February 1, 2018

How to start the year on the right foot?

Happy February!

Have you made your New Year Resolutions yet for 2018? Perhaps, you are still contemplating on them; or maybe you’ve come up with a few and realised that it isn’t going to work for you.

New Year Resolutions are great; but let’s be honest, we always tend to come up with goals that are overly ambitious or vague (i.e. I’m going to start eating healthier). Most of the time these goals don’t stick with us because we make them too hard for us and we don’t define it clearly in our mind. For example, eating healthy will mean different things to different people.

Here are some ways you could be more specific about your goals to lead a healthier lifestyle-

1) Losing weight

The most common goal people may have might be to lose weight. If this is you, don’t just say “I am going to lose weight this year.” Ask yourself, “how much is it that I want to lose?” If you have a very large number in mind, remember that you can realistically only lose 0.5-1 kg per week. If you are losing any more than this, it’s not likely to be sustainable. Australian statistics suggest that the most conscious group are 25-34 years, with the most common weight loss goal being 10kg.

2) Saying yes to brekkie

Most people already know that breakfast is a very important meal as it fuels us with energy for the day. However, many struggle with having a proper breakfast due to reasons such as time constraints. But it is possible to step up your breakfast game by prepping it the night before (i.e. portable-breakfast options) or keeping breakfast at your workplace.

3) Eating vegetables

Ask yourself, “When are the times I want to eat more veggies?” Adults need around 5-6 serves of vegetables, and it is not practical to be consuming it all in the one meal. It is best to spread it out during main meals and snacks.

4) Snacking healthier

Many of us don’t plan our snacks and often end up reaching for a bar of chocolate or something from the corner store when they get ‘hangry’. If this is you, it may be helpful to invest in snacks so you can keep it in your bag or at work. Examples of healthier snacks can include a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts, carrot sticks with hummus.

5) Being more active: a lot of people tend to set exercise goals as it closely aligns with losing weight. Statistics show that a higher number of gym memberships are purchased in January, compared to other months. However, gym membership sales drop by March as autumn hits. Before rushing to join a gym you may never use, ask yourself what kind of exercise you’d like to do and how long you’d like to commit each day.

Remember to start slow and be kind to yourself. Remind yourself that it takes time to build good habits!