12 Tips to Kickstart 2021

There is no spinning it.

2020 has been a challenging year for so many and yet, so many of those issues seem to melt away when we are blanketed with the joy of the holiday season. There is something about this time of year that no matter what transpires, our focus is redirected to renewal, connectivity and reflection. However, there is something else that goes deeper as we go further into the holidays...food and adult beverages! It is everywhere: the office, the virtual office break room (aka your kitchen), in gifts, at your Christmas, Hanukkah dinners or celebrations (pass the latkes and ham... 🤷🏻‍♂‍)—the temptations are everywhere. It may also be at your outdoor holiday party when you play a round robin kickball game...yeah, that happened for Team Fitlife. (Winning team photo above captained by Chef Chris Austin). 


Food and drinks are everywhere this time of year.

With all the divisiveness from 2020, there are two things we can all agree on: 

 A) We love wine with dinner at the holidays. 

 B) On January 1st, we will start to wonder what the heck happened from Thanksgiving to New Years to our bodies. 

It’s okay. You’re not alone. Live it up.

I could tell you to moderate your choices during this joyous holiday season, but people like me who live in the world of health and wellness say the same thing every year and you don’t listen (it’s okay). Plus, it’s 2020. So let’s be honest with each other: you need that glass of wine and time to celebrate more than ever! You made it out of 2020. In fact, have an extra glass on me this year. You deserve it.

Now, don’t worry, you can work it off by eating our new and improved BBQ Beef with Mac & Cheese in 2021. I’m not kidding. It is unbelievable. That is what happens when you bring in someone like Chef Chris Austin. Not only is he captain of the winning kickball team, but we are elevating dishes all the way around! 

But, in reality, in this warmth and joy of the holiday season, don’t think about your diet (if you are like 90% of Americans this time of year, you don’t anyway), think about what you accomplished this year and be grateful. I am not suggesting we let it all go in the last week of the year here, but a little extra indulgence on YOU is completely deserved. YOU earned it.

Now maybe (just maybe) you want that jumpstart into 2021.

Maybe you want to go right from your holiday to “I am going to blow 2021 out of the water.” 


In that case, here are our top 12 tips (in the spirit of the 12 days of Christmas) to get you ready for 2021. 

1. Water. Drink a full glass of water before bed and right when you wake up. Do you go 8 hours throughout the day without water? Just do it when you get up in the AM. Half your body weight in water per day. Just DO it! 

2. No Supermarket Sweep. If you buy it, you will eat it. Be smart at the grocery store. That is why we focus so much on portion sizes at Fitlife. We want you to finish your plate at which is why we have three sizes. 

3. Sleep! I have been loving the app SleepCycle to track my sleep without having to wear a device. Download the App, put your phone next to your bed on your nightstand and you will be amazed at what it tells you about your sleep. With great sleep comes great power, young Jedi. 

4. Read. Readers are Leaders. 10 min before bed each night helps with sleep and learning. We all talk about wanting to read more. 10 pages a day = a 300 page each month of the year. Bill Gates reads something like a book a day. Small baby steps. 

5. Growth Mindset. I am always amazed at the number of people who don’t truly understand the concept of a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset. When you have a growth mindset you are open to learning and want to hear what others have to say. In a fixed mindset you think you are always right. 

6. Emotions are the Gateway. I learned some time ago that when you want to express something, you need to do so with emotion. People don’t attack emotions. They attack the people attacking them. If I were to say to you, “I am feeling frustrated because of ____” the person you are speaking with will be less inclined to say, “No, you’re not.” People don’t tell you what you should and should not feel. You just have to be willing to be vulnerable and share what you are feeling. 

7. Connect. Building genuine connections happens first and foremost by not being a jerk. So many people think they are being tough or something special when they are gruff, don’t respond or are just plain rude. Get these people out of your life. They are bringing you down. If you are one of these people, ask yourself why you are like this five times and keep going deeper. You will probably go way back to your childhood. 

8. Morning Exercise. Move your body every morning. Yes, of course, do it for your body. But the wonders it will have on your mind will be, well, mind blowing. If you have never been addicted to anything, I highly recommend endorphins—definitely a drug to endorse. 

9. Gratitude. We spend so much time looking at what other people have that we forget about what we have. Take some time each day or each week (anything is better than nothing if you are not doing this today) and reflect on what you are grateful for. You will feel some serious good vibes. 

10. Power of Powerful Questions. Stop worrying about the answers to things, think about the questions you want to ask. So often times you will be inclined to share feedback, but instead turn it into a question. People love answering questions, vs. being told what to do. This is one of my biggest commitments to myself this year: to elevate my questions. Instead of “try this,” reframe it with “what have you tried so far?” 

11. Try New Things. Why do we love to travel? Sure we love to relax, but we also love to get out of the day to day and experience new things (something we have been missing during COVID-19). When we try new things, we activate new parts of our brain and get excited about something new. Try new things. 

12. Portion Size, Portion Size, Portion Size. Here is the deal: fad diets stink! No one ever says, “You know what I love? A good diet.” If they are telling you this, they are lying. What people love and crave are flavors. At Fitlife Foods, we give people great flavors that just happen to be amazing and in the perfect portion. If you can’t see yourself living by a fad diet in ten years, don’t do it now. Find the right changes that are sustainable for you and get addicted to the way you feel.

You rocked it this year! Congratulations. 

So as you make your list and check it twice, make sure you also check off all the amazing things you did. Give yourself some credit, because you deserve it. 

We look forward to seeing you and delivering to your door into 2021. We wish you a healthy and happy holiday season and thank you for allowing us to do what we do every day in support and service to you. Here’s to elevating your every day! 

 Thank you,  David