Having A Healthy New Year Mindset

January is here – it’s officially the month of the diet, the ridiculous new year’s resolutions and all that “new year, new me” rubbish! We’re totally on board with eating a few more vegetables and a few less mince pies than we did during the festive period, but we also believe in taking a more sustainable, and most importantly, enjoyable approach to our health and fitness! Instead of starting another crash diet and gruelling workout regime, try out our top tips for getting into a healthy, new year mindset:

No Extremes

Pledging you’re going on a soup diet, starting a Whole30, or just overhauling your entire diet isn’t realistic or healthy. You can still get fit and healthy without only eating lean proteins and green vegetables and working out 7 times a week. Focus on taking a kinder approach to your health and fitness, instead of any carb-cutting, rabbit-food nonsense! Remember, your body needs fuel and proper rest to truly be at it’s best.

No Restriction

Let’s not beat around the bush here; restriction just never ends well. Living a healthier lifestyle should never mean missing out on things you love, like a meal out with your family or a fun night out with your friends. You can still make progress towards realistic goals and enjoy dessert every now and again, and by allowing yourself to eat everything in moderation, you’re less likely to feel so crazy around food.

Focus on The Long Game

It’s the classic scenario - you go too hard in January and 4 weeks later you’ve burnt yourself out, meaning those new year’s resolutions go out the window for another year. Making little changes over time and not doing anything too drastic will make the whole process seem so much easier, and will be much more sustainable. Try starting with one or two workouts a week, or making one meal per day (say breakfast) more nutritious than usual and allow this to become a habit before implementing even more changes.

Add in Instead of Taking Away

Instead of focusing on what you should take away from your life, put a more positive spin on things and see what you can add in instead. Challenge yourself to see how many vegetables you can add into your day, or how many colours you can include on your plate (skittles not included!). Try out fun new ways of moving your body. Add a little bit more each week and you’ll be making serious progress before you know it.

Focus on Yourself

Getting ideas and inspiration from people on social media is great, but your health and fitness journey is very individual – what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another! Instead of worrying about what others are doing or how you can get their physique, keep the focus on yourself. Can you lift more than you could in December? Are you feeling less out of breath when you run for the bus? Celebrating your personal wins will be a whole lot more satisfying than playing a constant comparison game!