5 Steps to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

by karen on December 28, 2020

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New Year’s resolutions. Love ’em or hate ’em, most of us make them in some way or other.

In a year where nothing has been easy, we want to encourage you to set achievable goals for yourself. America’s number one resolution year after year is to “get in shape”—we’d like to challenge you to shift your focus this year from the way you look to the way you feel, in order to truly set yourself up for success.

Many of us have had our routines turned upside-down, and self-care has too often fallen to the wayside. By “self-care” we don’t mean face masks (but those are nice, too); we mean nourishing our bodies with nutrition and physical exercise, and being kind and generous to ourselves.

So much of our health and day-to-day wellness is altered by our activity levels and food intake. Feeling sluggish and fatigued? Our first suggestion is that you reminisce on your diet the last few weeks. Are all your fruit and veggie servings making it to your plate? Have you been indulging in a tummy-grumbling number of Christmas cookies? The holidays are tough on everyone’s diets, and we all know the feeling of regretting going back for that second helping.

Now be honest, have you ever felt worse about yourself after a nutritious meal and a workout?

This year, follow these 5 Nutrition Connection tips to treat your body with kindness and respect, and we have all the faith in the world that you’ll rock those resolutions.

  1. First and foremost, make your resolutions SMART:

Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Time-bound.

Printable SMART Goals Sheet

Write this out for your personal goal—it’ll work double-time to help keep you accountable.

2. Remember the nutrition basics for good health:

  • No fad diets
  • Moderate portions
  • Mindful eating
  • 8 – 10 cups fluid daily
  • Fruits. And. Veggies. (And a multivitamin)

3. Keep things in perspective. Habits don’t break (or form) overnight. Take one step at a time, and soon you’ll be able to look back proudly on your progress.

4. View setbacks as opportunity for growth. Missteps can be good learning opportunities.  Look at what can be changed to prevent the setback from recurring, and don’t kick yourself for being human. If you had a second slice of pumpkin pie, you didn’t ruin your morning walk or salad lunch. Just look at the behaviors that made you want to indulge, and work on them tomorrow.

5. Reward your hard work. Anything (other than snacks) that has value to you can be used for incentive and reinforcement in the form of a reward. Lost 10 pounds? Amazing! Reward yourself with that new T-shirt. Got in those early-morning workouts 7 days in a row? Look at you go! Sleep in this weekend as a special treat.

We’d wish you luck, but you won’t need it. You’ve got a plan!

Karen Fisher, MS, RDN, CDE is a dietitian in Reno, Nevada, happily promoting the benefits of healthy foods at her nutrition consulting firm, Nutrition Connection. Find her website at www.NutritionConnectionNV.com

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