When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions related to nutrition and exercise, people often try to make a complete overhaul of their diet and workout regime. Trying to commit to a resolution like this can be overwhelming, exhausting, and in truth, quite unsustainable. Here are some helpful resolution tips so you can stick to them for the long-term and feel successful while doing it!
Resolution Tips for Eating Healthier
In order to craft the perfect New Year’s resolution, there are plenty of ways to set yourself up for success. When people say that their New Year’s resolution is going to be to eat healthier and go on a so-called “diet”, those are the food-related resolutions that are hard to sustain because they are non-specific. My advice to those who want to make a food-related resolution? Stick to the SMART guidelines. Pick out one specific dietary change that you would like to make and stick with it. For example, increase the number of servings of vegetables that you consume each day, or decrease your added sugar intake. Increasing your veggie consumption will pack your diet with many beneficial vitamins and minerals, increase your fiber, and they are low in calories. By decreasing your added sugar consumption from sweets such as cookies, cake, chocolate, and other desserts, you will increase your intake of other foods that provide the body with more nutrients, which results in less inflammation.
Other food-related resolutions that are a great place to start include meal prepping, trying more smaller meals throughout the day, eating breakfast, not eating after dinner, and the list goes on. Food-related resolutions like these can make someone feel more successful when trying to stick to it for the year.
Resolution Tips for Exercise
The same that goes for food-related resolutions also goes for exercise-related ones! The most common thing that happens when the New Year rolls around is everyone wants to join a gym and go as often as possible. Joining a gym is a great start to an exercise-related resolution, but it’s important to start out slow. My top advice when it comes to joining a new gym in the New Year is to first familiarize yourself with the fitness facility and everything they have to offer. Take advantage of the staff and their knowledge to develop a program that’s right for you. This will make going to the gym and working out easier and more comfortable. Again, make a resolution that is specific and easy to measure. For example, tell yourself that you are going to workout for 15 minutes a day. Whether at a gym, at home, or somewhere else, find a place that’s convenient. Or pledge to make it to the gym 3 times in the first week and see how you feel. New Year’s resolutions like these will be the ones that last and will make you feel proud instead of discouraged. Thus, you’ll have more motivation to keep going!
Set Yourself up for Success
Be easy on yourself this New Year and choose a resolution that will make you feel successful, proud, and healthier throughout the whole year! And the best part about these resolutions is that if the end goal is that you really DO want to “lose weight” or “just be healthier,” these will all get you started on the right track! Have a happy and healthy New Year!
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Written by Taylor Thompson, Certified Personal Trainer & Nutritionist at Elite Sports Club – Brookfield
Taylor has a B.S. in Dietetics from UW-Stevens Point and is an American Council of Exercise (ACE) Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) and Certified Zumba Instructor. She specializes in Nutrition & Weight Loss, Youth Training, Strength Training, and Kickboxing. Taylor enjoys dancing, traveling, cooking, and spending time with friends. She believes that you have to love yourself enough that you are willing to make changes and push yourself outside your comfort zone where big results can be achieved.