will start sharing links to these stories as I read them. You may find you can use the information they partake of, or you may find that it is not relevant to you, but either way it is a great way to keep up to date on the latest research on healthy living. We all want to live a long and healthy life in the most natural way possible, keeping abreast of what works is a great way to help us achieve a healthy mind and body.

It’s all about eating healthy, exercising, doing things together with family, meeting with friends, being active in the community, living life with plenty of laughter, be kind to one another, and have a positive outlook.

Get ready folks for a year full of stories and travel logs, exciting new recipes and tried and true old ones too, but most of all recipes packed with good for you veggies, legumes, spices and herbs.

Wishing you a healthy New Year!