It’s officially 2021, and many of you may be thinking about your goals (both health-related, and otherwise) for this year. Especially if coronavirus de-railed your efforts last year. Accoding to Strava (the social network for athletes), most people ditch their newly minted new year’s resolutions by January 19, so let’s have a look at some tips to help you make the most of your goals this year.
Make them convenient!
Be realistic. Are you actually going to be able to do what you are planning to? If you never exercise, are you really going to be running for 2 hours every day? If you never cook, are you really going to cook dinner every night? We recommend making your goals SMART! Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. Therefore, a more realistic goal might be to go for a 20 minute run, 3 days per week, or to cook one new recipe a fortnight.
Make the most of your already healthy habits
Pick out some things that you already do well and try to make them even healthier. For example, if you already eat a healthy breakfast, such as a high fibre cereal, try topping this with LSA, chia seeds and/or fruit to add extra nutrients.
Make it easy for yourself
Embrace meal prep! You don’t need to prepare meals from scratch every night. Is there a night when you won’t be getting home until late? Plan for this by cooking a larger quantity of food earlier in the week, then simply reheat and add a bag of fresh salad to the side or frozen vegetables if needed. Simple, easy and nutritious! Remember to utilise technology. No time to get groceries? Order them online for click & collect or home delivery while you are watching the kids’ sport.
Try something new
Meal kits can be a great way to add some variety to your weeknight meal rotations. Think Hello Fresh, Marley Spoon or Dinnerly. These kits come with all the ingredients ready to go, so you only need to cook. If that still sounds like too much work, Lite n Easy or YouFoodz are good options which you simply need to reheat.
Don’t go it alone. Be accountable!
Ask for help, and discuss your goals with someone. Having a support person to cheer you on can make all the difference. Go to a yoga class with a friend, or have someone over to try the new recipe you prepared that fortnight. If you’d rather have someone outside your inner circle to help, get in touch with one of our dietitians, there’s nothing we enjoy more than assisting you to reach your goals.
Make sure it’s a goal you really want
This is absolutely the most important tip! Do you actually care about your goal? Do you like running? Do you want to cook healthier? Is it something YOU want, or something your FRIEND wants? If you really want something, it is much easier to achieve. Ask yourself WHY do you want this? Check in with yourself through the year, have your goals changed? That’s ok. What do you now need to do to achieve this new goal? Maybe you need some extra support. Click here to make an appointment with one of our Dietitians.