As December becomes January, there is always a massive pressure to make changes and begin anew. Just the very thought of changing everything with new goals and targets can be stressful enough in itself let alone actually making those changes. But do you need to turn your world upside down to actually make improvements?
We all know it, New Year changes can be overwhelming and too much. Simple steps make your changes achievable and sustainable.
In short, no you don’t. Take the pressure off yourself and decide to do what works for you rather than a media image what a new year should bring. That is not to say that it can be a good time to make some decisions and changes that could benefit you, but you can choose to do it in a gentler way.
Most of us can see where there are stresses and strains in our lives, and it can be all to easy to focus on the negatives. How often do we focus on the positives that we do every day that can often make an important difference to our wellbeing?
At this time of year, there are plenty of options out there to help guide you through making plans, journalling and goal setting, so instead, let’s look at some simple and achievable steps you can take to support and maybe improve your wellness without turning your world upside down or setting far off goals.
How many cups of tea and coffee do you have in a day? Swap one out for a herbal or fruit tea to ring the changes and naturally reduce your caffeine intake.
How many cups of tea or coffee do you drink every day? Could it be that you have more than you realise and that the caffeine present in both tea and coffee could be contributing to you not getting off to sleep for example? If you want to slowly reduce your intake why not swap out one cup of tea or coffee for a herbal or fruit tea? There are so many varieties now, that it is easy to find one you like. This little win will not only give you a break from tea or coffee but if you have sugar and or milk in your drinks, you will be reducing the intake of those too and this might help reduce a few calories if that is something that you are aiming to do.
Too much coffee can be dehydrating, so while we are looking at drinks, how much water do you drink every day? Many of us are dehydrated without really knowing it. Everything from dry and dull skin, tiredness, lack of concentration and even poor digestion. Swap another tea or coffee for a full glass of water.
It is suggested that we drink around 2 litres of water a day, but we are all different and may benefit from more or a bit less. The easy way to see if you are adequately hydrated is to look at your urine. Ideally, it will be light straw coloured, the darker it is, the more dehydrated you are likely to be. This can be an easy way to notice when you need more hydration. Aim to drink regularly throughout the day, not a massive amount in one go.
We often hear that we are what we eat, or perhaps more appropriately what we digest, but again it can be difficult to overhaul your diet in one go. As with the teas and coffees, you could pick one meal that you are going to work on improving. For example, do you always have a sugar laden cereal for breakfast? Or maybe you don’t eat breakfast at all. Simple swaps to help keep you going until lunch time and also add nutrition to your diet, muesli and porridge, especially if you add seeds and nuts as a source of minerals and healthy oils. Flax or help seeds can add good fibres along with the soluble fibres in oats help to keep the gut clean and can help keep the digestive system healthy.
Yoghurt with fresh fruit, boiled or poached eggs, avocados, wholemeal or sourdough bread, all simple ways to make your diet a little healthier. As you get used to healthier breakfasts, you can target another meal or your snacks. Changing one thing at a time until it becomes a new habit is far more likely to bring you success than clearing out your cupboards and changing everything at once.
How about your supplements? Do you buy the latest thing, take it for a couple of weeks and then forget it leaving it in the cupboard? You are not alone; many people will add to their regime and not always keep it up. However, a few easy changes can put an end to that and help you get the best nutritional and economic value out of your supplements.
It’s time to tidy up your supplement stash … do you still need it and is it still in date? Could something else be better?
When did you last look at your collection of supplements? Are they all still in date? Did you start taking it for something specific and not need it now? Maybe you have doubled up on something? Use the new year as an opportunity to identify what you really need and what can be put out.
Why are you taking your supplements? Here are a few ideas for adding supplements to help you build a supplement regime to complement your diet and lifestyle.
Maybe it is an overall top up you are looking for, if so choose a multivitamin and mineral, look for nutrients in their active forms for the best absorption.
Are you stressed and find it difficult to keep calm? B vitamins and magnesium are useful here. B vitamins are also used by the body to help reduce tiredness and fatigue. Take them at breakfast time or lunch time, some people find they have trouble dropping off to sleep if taken too late in the day. The other thing they can do is change the colour of your urine, so thinking back to checking hydration levels, vitamin B2 can make your urine a rather bright yellow. No need to panic, this is totally normal! Magnesium helps support normal psychological function as well as play a role in helping relax muscles.
Some tiredness can be related to an iron deficiency too, if you think you might be anaemic, you can get a blood test via your GP, this is useful if you are feeling excessively tired or perhaps have very heavy menstrual periods. A simple blood test can help identify any deficiency so that you can take the right supplements to sort it. If you are talking iron, adding a vitamin C supplement along side it can help iron absorption.
Over the past few years, vitamin D has risen in popularity. It can be a good addition to your wellness regime, even if you are already taking a multi vitamin. Vitamin D not only helps us transport calcium into the bones for good bone health, it also has a positive effect on the immune system and many other functions throughout the body.
As mentioned earlier, what you digest is perhaps more important than what you eat. If your digestive system isn’t working well, it doesn’t matter how healthy your diet it, you won’t be getting the full benefit from your food.
The gut microbiome is something we know much more about than we did a few years ago. It used to be thought that the good bacteria in our gut was all about digestion and keeping the digestive system healthy. Now we know that the gut microbiome is involved in not just a healthy digestive system but in producing serotonin and helping our moods, involved in around 70% of our immune system function and a lot more.
Adding a probiotic, or friendly bacteria supplement to your wellness programme can be a good way of helping keep your digestive system in good health.
These are a few ways of helping ease you into the new year without too much change, simple steps to look after your hydration and food swaps. Tidying up your supplements to get the best from them. Add to that perhaps a daily walk for around 30 minutes to get some fresh air, get moving and give yourself some time to break from the stresses of the day, even better if you can find a green space to do it in. Add all that up and you are well on your way to a healthier and improved you in 2025 without adding to your stress levels! Happy New You!
