12 Ways I'm Going To Be Good To My Body In 2015

After many years of health ups and downs, I couldn't help but feel like I was failing at my lofty wellness goals year round. By last January, with a raging case of adult acne that no one could solve and a general halo of guilt that hovered over all my health choices, I knew I had to change my approach.

Here's what my year will look like:

Since most people like to start the year with a detox, I'll be recommitting to my liver by giving up three of my favorite vices. Part of the challenge will be tuning into why I crave these items, and what I can do going forward to re-tox in a healthier way.

I'll be doing Make-Up Free Mondays to re-evaluate my relationship with liquid courage in concealer form. Becoming more comfortable in the skin I'm in is a necessary step in transitioning to organic makeup, where there's less of an emphasis on "covering" up your face.

To make healthy eating more affordable, I'm challenging my budgeting skills to see how far I can stretch $40 at the Farmer' market. Every Sunday, I'll come home with my organic loot and turn it into as many healthy meals as possible for the week ahead.

One of the simplest changes you can make to improve your general wellbeing is to drink more water. The rule is to aim to drink half your body weight in ounces. There's a great app called Moro that can help you log your progress each day.

Since I started spending more time freelance writing than cooking professionally, I've suffered from chronic lower back pain. There are many gadgets and treatments available. But the simplest fix is to simply get up and move. There are a few timer apps to help set reminders for when it's time to stand up and give your body a little stretch.

Sure, there are a million products out there that promise stronger, shinier strands. But the best way to fuel your hair health is by improving your diet and limiting the amount of damage your inflict on your locks. One way to cut down on daily abuse is to limit your heat styling. I'm going to attempt to cut it out completely to give my hair a reset.

For the last 5 years, while my adrenals have been in limbo, I've been on a pretty steady fitness downward spiral. And while in my early twenties I could go a month without exercising and then snap my droopy delts back into gear with a 4-mile run, when months turn into years, you eventually reach a point when you've officially "let yourself go." I'm going to try to get it back with a little light exercise every day. And yes, walking counts.

Sex itself is great for your health. It's great for reducing stress by helping to balance your cortisol levels. As women, we benefit from tailoring our eating, exercise and pleasure habits to different parts of our cycle. Since energy levels fluctuate depending on the time of the month, it helps to choose milder or more strenuous forms of movement accordingly, even in the bedroom.

There are many digestive supplements and probiotics that can help repair your digestive system. But it often doesn't matter what you eat, if you're not chewing your food properly. Saliva is such an important piece of our digestive puzzle and we often swallow our food down so fast that our bellies are forced to do most of the work. Chewing properly is an arduous task and one that takes time to reprogram in our daily lives.

There are lots of times as a busy New Yorker, when the subway inexplicably just skips my stop or the line for Trader Joe's wraps around the block, that I have to take a breath and ask myself: "What would my calm twin do right now?" Stress is one of the most corrosive things on the body. And being complicated emotional beings, alleviating it is a deeply individual and complex process. I'm going to begin by meditating for 20 minutes everyday.

Like drinking more water, getting a full night's sleep is one of those common sense health practices that we know we should embrace as a non-negotiable, but rarely do in practice. Being a busy professional, sleep can often feel like a waste of time. Part of making it a priority means reorganizing the day to ensure an early bedtime, which is easier said than done.

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