Happy New Year!
Are you feeling overwhelmed with the pressure of new beginnings, new you and ideas to change your entire life simply because the date changed? Every new year, we are bombarded with ways to change our routines and become a new person with 100% perfect habits and lifestyle only to find that by the 17th, you are taking part in ‘Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day’, yes it exists!
It is too easy to set ourselves impossible to achieve targets that are never going to happen and then risk that feeling of failure when we don’t achieve them. But there is nothing wrong with using the change in the calendar to give yourself the opportunity to makes some positive and realistic changes. Set small goals, that are just that bit out of reach and allow yourself a positive moment when you reach them. You can then set the next level up and so on. A much easier way to reach those goals that on their own seem impossible to reach.
Give yourself managable goals and then a pat on the back when you have achieved them.
Simple health goals can make a big difference to your overall well being and can be easy to integrate into your lifestyle if you do a bit of planning. Here are some ideas to get you started, tweak them to make them work for you.
Renew
It’s a new year and we are magically supposed become a whole new person. It’s not that easy is it? So, take little steps to make a difference. Yes, you could renew your gym membership, but have you used it over the last year? If not then don’t do it, use the money you save to perhaps by a good pair of walking shoes and get outside for a good long walk once or twice a week.
Renew your connection with the outside and nature, it can do wonders for your mental health, your cardiovascular system and your mobility. You can do it alone or make it sociable and do it with others. Maybe your area has a walking group that meets regularly.
Refresh
How’s your diet? Are you still wading through the cheese mountain or eating the sweets left at the bottom of the tin that no one else likes? Is the cupboard still full of snacks and weird flavoured crisps that you don’t know why you bought in the first place? Time to refresh the cupboards and your diet.
First of all, look at all the expiry dates. Many foods will have months of life left. Put them in a place where you are note tempted to much your way through them, but where they can be found when you have an impromptu guest, a birthday party, a movie night or just need a treat. If anything is short dated, either plan to eat it, give it away to someone who will use it or donate it to a local charity. Spreading it out means you are not going to be able to binge on biscuits and someone else gets to enjoy something too.
When the weather is cold, it can be hard to think about healthy foods, so look for little wins that can make a big difference. Make soups and casseroles, they are warming, filling and can be very economical too. Which is great if you are trying to watch the pennies after Christmas expenses. Lots of veg, even the tired stuff at the back of the fridge, can make nutritious and tasty soups. Pep them up with spices and herbs, to add a different flavour. Blitz them or leave it chunky, top with seeds and a swirl of olive oil for that Instagram friendly look! (And for all the nutritional benefits too!)
If you are taking part in Veganuary this month, soups and vegetable casseroles can be a great way to help you eat some delicious vegan food without having to try and source difficult to get ingredients. Veganuary have produced plenty of recipes to get you started.
Do you fine eating salads hard at this time of year? Make them bold with strong flavoured ingredients. Try peppery watercress, bitter endive or aniseed flavoured fennel. Mix them up with traditional ingredients or toss in some warm roasted sweet potato, grilled chicken or oily fish such as poached salmon or mackerel fillets. Winter salads can give your digestive system a rest from the heavier foods of Christmas as well as helping increase your nutrient intake. Raw foods also help support our digestive health, eating a salad before your main meal can support your digestion and help you feel full up. Check out some amazing winter salad ideas here.
Revitalise
Time to look at your supplement regime. Could it do with a bit of revitalising? How old are some of those bottles lurking at the back of the cupboard? Time for a new year clear out!
Whilst usually not dangerous to take, out of date supplements may well not contain what you think they do. Manufacturers will have tested the shelf life of a product and will guarantee that the product will match the label claim until the end of the shelf life. However, a bottle of B Complex that is 2 years past its best is unlikely to contain many nutrients. Oil supplements can go off and become rancid, capsules can disintegrate over time and herbal supplements can lose their active principles over time.
Simple changes, such as a resolve to make small differences to your diet can have a very positive change.
Throw out anything that is out of date, remembering that much of the packaging is recyclable. Next, look at what you regularly take. Have you added in anything that means you are now doubling up on amounts of nutrients or herbals? Although there is a high safety margin with most supplements, for water soluble ones like Vitamins B and C, if you take more than your body needs, it is flushed out in the urine. Too much zinc may make you feel nauseous and taking multiple herbal supplements designed to help you relax can cause you to fee drowsy.
It can be a good time to review your supplements and throw out anything out of date!
Think about what you need right now and resolve to revisit and adjust in three months time. This is one of the best ways of making sure that your supplement regime stays in line with your lifestyle and health. Adjust and alter as you need to throughout the year.
Are you wondering why you might have a certain supplement in your cupboard? Here are a few of the most popular supplements.
- If you looking to make sure your immune system is functioning as it should, look for Vitamin C and D and the mineral Zinc.
- B Vitamins and Magnesium are needed to help your nervous system function properly and play a role in reducing tiredness and fatigue.
- If you are thinking of healthy skin, Vitamin C is important for collagen production and vitamin E can help prevent oxidative stress and keeps cells in good condition.
- Calcium and vitamin D are needed for bone health and healthy teeth.
Set yourself easy targets, put a sticker or a tick in your (new) diary to help keep track of taking your supplements daily or drinking a glass of water. Simple health trackers can be downloaded and stuck on your notice board. A daily reminder to create your new habit without the hassle.
Enjoy the new year and use it as a starting point for new starts, but don’t let the pressure of too many changes get to you. May your New Year resolution be to be the best version of you that you can. We wish you all a happy and healthy 2022.
The new year and new beginnings needn’t be overwhelming, following these simple ideas can help you make positive changes without the need to turn your world upside down and cause you more angst that positivity.
The New Year can bring an overwhelming pressure to change into a New You overnight, it doesn’t have to be like that.
