It’s a new year, and with that comes the nonstop talk of new years resolutions. The top new years resolution is always that people want to get healthier! Now, I don’t necessarily love the idea of relying on the new year to get that started. But, I do understand why the start of the year seems like a great time to get committed! The problem is, most people fall off the wagon in the first 30-60 days while trying to get healthy. Why? Because it’s HARD!
Here’s a few things I’ve learned while trying to maintain the best healthy lifestyle I can. These will hopefully help keep yourself committed and dedicated to a new healthier routine in 2022!
1. Have a Plan!
It’s corny, but the phrase “Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail” is true in 100 different ways. For me, if I don’t have a real plan going into each week, I can fall off the wagon hard! Commit yourself to your weekly workouts by writing them down in a planner for each day of the upcoming week. It sounds silly, but knowing that I’ve written it down helps hold me accountable tremendously!
This also applies to food. Admittedly, nutrition is the hardest part of the game for me. I have a sweet tooth like no other! I bring my healthy snacks with me to work every single day so that I don’t pick up a random bag of chips or a Reese’s cup when I get hungry. There are a ton of excellent meal prep companies out there today that are a Godsend! I used Clean Eatz for years and loved them as an option! You can follow THIS LINK to see where your closest Clean Eatz might be.
2. Have a Partner!
I have an entire post dedicated to finding your best workout partner that you can read HERE because I really think it’s that important. Having someone to support you, hold you accountable, and also be your cheerleader makes getting healthy a lot more fun! You also have someone that can relate to any struggles or successes you’re having. A partner also doesn’t have to be at the same fitness level that you are. In fact, that might be even better motivation! It’s always more fun to tackle a challenge with a partner in crime, so look around for someone you trust and enjoy to jump on the bandwagon with you!
3. Have Variety!
Personally, I can get burnt out after being in a routine without variety very easily. This applies to both workouts and nutrition for me! I cannot stand to eat the same healthy snacks day in and day out, and when I do it pushes me to cheat! Same thing goes with my workouts. If I continue to do the same thing over and over, I’ll just stop doing it entirely!
Search your area for new and fun workouts you’ve never done before! I have had more fun in the last year trying new workouts than I can remember. Cycling, barre, kickboxing, CrossFit, whatever! Switching things up not only keeps your mind sharp, but your body will respond well to the variety too.
With food, meal prep services are great for variety. You can also jump on Pinterest and have 50 new ideas for healthy dinners in no time! Ask friends and family what their favorite healthy snacks are. Keep learning what keeps you full, what you enjoy, and don’t be afraid to try new things! This is how you keep yourself from defaulting to Taco Bell or McDonald’s because you’re frustrated with eating the same Lean Cuisine every night (trust me!).
4. Have Fun!
If you only pick 1 of these 4 of tips, THIS is the one I want you to walk away with. Working on your health is a serious thing, but don’t put so much pressure on yourself that it becomes a negative. I’m not saying it’s always going to be easy, but we can do our best to at least make it fun! Buy cute workout clothes that make you feel awesome, bring a new friend with you to try a workout, host a healthy snack night where everyone brings their favorites. Whatever! Working towards a healthy lifestyle is hard enough, so don’t bring yourself down by making it a snooze-fest!
Final Thoughts
I really look forward to getting into the new year, setting new goals, and discovering new things about myself. I plan to set my own fitness goals for the year, and hope there’s something you plan to work towards too! Now more than ever, true health is such an important issue. Eat healthy, move your body, and enjoy every single day!