25 Jan Health Resolutions Anyone Can Stick to from NYC Registered Dietitian and Personal Trainer

Now, this might sound a little bit gimmicky, but I assure you, this is a resolution anyone can stick to. Are you ready for it?

Don’t make resolutions.

Ahhh … that was too easy. And it might seem like I’m cheating, but I’m not. Resolutions tend to be lofty, dreamy, rarely grounded. Soon, this idea of “getting in shape” or “saving money”, loses form. It becomes overwhelming and discouraging. 

So, instead of making resolutions, I recommend my clients make decisions.

Where a resolution is a fantasy, a decision is making up your mind to act. With decisions there’s more clarity. The ideas are actionable. And, most importantly, the ideas and actions are grounded in clearly-defined goals and how to reach those goals. That last part is incredibly important. 

Here, I’m listing my wishes for a healthier you in 2019 and a few critical steps on how to act on these decisions.

1. Decide to love your body.  With self-hate being a billion-dollar industry, it’s no wonder we spend more money finding ways to make ourselves better than recognizing the beauty each of us already possess. So, it’s time to look in the mirror and fall in love, with you, again! 
   1. Put away the magazines, turn off the TV, and truly celebrate body diversity.
   2. Shift your conversations from weight loss to health. 
   3. Learn about the Health At Every Size (HAES) community. 
   4. Recognize the beautiful gifts your body possesses.  Write them down!
2. Decide to love food. Food, in America, has become the enemy – a source of guilt and punishment, or, if we’ve done our exercises, reward. We’ve become masters of the “cheat day mentality”, losing the joy of food.
   1. Make meals matter, being mindful about each bite you put in your mouth, grateful for the nourishment, flavors, colors, and textures. 
   2. Being mindful goes hand in hand with listening to your body. If you’re distracted by TV, work, you miss critical body signals. When you’re sated, stop eating. Get to know your biological signals again.
   3. We’re not Food Santas. We don’t need a naughty and nice food list. Food is family and tradition (even those deep-fried carnival treats!). It’s all about balance and enjoying these flavors, no guilt attached.
3. Decide to love to exercise. Like with food, unfortunately, exercise is used as either a punishment (after that hunk of chocolate cake) or a means to a goal (fit into that dress). Both are problematic because the way we view exercise (as a punishment or goal) doesn’t help instill a movement mindset. And there are so many extremes – Mudders, menthol-and-sweat-smelling gyms, marathons etc., it feels almost as if we’re not exercising for something, what’s the point? The point is … basically … movement. So how do we learn to love to exercise?
   1. Do what you love! Dancing, walking, swimming, jumping rope, riding a bike, playing in the park with your kids … What do you love? That’s the exercise you need to do.

1. Make motorized transportation plan B, C, or D. Start one step at a time, walking to the grocery store, to work, to the park, to the library. If it’s within a mile, walk it.   
2. Make it a family affair! Create spaces for the family to exercise together, and, in turn, develop lifetime exercise habits in kids. Healthy kids = healthy adults.

4. Decide to be kind. Be kind to yourself and others. Because the world needs more kind.

Decide to act. Decide to move. Decide to love your body, love food for how it nourishes us. And choose kindness … these are all ways to start 2019 off right!