The new year is synonymous with resolutions! As the clock strikes midnight, our intentions for the year ahead become brighter and almost instantly more optimistic. Often, these resolutions revolve around healthy eating, with promises of trading the takeaways for home-cooked meals and switching the sugar-filled snacks for healthier alternatives.
Yet time and time again, these good-willed goals are so often led astray by the time February comes around. As motivation slowly wanes and the leftover Christmas chocolates begin to tease, the challenge of sticking to your healthy eating resolutions becomes increasingly harder.
So, here are five simple yet effective ways to jump-start (and keep to) your healthy eating resolution; so that by the time Valentine’s rolls around, these well-intended proclamations are not just distant memories ready to be recycled again come the following New Year. It’s time to start nourishing our bodies and committing to our goals – let 2022 be the year for it!
1. Enjoy it!
The easiest yet most effective way to commit to anything is to make it enjoyable. Healthy eating doesn’t need to be a chore, nor does it need to be something that you find an inconvenience or nuisance to stick to. With the vast amount of delicious and wholesome recipes available at your fingertips and the ease of using your trusty Vitamix blender, healthy eating has never been so easy or accessible. Adding a Vitamix blender to your kitchen appliances is a true investment in yourself and helps you to stick with and enjoy a new change to your daily routine. In fact, research has shown that Vitamix blender owners, on average, eat 20 percent more fruits and vegetables than the average person – it’s the perfect tool to assist with prioritising your health!
2. Make it a habit.
There are plenty of tips and tricks to establish a successful habit but one common method is repetition. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Consistency is key here, the more often you do something the more likely it is to stick. There are plenty of studies supporting the power of repetition for habit building, as it is through repetition that we are able to rewire our brains and create new patterns. Studies show that it takes around 66 days for a behaviour to transition into a habit and become automatic through repetition. According to the author of ‘The Power of Habit’, Charles Duhigg, habits consist of three parts – a cue, a routine, and a reward, this three-part process is called the’ habit loop’. Adding a small activity on top of an already deep-formed habit is a simple, yet incredibly effective way of forming healthy habits as part of your routine. For example, pairing making a smoothie after your morning coffee; or drinking a glass of water after brushing your teeth creates a strong connection between an already formed habit and a new one – this is called habit stacking and is a great, easy method to create sustainable, positive changes.
3. Preparation is key.
Like with most things in life, preparation is only going to benefit you here. From planning your meals to buying the right ingredients, making eating healthy as easy for yourself as possible is only going to go in your favour. Meal prepping and batch cooking is another effective way to guarantee you have something well-balanced and healthy waiting in the fridge or freezer for when you’re strapped for time after work or you’re struggling for lunch ideas. Make a list of healthy, delicious recipes that inspire you to eat well; blend up and make these quick and easy energy balls the night before for a tasty, nutritious breakfast or pop them in your bag or work desk for a healthy snack to satisfy those mid-afternoon cravings.
4. Get friends & family to motivate you.
It’s easy to lose motivation, especially when you’re doing something alone. Joining forces with friends or family with similar resolutions can be a great motivator and way to keep each other accountable. Even if you don’t share similar resolutions with your friends or family, sharing your goals with others is still a brilliant way to keep yourself accountable, and asking for daily check-ups and motivational messages can certainly go a long way too. Otherwise, there’s a bunch of community groups and forums online that you can join for a sense of community. (Like the Vitamix UK groups)
5. Make small changes.
Drastic changes may seem exciting and significant initially, but they’re much harder to adjust to and therefore commit to. The trick is to start small, or more specifically ‘micro’. Opting for smaller changes may seem a little counterintuitive, but they often see bigger results because you’re far more likely to stick to them. Smaller intentions appear far more manageable and are therefore more appealing to action, and continue doing time and time again.
With studies showing that around 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by mid-February, it’s clear that the intentions are neither specific nor realistic long-term. Give these tips a go to be part of that 20%!
