New Year's Resolutions.... Or Not?

This time of year, there is no shortage of articles on New Year's Resolutions. People are scanning the internet for ways to "re-set" or "kick-start," and diets including Keto, Paleo, Whole 30, and others are getting a ton of attention. Dietary supplement sales are on the rise and "how to go vegan" or "how to do intermittent fasting" lead the search engines.

Before you get going on yet another New Year's Resolution, take a minute and think it through. Have you ever created a resolution and after a few months, or even a few weeks, found yourself giving up? The truth is many New Year's resolutions tend to be more strict or extreme than many people are willing or able to stick to. Often times, life gets in the way. Let's say that again for the people in the back... often time LIFE gets in the way of extreme diet makeovers, resets, and overhauls! These drastic approaches are often short-lived and not realistic for the long term.

What if this year the approach is different? Consider this.... Identify what you are trying to do. Are you trying to just improve the overall approach to how you fuel your body? Are you trying to make a change to your body composition? Do you think you could do better with hydration? Cook more meals at home?

Start by giving yourself a score. Take a look at how you are typically fueling and hydration your body and give yourself a score. A 10 means you are doing so well that nothing needs to change and a 1 means you do not even know where to start! There is not an exact science to this. This is your own assessment of how you think you are doing based on your own personal health and performance related goals. When given this task many people often give themselves somewhere between a 4 and a 6. That means you are giving yourself some credit. You ARE doing some things that are serving you. What did you give yourself some points for? Perhaps you do well with hydration? Or maybe you minimize fast food/take-out meals. Focus on the positives- you have some solid habits that have been working for you. Keep it up!

Now, take a look at your score... if you didn't give yourself a 10, what would you like to work on? Not a massive diet overhaul, not a "total body re-set," simply a realistic change that you think you could tackle this year. What is something you could do most of the time that life would not get in the way of?

Could you add a balanced breakfast to your morning routine? Could you increase your water intake? Could you add more vegetables into your day? Let's face it... most of us could use more veggies. Sneak them into your eggs, throw them into your smoothies, add them to your lunch, have them on top of your pizza, your tacos, or tossed into your pasta. Each of these suggestions are additions to your current habits. It is much more fun to focus on adding, rather than restricting. What does your body deserve more of?

The New Year is a time that many people like to create some new goals. There is nothing wrong with using the turn of the year to set some intentions, but this year consider ditching the diets and taking some time to honor your body and give it whatever small changes you think it deserves. Cheers to a happy and healthy 2023!