Making New Year’s resolutions is easy, sticking to them is all too often the hard bit. The good news is that by making things a little easier on yourself, you will have a much better chance of succeeding in your goals over the long term.
In this post we shall go over the 4 most important New Year’s Resolutions you can make in 2024 and how to stick to them.
How Do I Stick To New Year’s Resolutions?
Makin new year’s resolutions is something we all do year in and year out with little thought about how we are going to stick to them long term, or even how we are going to begin them to start with. Usually our resolutions start with the drunken night of New Year’s Eve itself, or the hungover day of New Year’s Day. This is when we are at our most vulnerable and feeling in desperate need of some big lifestyle changes.
When you think about it, of course, this is the perfect time for us to feel like this. We have just had weeks of celebrations (more so if you are in the US as you also have Thanksgiving Holidays to add to the toll). We’ve all enjoyed ourselves just a little too much and are more than likely feeling bloated, groggy and totally unfit. It’s dark outside and seasonal colds and flus are everywhere. It can sure get depressing fast once the 1st of January kicks in so we console ourselves with our resolutions to finally get healthy, change our job, fit, lose weight, give up smoking, alcohol, junk foods or whatever our particular vice may be.
Don’t take on too much…
Literally every single resolution made falls into this category and pretty much all have failed miserably by the time February kicks in. This is why it’s imperative that you don’t take too much on and don’t bite off more than you can chew or you will just end up on the pile of failed resolutions year in and year out.
Start your lifestyle changes simply and break yourself in slowly. For instance, consider taking the 90/10 approach for your healthy eating instead of completely stopping all the foods you love and failing miserably. Eating healthy 90% of the time is doable when you know you can have 10% of your intake from foods and treats you enjoy.
Fitness is the same. Take on fitness regimes that are actually doable around your lifestyle and work, and make sure it’s something you enjoy.
1.Eat Healthy
Good nutrition is the foundation of our health, and that means making better food choices in 2024 is one thing that will help us stay healthy. Choosing food with high nutrition levels is crucial; you won’t find food more packed with healthy nutrients than whole food plant based recipes on our site.
Indeed, with our focus being on whole meat-free and oil-free foods, you can be sure that every bite you put in your mouth is bursting with the things your body and mind need to thrive. The whole foods plant based diet is definitely a great way to get your New Year off to the healthiest start possible and is also a great way to even save some money after so much spending over the festivities.
Focus on plant foods
Meat, dairy and junk food take-aways product are more expensive that for the most part than fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. You really don’t need to spend your money on vegan junk foods to eat a plant based diet. Usually the processed plant based foods in the supermarkets such as the sausages, burgers and ready meals are not only more expensive than regular versions, but are also full of oils and unpronounceable ingredients. There is NO NEED to buy these and it’s the mistake of many starting out on their healthy eating plan. These foods are not healthy just because they’re technically “plant based”.
You are far better off filling your trolley with easy to prepare ‘whole foods’ such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, potatoes, wholegrains, quinoa, tofu, nuts. seeds and avocados. You can make an endless array of dishes from these alone and can never get bored.
Check out our fantastic Aldi Grocery List to get you started on the great range this supermarket alone has for healthful plant foods. You can use the same list for pretty much all other supermarkets too.
Feel free to start small as well as choose one of our recipes each week to try. Then you can build up slowly from there if you prefer.
2. Move your body more
You already know that exercise is good for you, not only because it keeps your body and joints fit, but also because it releases happy chemicals in your brain. However, that does not mean you have to take up an extreme sport like mountain climbing or ultra marathons in 2024 to stay fit.
Instead, just getting a bit more movement in your day can make all the difference. This may mean spending an extra half an hour cleaning your home, or taking a 10-minute walk every day. The main thing is you have to pick something that you know you can do, and enjoy, because in this way it will stay sustainable to do regularly, and it’s the consistency with movement that makes all the difference.
Join a gym
Exercise is all about consistency. Get yourself into a routine that’s doable for you around your work schedule and other commitments. If you take on too much, then you won’t stick to it. There’s a reason why all gyms do those crazy cheap, New Year’s deals on memberships, because they know that a whopping amount of people who join and sign up for a year on January 1st will have tapered of to virtually nothing come February. All the while, the gym has made a good profit. Do not be one of those people!
If you do think of joining your local gym for new year, be sure you actually have the time and commitment to get your money’s worth first. Even going once a week will be something, but ideally 2-3 times weekly is a good strategy for staying fit and getting a gym going routine. Once you have it as a routine, it will become a habit that you will stick to.
You want to ideally make exercise such a habit and part of your life that it always comes first and foremost and you work your life around it, not the other way around. There is a saying ‘If you can’t make time for fitness, you’ll have to make time for sickness’.
3. Get your health checked
Another small way you can do big things for your health in 2024 is to make sure you attend any health checks and medical appointments you are offered. This means going to the doctors for regular check-ups as well as seeing the optician and dentist to make sure every element of your health is in top condition.
You may even need to have specific health checks to do your job such as the railway medical tests that employers require employees to complete. Be sure to go to these too, because it’s not just your career on the line but your long-term health and any warning of potential problems can help you catch them early which means treating them and preserving your health will be easier.
4. Manage your stress
Last of all, if you want to stay happy and healthy in 2024 you have got to find some constructive ways of dealing with stress in your life. After all, everyone has it, but some of us choose ways that can make our health worse over the long term such as using substances.
Instead, finding some constructive options for dealing with your stress like talking therapy, exercise and meditation can be much more conducive to your health and keep you healthy in 2024 and well beyond.
In doing these things, you can gain a clear understanding of where you sit and, like taking care of the pillars, you’ll know that your lifestyle is the most accommodating to your own health. This also fosters a healthy approach towards getting issues checked out instead of ignoring them, which could save your life in future.
With this advice, we hope you can stay healthy, vibrant and disease free in 2024 and beyond.
Thanks for visiting ZestForever today!
We hope you have have gained some valuable information from this post and you find it easy to apply to your own life.
This post is Sponsored Content.
