NEW YEAR. NEW YOU?

2023 is HERE!

I hope that you all enjoyed some well-deserved time off over the holiday season filled with good food, catch-up's with friends and quality time with family!

For many of us, January is quite a hazy month - some of us return back to work whilst others might take more time off for an extended holiday period. Whatever your situation is, although the majority of us set out to achieve an endless list of new year's resolutions starting January 1st - it should be remembered that every year and every day as a matter of fact is different and unique.

I tend to cringe when I hear people run off their list of traditional 'New Years Resolutions' - specifically when it comes to nutrition and weight loss:

"I want to lose x amount of kilos"

"I want to quit carbs"

"I want to work out for 1 hour per day, 7 days a week"

"I'm going to have 0 cheat meals for the whole year"

Now don't, get me wrong - I'm not saying that these 'resolutions' are bad but simultaneously they aren't very attainable and realistic for the majority of us... why do I say that? Because I've seen it play out in real life.

It is incredibly admirable to have these health and wellness goals, and I am ALL for individuals wanting to better themselves (it's one of the main reasons why I wanted to get into this industry in the first place as a fitness trainer, nutritionist & health coach!)

yet, I am a big believer of being disciplined and rational.

Many of us can talk the talk but when it comes to walking the walk, we freeze.

We have every good intention to lose the weight, quit the carbs and work out everyday but there does come a point when we either:

1. Don't know how to go about actioning these resolutions.

and/or

2. Lose the motivation to sustain a specific eating/work-out regime because we aren't seeing the results we envisaged straight away.

If this thought process sounds a little familiar to you, don't worry.

It's normal.

Even I have found it difficult in the past trying to stick to a rigid new years resolution!

I tried cutting out coffee for 1 month - I lasted 7 days...

One way we can go about addressing goals and setting up good habits for a new year is to take the pressure off.

Yes, you read that correctly - don't be so hard on yourself!

Let's say you're trying to cut out sugar for a month, you might feel fine after two days and then as the third day rolls around - the headaches start, your mood swings are off the charts... you. just. want. sugar.

So, what do you do? You go and binge on all the chocolate, lollies and processed sugary foods you can get your hands on. What happens after you've well and truly satisfied that urge? You feel angry, flat, bloated and utterly defeated - you ruined your new year's resolution and think there's no point in trying anymore....

Sound familiar?

This happens to sooo many of us who also try to cut out certain food groups or perhaps over-train their bodies and go "too hard, too soon".

For this reason, we need to take a flexible and less extreme approach to goal-setting.

Rather than thinking about

"cutting out the sugar"

why not re-frame that resolution as:

"cutting down on the sugar"

- by saying this, you're breaking that extremist mentality and "all or nothing" approach to healthy eating. You will still feel accomplished and successful on days where you might enjoy that piece of birthday cake because your goal was to "cut down" on the sugar and not "cut it out" ...

Same goes for fitness - rather than

"working out for 1 hour per day, 7 days a week"

why not consider:

"moving my body daily for however long it needs"

- by doing this, you're lessening the pressure of needing to exercise strenuously every day because let's be honest - life happens and no two days are the alike! The same mentality applies here - you will still feel that sense of accomplishment because you're sticking to your resolution of "moving your body" - even if some days that is a 5 minute stretch in your bedroom. It's still achievable and attainable!

Do you see where I'm going with this!?

One final message I want to get across as we venture into 2023 is that you don't have to transform yourself every year.

Yes, we mature and grow as humans year-by-year (arguably day-by-day as well), but that doesn't mean that at the beginning of a new year, you need to create a new you.

Once again, take the pressure off. You do you. Focus on your own lane and continue to be the best version of yourself you can be every single day!

I wish you all great prosperity and joy for this coming year and hope it brings everything you desire and seek to achieve!