5 Essential Tips for a Healthy 2016
Two years ago I made the decision to completely change my lifestyle, with the goal of becoming healthier and happier. I entered 2014 with a determination to lose weight, and little did I know that in just two years, I would achieve that and more. I‘m now down by about 50lbs, but more than that, I’ve become a completely different person. Never did I imagine I was capable of making this kind of progress, but I will be eternally grateful to myself for the decisions I made back then. Now that 2016 is upon us, and the new wave of ‘new year, new me’ statuses are here, I’ve put together my top five tips to sticking to your New Year’s health and fitness resolutions, in hopes that they will help you achieve your goals, and maybe even inspire new ones. I’m also posting this as a little reminder to myself, for when times get tough, because at times it does indeed get tough.
{Ask yourself why?}
In order to reach any kind of outcome, you need to have a purpose. It may sound obvious, but so many people fail with their efforts to get healthy simply because they don't know why they are doing it. Like anything in life, we do things in order to reach a goal, however small or menial it may be. If you want to lose weight, improve your fitness or clean up your diet, before you begin, you must question your intent. Find a deep routed purpose for your actions and the rest will fall into place. Once you have this solidified, you'll be free from relying solely on motivation, which I've spoken about in some depth here, as your goals will be much more meaningful. When 2014 came around, and I made the decision to get healthy in the New Year, I knew that having a purely aesthetic purpose would be too insufficient to help me reach my goals. Wanting to look 'good' (I'm not sure whose standards I was basing this on) was not going to get me to the gym after a stressful day at university, or push me to prioritise a healthy meal over a Friday night takeaway.
{A little goes a long way}
Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes I made during my first attempt at getting fit was diving head-first into the deep end. Neither my body nor my mind could keep afloat. By lowering my calorie intake to a silly amount and creating a very extensive list of forbidden foods, whilst simultaneously attempting the impossible at the gym, a drastically restrictive and severely unsustainable lifestyle was formed. And within two months I had reverted back to my unhealthy ways. Quite simply, don't rush into things. Very few are capable of sustaining such extreme measures, and regardless, it's completely unnecessary. If your struggles are food related, work on fixing your diet first. Test different approaches to dieting and find a way to make eating healthy work for you. You can't outrun, out-lift, or out-cycle a bad diet.
{Treat one's self}
I'm a strong advocate for the balanced lifestyle. I love healthy food, but I also love chocolate, pizza and ice cream... a lot. Whilst maintaining a healthy diet, I also know that enjoying 'bad' foods in moderation, will not make me fat, and it won't make you fat either. Plan or don't plan, weekly, fortnightly, or daily, just enjoy the damn cake, and don't feel guilty!As well as cheat meals, new workout clothes or even a fancy jar of peanut butter are perfect little gifts to yourself that can serve as an extra push of encouragement to get you through the week, and keep you on track. A healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be boring or restrictive.
{Don't get hung up}
Sometimes the day (or week... or month), doesn't go to plan. Even after you've prepped all your food and got your week's workouts sorted, you may slip and fall off track. Maybe it was a second cheat meal, or perhaps you only hit the gym once that week, whatever it may be, don't beat yourself up. Getting stressed over an extra slice of pizza is not going to do you any good. If you want this healthy lifestyle to be permanent, you must accept failure. It's an inevitable part of the process, and the sooner you are able to adapt and move past it, the more confident you'll become in your ability to succeed. I've relaxed over the Christmas period, I haven't been to the gym since the 22nd December and I've eaten way more than my fair share of carbs. Yet, I'm fine. I may have gained a couple of pounds, but I've been able to enjoy the holidays with my family, stress free, safe in the knowledge that in the new year, I'll be getting right back on it.Once you establish comfortability with yourself, those minor slip ups will only make you more determined to reach your goals.
{Acknowledge your success}
After all your hard work, don't forget to acknowledge it. You'd think this one would be obvious, right? Unfortunately, many of us lack the capacity to self-congratulate. Though, this isn't too surprising considering we live in a society where we are routinely shamed for broadcasting any sense of self-love and body appreciation, and as such, when recognising our own progress, we often fall short. At first, it will feel foreign, but I heavily recommend taking progress photos, and documenting your journey in the form of a blog, like this one, or through a social media account. It's uncomfortable and it's scary putting images of yourself out there but I can guarantee that the feedback and encouragement you'll receive from online communities is amazing. In a couple of months from now you can look back at these photos and feel an incredible sense of achievement, realising how far you've come and acknowledge the effort you've put in to make these changes happen.
Make 2016 the last time you need to say 'new year, new me'.
I'd love to hear what your goals are for 2016 and any tips you have!
