Well, I made my way through my 30-Day Clean Eating and Fitness Challenge. I definitely took some liberties and made some allowances. For example, there were a few nights where we ate processed foods – think veggie crumbles and taco shells on Taco Tuesday – in the interest of getting weeknight dinner on the table. I also largely cut out drinking, with the exception an occasional glass of wine on the weekends (incl. at two brunches with friends). But overall, it was just the reset I needed.

A couple of key wins:

• I re-established a regular workout routine. I exercised at least three times each week and got back in the habit of morning workouts.
• I recommitted to eating and serving less processed food. I dusted off my tried-and-true lineup of homemade recipes and got cooking. I froze meals to make healthy “fast foods” and experimented with new recipes to replace convenience foods like oatmeal breakfast bars.
• I took lunches and healthy snacks to work. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. No time is this saying more true than 3 p.m. at the office when coworkers’ candy dishes sing their siren song. This was the time when having fruit and veggies on hand came in handy. Having snack time covered was key.

In the end, I lost four pounds and my clothes are fitting better. I know that these gains can be easily reversed, so I’m planning to keep up the workouts, continue to steer clear of processed food, opt for lower-calorie bevvies and stick to non-alcoholic drinks, at least during the week.

For me, these resets are so important to reinforcing food habits and keeping fit. I’ll do another one for spring if my good habits start to lapse. But my plan is to keep it clean and healthy all year long. I’ll keep you posted.

Hope your year is off to a fun and healthy start, too. If you tried a New Year’s challenge, let me know how you did!