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New Year Boosters for Body and Mind

| January 24, 2016 9:00 PM

(Family Features) A new year is the perfect time to commit to making personal improvements to your body and mind. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available to bolster and guide you for nearly every self-improvement effort you can imagine.

If you’re seeking inspiration, these ideas will put you on track to better yourself inside and out during the coming year.

Eat well with ease. Eating better tops many New Year’s resolution lists, but the demands of a busy schedule can quickly derail your plans. Take the guesswork out of portion control and calorie counting with complete, freshly prepared meals you can pick up or have delivered to your home. Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating offers a range of calorie plans, as well as vegetarian meal options. Based in Illinois, the freshly prepared meal company conveniently serves up weekly plans consisting of three meals per day or 21 meals per week. Learn more by calling 1-800-442-3438 or visiting seattlesutton.com.

Banish stress. Find ways to ease your mind and reduce tension and anxiety like a pro. Although an ultra-connected life can be the source of your stress, it can also give you some handy tools to help keep pressure and worries from mounting. Whether you tend to journal away your aggression, need some quiet time with soothing music or want a mindless distraction while you take a break, you can find dozens of apps to help keep stress in check.

Learn a language. Keep your mind active by challenging yourself to learn a new language. With courses designed by a professional team of linguists, authors and teachers, Babbel tailors lessons to help you become conversational in as little as 10 hours. The interactive lessons are available in 14 different languages and use real vocabulary for real situations. With cloud-based content, you can seamlessly learn at your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet, whether you're at home, taking a break or on the go. Learn more at Babbel.com.

Energize your exercise. When weight loss or a more sculpted shape is the goal you’re pursuing, it can be tough to stay motivated. Keep the long-term prize in sight by celebrating short-term victories. Wearable devices help track your movement and activity, as well as numerous health indicators, so you can watch your progress on a daily and weekly basis as you work toward the finish line.

Fuel yourself. Smoothies are a popular source of vital nutrients and energy – and, luckily, you can make them part of your daily diet with just one machine. The Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ Compact System, which is available at retailers nationwide, provides nutrient and vitamin extraction with high-performance blending to take drink customization to a whole new level. But it doesn’t stop at drinks – the system also helps prepare appetizers, meals and desserts. Accessories include multiple cups, blending and prepping tools and a 30-recipe guide. Additionally, the system offers the first-ever coffee and spice grinder blender attachment (sold separately). For more information, visit ninjakitchen.com.

Putting the right tools and resources in place helps ensure your New Year’s resolutions are within reach, so you can focus on working toward a better version of yourself all year long.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images