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New Year Resolutions – and how to stick to them!

 

 

At this time of year everyone starts to think about how they can improve their health, fitness and make big life decisions.

The most important thing when setting goals is to make them realistic. It is no use saying you will never eat chocolate again, well I’m certainly not prepared to make that kind of statement anyway, and nor would I want to.

Set a realistic target, and make it a positive one. Rather than saying I won’t eat bread or crisps, make a goal to include good nutrition in every meal that you eat. Then, it becomes a more positive experience by making a challenge out of your meals. You can look at each meal and try to include lean protein, complex carbohydrates and good fats, with lots of vegetables.

Sometimes all your mind needs is to change a negative experience of ‘dieting’ to a positive experience of nourishing, by delivering nutrients and health to your body. By making positive changes or additions to your diet, your habits will change for the better, you will start to include more nutrients in your meals, and your body will respond to this. You will start to crave these healthy foods more than you will junk food.

A really common thread I see is how people treat others better than themselves. As soon as women get pregnant, very often they stop drinking, smoking and they try to eat as healthily as possible to deliver the nutrients to their growing baby. Why on earth wouldn’t you do the same for yourself? Have as much respect for your own body, and use every meal as an opportunity to nourish it.

The old saying ‘my body is a temple’ is true. Although you don’t have to become a gym bunny or take drastic steps with your diet, I enjoy every meal more if it is packed full of nutrients. Of course, I do enjoy treats as well. As all my Instagram followers know, I am very partial to chocolate, and believe that treats are very good for the mind as well as the body. As long as you have a balanced diet, you can have treats in moderation without the guilt.

January is a great time to make health and fitness goals. Write them down, and write down your plan to succeed eg. To eat more lean protein and vegetables, the plan could be to eat salmon twice a week, chicken and turkey at least twice a week, white fish twice a week and red meat once a week. Include vegetables with at least two meals a day and try to make them steamed where possible to retain their nutrients.

Keep monitoring your progress, think about it when you go to bed, and don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day, just try to get back on track the next day. Above all, be positive. You are doing good things for your body and mind, nurture yourself and you will reap the rewards.

Follow my easy to make recipes here which are nutritionally balanced and packed full of nutrients.

Chloë x