Every January 1st we all make a concerted effort to come up with either one or a series of new years resolutions, which often are food or drink related. These can range from I must eat less chocolate, less sweets, less crisps, less in general. Or I must drink less alcohol, less coffee, less Coca Cola and so on! Some resolutions may be to do more of something, like, I must eat more fruit, more veg, more regularly! Some are more general like to feel fitter, lose weight or exercise more. The things these all have in common are that they are working towards the goal of being more healthy. The sad thing they may all have in common is a lot of the time they are short lived! It is well known that gyms are flooded with people jumping on a new keep fit band wagon, or weight loss clubs have hundreds of new members joining in January. Even I see more clients in the first two months of the year than any other month, as people are so determined to get healthy! The problem is many fad diets/healthy eating plans, adverts with fast solutions to health issues, and the media all feed us the message that we all need to strive for the quick fix to get healthy, lose weight, achieve the prefect body and so on, but non of this is focused on gradual long term changes, it is focused on short term unrealistic changes that can never be sustained, as many of us are not able to make such huge changes in the first place, or simply don’t feel ready to change something on a long term basis, as we may want/need that food in our life too much still . This is often what many new years resolutions are based around, which is why they don’t last. I feel if you are working towards being fitter and healthier then it is more beneficial to do something on a long term basis, so it’s important to pick something you can stick to. With this on mind you can start with something really small, like I am going to eat more greens. Also, this resolution doesn’t have to to be giving something up either. Sometimes there is a huge focus on getting away from/giving up something, which can have a negative connotation, so it is also useful to thinking what would I like to do more of/work towards to?
If you are to make any resolutions think of these things first:
- Why are you making this resolution?
- Is it more something you want to work towards or do more of?
- Do you want to make this change in the short or long term?
- Is it realistic for you?
- What do you need to have in place to succeed in the long term?
Hope this has provided you with some helpful hints and tips for the New Year. Happy New Year! To find out more facts about some of the topics mentioned in my blog follow me on twitter through the link on my website.