New Year, New You, New…Kitchen?

If you’ve spent any time around a nutritionist or fitness instructor, in pursuit of your ideal physique, then it’s possible you’ve heard the phrase “Abs are made in the kitchen.”

It turns out that statement is not only true when it comes to nutrition and the groceries in your fridge but also your fridge itself! In fact, the way your entire kitchen looks and functions could play a role in how well you do with sticking to your health and lifestyle goals.

A 2017 study published by Houzz showed connections between new, updated kitchens and healthier lifestyle choices.

According to the study, one third of homeowners report leading a healthier lifestyle after a kitchen renovation, from eating more fruits and vegetables to preparing more meals at home. The other two thirds of homeowners believed they maintained the same level of healthy choices as prior to their kitchen updates. In other words, no one reported their lifestyles becoming “worse.”

If you’re wondering what exactly the study defines as “healthy,” the new healthy habits following a home kitchen renovation include:

Cooking more meals at home (41%)

Ordering less takeout (34%)

Eating more fruits and vegetables (26%) and

More than three-fourths of subjects cook five or more meals at home each week after their renovation (76%)

Upgraded appliances were part of 83% of the renovations, which showed an increase in the number of new appliances added from the previous year across all appliance categories except for microwaves which showed a 4% decrease.

Home renovations can feel like a big undertaking, sometimes they are, and more often than not they are well worth the investment. 20% of the study’s participants spent between $50k - $100k on their renovation and 9% spent over the $100k mark. Motivations for taking on a kitchen renovation varied—the top 3 reasons given were:

Could no longer stand their old kitchen

Wanted to do it all along and finally had the means

Purchased their own home recently and wanted to make it their own

Do any of these apply to you? If you’re ready to give your kitchen a makeover Mountain High Appliance has an excellent selection of products and knowledgeable staff to help guide you through the process. Come and check out one of our weekend Chef Demo’s and take our appliances for a test drive before committing to anything, and if one of your goals for 2018 is to save money… Mountain High Appliance can help with that too.

Visit this link to read the full report and methodology Houzz used in their study.