Fresh Year, Fresh Start, Fresh Smile

READY FOR A FRESHER SMILE?

USE PROMO CODE FRESH20 to get a FRESH START on 2019

(Offer Expires 2/4/19)

2018 is now in the rearview mirror. The holidays are over and you’ve no doubt started thinking about those new year’s resolutions that are going to make intense, sweeping changes in your life in 2019. 

The problem is, many of those life-changing “resolutions” that we set for ourselves as one year closes with another on the horizon, is that they’re often just too unrealistic to achieve or way too difficult to maintain. Countless garage treadmills become a clothing valet and the latest fad diet gets tossed in favor of more exciting, tastier, most often, less healthier foods.

And we get mad at ourselves for not sticking to something that was, for the most part, destined to fail. The most important thing to remember when that happens, is that YOU ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. Fad diets, unrealistic goals and putting way too much pressure on yourself to change RIGHT NOW is what sets most people up for disappointment and frustration.

Having and setting goals is GREAT. Wanting to find ways to make yourself feel better or to learn new things is AWESOME. So, let’s not think of these goals as hard and fast, rigid RESOLUTIONS, but rather - A FRESH START!

Fresh IDEAS. Fresh GOALS. Fresh OPPORTUNITIES.  Fresh PERSPECTIVE. Fresh START. Fresh SMILE! 

You’ve guessed, by now, the theme of this blog is FRESH! And that can be applied to so many areas of our lives that it just makes sense. 

From getting in the habit of eating the freshest foods to getting out into the fresh air and sunlight, to having the freshest, most infectious smile that you can – Fresh is a word (and attitude) that we don’t use or practice nearly enough.

Take the pressure off of yourself to get instantaneous results and Immediate change and instead focus on goals that you can really stick to… not get bored of… and that doesn’t deprive you of things that you love, to the point of resentment.  If you do that, there is an excellent chance that you’ll see real and lasting results over the long haul. 

Those are the FRESH CHANGES that last. 

IT’S A FRESH NEW YEAR!

It’s a new year. And whether the old one was good, bad or indifferent for you, it is done.  There’s no going back. So now is a great time to look at the year ahead of you as a FRESH, NEW START!  It’s a chance to reflect on all the great things that worked for you, and figure out fresh new ways to adjust or change the ones that didn’t. These don’t have to be life-altering, budget busting changes. 

A simple dietary TWEAK here, a chance to learn something NEW over there, or a simple adjustment in our exercise routine - getting outside more often, instead of just hitting the gym, for example - is a great way to make FRESH CHANGES that you can stick with. 

Be Realistic with your goals. No one can stick to just diet shakes or rigid, restrictive diet fads.  You’ll get bored very quickly and jump back into the old habits before you know it.  Overdoing exercise when your body is not used to it will cause you to burn out quickly with nothing really to show for it. 

Many of us probably need to exercise more, but the key is to look at exercise In a fresh new way.  Don’t think you have to run a 10K on your first day or even first month or more.  You’ll only get frustrated, so pace yourself.  Start slowly. Stretch. Walk. Gradually increase your pace and intensity. 

Make it fun! Get outside and experience nature.  Being in the sun is great for soaking natural nutrients that our skin and body need but it can also greatly affect your mood.  Studies show that being in the sun (don’t forget your sunscreen), out on the beach or hiking trail or bike path regularly can have a direct and extremely positive effect on your mood and overall happiness.

Gyms are great and can be an important part of anyone’s exercise routine, but mix it up and get outside more. And if you’re going to the gym, don’t compare yourself to others around you. EVERYONE is on their own personal journey.  Looking at things in a fresh new way, will help you to stick to your goals and help you to be much happier and fulfilled on your journey.

Experience things in a fresh new way. A great way to do this is by taking a class or workshop. And don’t throw in the towel on new learning experiences just because you aren’t instantly playing piano concertos or fluently speaking a new language.  Learning a new skill is as challenging as it is ultimately rewarding, so as with other fresh changes, set achievable goals so that you can see real progress.

TRAVEL, SEE THE WORLD, or even find FRESH, NEW EXPERIENCES in your own city, that you haven’t tried before.  There are so many experiences waiting to be discovered in your own backyard, that you really don’t have to go that far for a great new experience.  Find a museum, park or neighborhood that you haven’t been to before and soak it all in. Meet new people, try the local cuisine.  Traveling near or far is an excellent way to not only expand your horizons, but also your overall happiness.  Wherever you are in the world… SMILE. That is the universal language.

One of the best ways to build toward fresh changes, is by creating a FRESH ROUTINE. And the best part of it… this doesn’t have to something overly difficult or time consuming.  It can be as simple as a new skin care regimen in the morning or as ambitious as going for a higher education degree like a new skill certification or a Master’s degree. And there is an unlimited number of things to choose from in between!

Learn a new language. Take a cooking class. Learn how to paint or sketch or master computer graphics. Learn CPR. CPR is not only great skill to know, but it could come in very handy some day when you least expect it. Change up your hair style or hair color. Audit a class at your local college. Go Salsa or Swing dancing! Learn a new skill or trade (whether you plan on making a career out of it or not).

Be bold in your CURIOSITY!  Ask questions until you are satisfied with the answers.

Get out of your comfort zone and shake things up.  And no worries if you are by nature an introvert – there are PLENTY of things that you can do without having to be the life of the party. Changing your routine could open up a whole new world of ideas, experiences and adventures that may have never even known were out there.

And don’t think you have to do this all alone.  Lean on your friends to help you stick to your goals, keep you accountable and go on that journey with you if they like.   Shake off any negativity that might come your way. Find a strong support base and don’t listen to any negative thoughts that come up.  Have a positive, healthy but realistic attitude and find ways that make sense for YOU to have a FRESH ROUTINE. Positive thoughts help grow and support positive actions.  Everything else is just white noise.

One great way to creative positive actions is to VOLUNTEER! It not only helps you with a positive outlook, knowing that you are doing something good for someone, but it can also greatly impact, in a positive way, the lives of so many others.  Check into your cities resources for a wide variety of ways to volunteer, from helping to feed the homeless to giving your time at animal shelters, there is no shortage of ways that you can make a huge impact in other’s lives.

A new routine can help bring amazing new people and experiences into your life. It can open you up to a whole, new world of adventure, travel or amazing new friends.  A new routine doesn’t have to break the bank or take up all of your time.  It can be a few minutes a day trying something new or spread out over days, weeks and months.

Studies have shown that a fresh routine can help foster a fresh, positive attitude, which, in turn, can help you live a longer, much happier life. And it’s important to start off that fresh routine, right from the time you wake up in the morning.  Take care of your skin, exercise, meditate, pray or read a great book.  Eat a healthy, wholesome breakfast and don’t forget to carry that positive, fresh attitude out into the world with you.

A Fresh Routine can give you a bright fresh new outlook on things and that can make you SMILE more – which is far more important than you might think for such a simple act.

Studies have shown that SMILING MORE can instantly boost, not only your attitude, but the attitude of those around you. Smiling releases endorphins that not only make you feel more confident and ready to take on any challenge that might come your way, but also makes you more approachable to everyone around you.

There are many ways with countless activities that can help you create a positive, fresh routine, but when you’re listing all of those things that you’d love to try or experience, don’t forget to SLEEP!  A good night’s sleep and even naps are proven to help elevate your mood and handle anything that comes your way more calmly and efficiently.  A lack of restful sleep can not only hinder your ability to learn and function at your best, but can also have a negative effect on your health.

FRESH ATTITUDE!

Try to stay focused on the good stuff.  Life will always throw us curveballs and it’s certainly not always easy.  But working on your attitude and how you process the negative stuff is so important.  In some cases, this definitely is easier said than done, but like anything thing you are trying to learn or achieve, finding the positive takes practice.  It’s a skill that becomes easier and more natural, the more you do it.

BE ENTHUSIASTIC! Find the joy in the little things as well as the big ones.  And work on being FLEXIBLE and learn to ADAPT.  Laugh a lot more.  People are funny. Animals are funny.  Even the crazy situations that we find ourselves in can be funny (if you dig deep enough).  Share your story! Jump on stage and do an OPEN MIC night.  Sing cheesy Karoke!  Learn to affect people through the power of HUMOR.  Adopt a FRESH PERSPECTIVE. 

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE.  

FRESH FOOD!

One of the simplest ways to get a fresh start on the new year is by a simple change or shift in your diet.  We live in a very fast paced world that doesn’t always make it convenient to be healthy.  Massed produced foods packed chemicals and preservatives, refined sugars, overly processed fast foods and sodium filled canned and frozen goods are all contributing to a growing health crisis around the globe. 

Many doctors, dieticians and scientists suggest and numerous studies confirm that eating fresh meats, proteins, nuts and healthy oils such as Olive Oils as well as plenty of fresh Vegetables and fruits are not only good for your mid-section, but also help promote more energy, better overall health and a better mood – which in turn leads to more confidence and happiness and a better smile.

Make this the year that you decide to START FRESH by EATING FRESH.  That doesn’t have to mean giving up all your favorite foods.  You don’t have to deprive yourself or eat only boring, tasteless foods in order to eat fresher and healthier.  Moderation is the key, along with mixing your eating habits up by adding healthier, fresher items to your meals.

Add more proteins, vegetables and fruits to your diet.  An article on Health.com recently recommend “Eating the Rainbow”, which includes: green, red, purple, yellow and orange fruits and vegetable.  By regularly adding these to your menu, you’ll not only get an abundance of needed vitamins, but the high fiber content will help fill you up faster, making you  less hungry and less prone to over-eating those less healthy foods.

Eating Fresh doesn’t have to be complicated.  And you don’t have to make it an all or nothing proposition. Begin substituting some of the healthier options in a little bit at a time.  And don’t think that you can’t eat the foods you love.  Eliminating everything that you enjoy will only increase your chances of binge eating and cheating.

Immerse yourself in the world of fresh, healthy foods.  Take a COOKING CLASS, head to a farmer’s market (you’ll see the full rainbow of healthy foods on display there) and cook your own meals. Making meals at home and pre-packaging the proportions is a great way to not only regulate your portions, but also helps to curb the tendency to hit the drive through for those less healthy options. 

Keep a journal.  Not only is this great for everyday life to document your thoughts, feeling and emotions as you start on your FRESH JOURNEY, but a FOOD and EXERCISE DIARY will give you a very tangible, thorough and clear view of what you are actually eating throughout the day.

READ LABELS!  Be on the lookout for extremely high fat or sodium levels as well as an abundance or chemicals and preservatives.  Chances are, if you have to look the ingredients up in a science directory, it’s probably not the healthiest option.

Drink a LOT of WATER.  Water is one of the main keys to life and a very important element in maintaining a fresher, healthier lifestyle.  Staying hydrated with plenty of water throughout the day helps to flush your body of toxins and helps to keep your skin looking fresh and radiant.

It also helps to give you a feeling of being full, so drinking an 8-ounce glass of water before meals, can help to curb your appetite.

So HOW DO YOU PUT THESE FRESH NEW IDEAS AND GOALS INTO PRACTICE?  Well, start with a plan.  Make it realistic. Set realistic dates to achieve realistic goals.  Work on that plan, step by step – one step at a time – daily until it becomes a regular part of your fresh routine. 

And if you miss a day (or three) of exercise or decide that you really, really want that piece of cheesecake… Don’t sweat it. Eat it, own it and get back to the plan tomorrow. The important thing is to keep moving forward, keep learning, keep trying new things and keep giving it all the best that you can, on that particular day.

Creating and implementing a Fresh attitude with healthy fresh practices is a great way to kick-start a FRESH NEW YEAR (and keep it going throughout the year and beyond).  At the core it’s all about a HEALTHIER, HAPPIER life.  Don’t forget about your SMILE!  Studies show that a great healthy smile is not only good for your overall happiness and how others interact with you, BUT ALSO is very important for your OVERALL HEALTH. 

You can exercise, eat healthy and do all the things we’ve talked about in this article, but make sure that you have a FRESH HEALTHY ROUTINE for your teeth and gums as well. Bad or neglected oral hygiene is linked to a whole host of potentially very serious medical conditions.  So make sure that you add healthy, regular oral care to your routine.  75 percent of people say that a smile is the first thing that they notice when they meet new people.  So of course, you want to have the brightest, healthiest, FRESHEST SMILE possible.

While we can’t really jump into that exercise routine with you or help you eat those healthier meals, the team at GOSMiLE CAN help you with that brighter, whiter, healthier, fresh smile.

GOSMiLE teeth whitening products are clinically proven to help you achieve that healthy fresh smile.  Go to www.GoSmile.com to learn more about our popular, critically acclaimed and clinically proven teeth whitening products for at home and on the go and start working towards your FRESH NEW YEAR, FRESH NEW GOALS, FRESH NEW ATTITUDE and FRESH NEW SMILE, today. 

READY FOR A FRESHER SMILE?

USE PROMO CODE FRESH20 to get a FRESH START on 2019. 

(Offer Expires 2/4/19)