THE CHECK-IN

While the maxim of eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day is fairly ubiquitous, there haven’t been many guidelines beyond that. Recent research published in Circulation specifies that the produce should be broken into two servings of fruit and three of vegetables and that this daily intake was associated with a lower risk of death among more than two million participants. "The American Heart Association recommends filling at least half your plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal," said Anne Thorndike, M.D., M.P.H., chair of the American Heart Association's nutrition committee and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

“I look at fitness and wellness like the stock market,” says Sami Fanik, Tier X coach at Armonk in New York. “The more I zoom out, the more I should see growth. Being too zoomed in can be defeating if you have an off day (like eating too many carbs after skimping on sleep), week (missing two or even three workouts), or holiday season.” The key, says Fanik, is to uncover any learnings from those “off” days along the way, but then let them go and ensure you’re making progress towards your goals on an annual scale.

“I love taking walks outside without music, no book on tape, just me,” says Cathy Prince, fitness manager at Century City in California. She gets the benefits of low-intensity movement and taking in nature around her. Plus, she uses the opportunity to focus on breath work.