Spoiler alert: while these resolutions are not focused on weight loss, all of these resolutions can definitely lead to weight loss. Although I’m anti-fad diets, I’m not anti wanting to set goals that help you meet your goals and if that goal is ultimately losing weight, I support that. My goal as a registered dietitian is that losing weight or making a health change actually leads to positive changes in your mental, emotional and physical health. That’s is what is missing in most all fad diets, and quick fixes — they don’t leave you in a good place mentally, emotionally and physically if only work for a short time, or don’t work at all!
I believe these 9 New Years resolution’s that are not focused on weight loss can help your physical, emotional and mental health in ways that can lead to weight loss and other health benefits. Free up space, Many are geared toward self-care and some are meant to jazz up your health and nutrition routine! That’s the best part about heading into a new year, and a new decade — the possibilities are endless and what better time to try something new to feel your best and become the best version of yourself than right now?!
9 New Years Resolutions That Are Not Focused on Weight Loss
Cook at Home at Least 3 Times Per Week. Challenge yourself to pick up some produce you’ve never had, pull up a recipe on your phone and get cooking! Rediscover or uncover your love of a good home cooked meal and how fun it can be to make. They don’t have to be super fancy and you can definitely use some freezer items to help you! You’ll save calories, eat less salt and sugar and save money. That’s a win, win, win!
Eat More Plants & Keep Them At Your House. Plant-based meals are not going anywhere so why not skip the meat in a meal or two each week and opt for a plant-based source of protein like quinoa or lentils. Benefits of incorporating more plants into your diet include a lower risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Oh and it turns out that house plants can have a huge impact on your health at home too! Studies have proven that indoor plants improve concentration and productivity by up to 15%, reduce stress levels and boost your mood — making them perfect for not just your home but your work space, too.
Incorporate a Probiotic Into Your Daily Routine. This is one of the easiest things you can add to your daily routine literally tomorrow that can have big benefits on your physical, and mental health. We are learning so much about how our gut health impacts our immune system, emotions, and digestion to name a few. Gut health is something I majorly geek out over and having had my own digestion issues this past year, I’m so excited to be partnering with mindbodygreen to spread the news about their new probiotic. I’ve been taking it for the past few months and can’t recommend it enough because it was the first thing to help with my IBS symptoms that were happening out of the blue! It’s the first probiotic with four strands good bacteria clinically shown to beat bloating, improve digestion, and help reduce abdominal fat.* It’s formulated to reset your gut, relieve IBS symptoms, and help reduce waist circumference.* As a dietitian I highly recommend incorporating one into your daily routine and this is the best one I’ve seen yet!
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Be Ok Saying No. I am a type A people pleaser and I know first hand what FOMO feels like to an exaggerated degree, so this one is hard for me too. But I got to a point where I was constantly sacrificing my own happiness in order to say yes to someone else. Not ok! This year I did something that I plan on doing again that was paramount for my satiety, happiness and my time management. I put a sticky note on my computer that had 3 questions on it. 1) “will this make me happy?” 2) “does this align with my goals” 3) “will I learn something from this” — depending on how many “no’s” I tallied, reevaluated my “yes”. More than anything it made me slow down without blurting out “yes” to something I wasn’t 100% or even 50% passionate about doing or going too. It’s not selfish to free up some time you want to spend on yourself. Maybe that’s a massage, maybe an hour at the gym, or whatever you need that day. Practice saying no in 2020 and see how it makes you feel and approach your precious time!
Make Time to Meditate. Our generation is definitely in tune with our mental health and are not afraid to take action, see a therapist if needed, or simply speak up when they feel like they need help. That said in our busy lives when do we really have a chance to sit with our thoughts in peace and let the feelings flow? Answer: almost never. Dedicating some time whether that’s on your mat or with an app in the mornings before work to meditate is something I think is one of the most powerful things we can do for our mental health. Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of our attitude and mindset, sometimes it just takes getting in the right headspace to find it.
Revitalize Your Workout Routine But Make it Fun. Trying new workout classes is my jam, but at the same time I can totally get stuck in a routine of doing the same thing over and over again. Gone are the days when workout is punishment for your body and the time is now to find JOYFUL MOVEMENT that you like doing. Honestly that is the best type of workout for your body! This year I’m thinking of taking dance classes. What will yours be?!
Plan a Sober Month. Every January I do a dry January and honestly look forward to it so much. My sleep gets better, I feel stronger during my workouts, and I’m less anxious (hangover anxiety is a real thing and I suffer from it almost every time I drink). It really helps me reevaluate my relationship with drinking and remind me that I really don’t need a glass of wine every night to unwind or be social in certain situations!
Prioritize Getting 7-8 Hours of Sleep a Night. Sleep is so important. I’ll say that again. Sleep is so important! My clients often wonder why one of the first questions I ask them is about how they are sleeping, and it’s because sleep has a huge impact on your nutrition choices the next day. Ever wonder why you crave carbs, sweets and fatty foods when you’re running on low sleep?! It is all connected. I know for me when I’m sleep deprived I don’t feel like working out or even being social in extreme cases. I’m resolving to go to bed a little earlier to capitalize on those Z’s. Like why am I staying up for the 10 o’clock news anyways?!
Simplify / Declutter Your Daily Routine. Decision fatigue was really hitting me hard these last few months of the year. I started feeling like simple tasks like cleaning my desk off or wiping a sink full of clean dishes felt like a mountain to climb. I finally realized that small things felt SO hard because there was just a lot of clutter in my life both literally and figuratively. The solution? For me it’s going to be about keeping my work space clean and letting meditation free up some headspace too. It’s going to be about continuing to say no to things that don’t serve me and tuning more into the things that let me “play”. These are things that make me happy and are lighthearted fun.
