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The new year is here and with it often comes resolutions for how we may want to shift habits or aspects of our lives. For many of us, these goals tend to focus on our health and wellness. A 2021 American survey found the vast majority of New Year's resolutions are centred around doing more exercise, improving diet and losing weight. But if you've ever made such a resolution, you may have also found yourself amongst the 80% of resolutions that fail. If you have, don't beat yourself up -- it's not your fault!
New Year's resolutions have long-been notoriously difficult to stick with. So how can you do things differently this year? Let's discuss how to make a health or wellness resolution that works for you in 2022.
Keep it Simple
One of the biggest reasons we aren't able to succeed at a health goal is it quickly begins to feel too overwhelming or out of reach. In order to counteract this, begin by thinking of a resolution that feels like something attainable you can reasonably achieve over the course of the year.
Be mindful of creating a resolution that is out of your control such as "losing X amount of weight". You ultimately can't determine how many pounds your body feels safe keeping or losing. Instead, consider a goal such as "I want to feel energized more often". Then, break this down into smaller goals such as "I will create a relaxing evening routine that helps me fall asleep more easily", "I will aim to eat at least one nourishing fruit or vegetable with each meal" and "I will do 20-30 minutes of movement 4 days a week".
Rather than launching yourself in and trying to tackle each of these pieces at once, work on one small goal at a time. Once you've spent a few weeks working on one and feel like it has become second nature, you can move onto the next one.
Be Kind to Yourself
One study found it can take anywhere from 2.5 weeks to multiple months to build a habit. It also revealed that missing the intended behaviour for a day did not materially affect the formation of the habit. You know what that means? Give yourself time and don't be so hard on yourself!
If you set the intention of exercising for 30 minutes every day and you miss a day... no worries! Try again the next day. If you find yourself skipping multiple days, perhaps the goal was too big a change. Consider making it 15 minutes a day or taking an extra rest day. Once you get that smaller goal you can see if adding more feels doable. Building healthy habits takes time, so be patient and speak to yourself kindly.
Keep Learning
Did you know your gut health plays a role in your immune system, your mental health and your weight? Or which simple steps you can take to improve your gut health, and thereby these and other systems of the body? How about your sleep -- have you heard that simply exposing your body to natural light during the day can help you fall asleep more quickly and improve the overall quality of your sleep?
There are many small, simple changes that can have a big impact on your health and wellbeing. But there is also a great deal of misinformation to be found online that can make these changes feel overwhelming and confusing.
Make your resolutions more achievable by learning the healthy tweaks that can have the biggest impact on the health of your body and mind. Consider booking one of our Virtual Wellness Sessions for you and your team. You can select from topics such as Healthy Sleep & Self Care and Master Your Gut Health. In the session you'll learn from a registered wellness professional which simple, sustainable changes can have the biggest impact on your health and wellness. You'll also learn practical tips on how to implement these changes. Complete the contact form at the bottom of this page to learn more.