Health-Promoting New Year's Resolutions That Have Nothing To do with Weight Loss
As the end of the year approaches, it brings excitement about closing out the year and starting a new one. In the midst of the holiday celebrations and the approach of New Year’s Eve comes thoughts of New Year's resolutions with many people looking to enter the new year with a list of goals and resolutions to improve on from the previous year. Unfortunately, these goals are not always met, and people find they often forget about their resolutions within the early months of the year. New Year's Resolutions can be difficult to keep up with, but choosing easy resolutions that can fit into your everyday routine, might aid in maintaining these goals for the upcoming year.
Often New Year's resolutions are things that often look better in writing than in actual practice. Goals like “Lose more weight” are often not sustainable and can sometimes do more harm than good. Remember that it is not a competition for weight loss or fitness; resolutions should focus on yourself and your own goals and what makes you feel good about yourself.
Here are some healthy New Year's resolutions that have nothing to do with weight loss:
Drink More Water. Staying hydrated is important and can be an easy addition to anyone’s schedule.
Get more sleep. Getting enough sleep can feel challenging, especially if you have a busy schedule, but sleep is important, and can improve your overall mood and increase your energy levels and productivity.
Practice gentle movement. Moving your body can make a difference, whether it’s going on walks, or other types of your favorite physical activity. Remember that fitness should not be focused on weight loss, but instead focusing on yourself and how movement makes you feel.
Make time for activities that make you happy. Make resolutions to increase activities that make you happy. Finding an activity that you enjoy, is something you can do to improve your overall health, as well as be an addition to your routine that you might be more encouraged to maintain.
Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Need to Focus on Weight Loss
New Year’s celebrations are times to reflect on the past year while looking forward to the next. Having New Year’s resolutions can help to reflect on things you want to improve on for the next year, and having small achievable things as resolutions, may help in maintaining them. These resolutions can focus on improving your health, but remember that weight loss should not be a goal. Instead focus on other things that can add to your health and wellbeing, while still practicing mindfulness and focus.
References
5 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions for Wellness, Not Weight Loss | Performance Health. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://www.performancehealth.com/articles/5-healthy-new-years-resolutions-for-wellness-not-weight-loss
New Year Resolutions for those in Eating Disorder Recovery. (n.d.). ’Ai Pono Hawaii Eating Disorder Treatment Center. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://www.aipono.com/blog/new-year-resolutions-for-those-in-eating-disorder-recovery
Setting Realistic New Years Resolutions in Eating Disorder Recovery. (2018, December 28). Center For Discovery. https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/setting-realistic-new-years-resolutions-eating-disorder-recovery/