4 Healthy but simple New Year’s resolutions that will make a huge difference in your health and how to achieve them
New Year’s resolutions can be intimidating because we come in with the mindset that we have to completely change our lives around. But let me tell you a secret: that mindset is going to set you up for absolute failure! If you want to change your health in 2022, you need simple resolutions that are easy to implement but have a huge impact on your health.
I am a big believer in setting resolutions that are action-based instead of result-focused because you can’t always control the results, but you can control your actions! These are habits that will make a huge difference in your health, but they’re also simple enough that you can’t fail at them.
Healthy Resolution #1: Drink more water
Drinking water is a great New Year’s resolution because it’s simple to implement! You won’t beat yourself up if you forget to do it, you can just hop back on the wagon as soon as you realize you fell off!
The one thing you need to know is that water isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing! Your body needs a certain amount of water and you should aim to drink that instead of some random number you found online.
Adults should drink at least half of their body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150 lbs, you should drink 75 oz of water, to begin with. You should add more to that if you workout, drink caffeine or if it’s hot outside.
Check out The Busy Moms Guide to Hydration: How to keep you and your family hydrated to learn exactly how much water you need to drink daily!
Healthy Resolution #2: Choose protein first
Protein is by far the least consumed macronutrient. I get it, carbs and fats are delicious, whereas protein isn’t as crave-able. However, when we eat more protein we look and feel better because protein helps us build muscle and stay fuller longer!
The easiest way to include more protein in your diet is to choose your proteins first! Plus, it makes it a simple resolution! Here’s what your goal will look like: I will choose protein first for each meal and then I’ll add in carbs/sides.
Here’s an example of what it looks like to achieve that goal!
Breakfast: Eggs, bagel with Laughing Cow cheese
Lunch: Turkey sandwich (turkey, on Dave’s Killer bread, mayo, lettuce, bell peppers) with a side of pretzel thins.
Dinner: Chicken thighs for shawarma skewers, with corn, squash and naan.
Snack: Light and Fit Greek yogurt
The key to accomplishing this goal - and any goal, really - is to increase your protein gradually. If you barely have protein once a day, then don’t start adding it to every single meal tomorrow! Start with having a solid amount of protein at dinner. Do it for a few days, then add in lunch, then breakfast, then snacks.
Making 1% improvement day by day is how you reach your goals long-term!
Healthy Resolution #3: Eat veggies at every meal
We all know how important vegetables are to a healthy life, but mamas, just like kids, aren’t always drawn to eating their veggies! But just like we make our kids eat them, we need to include vegetables in our diets to improve our health.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, “A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar, which can help keep appetite in check. Eating non-starchy vegetables and fruits like apples, pears, and green leafy vegetables may even promote weight loss. Their low glycemic loads prevent blood sugar spikes that can increase hunger.”
You’re going to address the goal of eating vegetables at each meal, the same way we did protein! Add a veggie to each meal slowly until it’s completely normal to be eating veggies regularly!
If you’re stumped on how to add veggies to each meal here are a few ideas!
Breakfast:
Add onions, bell peppers, spinach to an omelet! Make some air fryer hashbrowns (potatoes are veggies too! Or sub in sweet potatoes for another level up.) to have on the side of your regular breakfast.
Lunch:
Add shredded carrots, red onions, bell peppers, sprouts, etc to your turkey sandwich. Eat leftovers with broccoli or peas on the side!
Dinner:
Add veggies to your pain dish to hide them from you and your kids or try to add a green veggie as a side to whatever you’re already serving!
Snacks:
Have carrots, cucumbers, snap peas, cauliflower, broccoli, etc, pre-cut and bagged up so it’s easy to grab straight from the fridge and eat!
Remember, these are just suggestions! If you hate any of these, you don’t have to eat them! Eating healthy should make you happy, not miserable. You don’t have to ever eat food just because it’s “healthy.” Also, if you live by that motto, you’ll never stick with a new habit because it doesn’t make you happy!
Healthy Resolution #4: Exercise 5 days a week
Like I’ve said all along, I don’t expect you to go from couch potato to marathon running in a day - or a month, or even a year! If you want to make exercise a part of your life and have it be a habit that sticks this time, then you have to start small and work your way up!
If you aren’t in the habit of exercising right now, then I always suggest you start by going for a walk! Taking a five-minute walk every day is a great way to ease your way into regular movement. From there you can build your way up to 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Walking is so good for you, and it can have a huge impact on your health and weight loss.
The other key to creating a habit of exercise is to make time for it. It sounds so basic, I know, but people often miss this part! You need to schedule a time to exercise into your day. The easiest way is to make sure you fit it in is to plan your exercise time is to put it directly before or after something you already do every day. This is called habit stacking.
For example, if you drop your kids off at school each day, then plan to go to the gym right afterward! You’re already in the car, you can have your gym clothes on and it doesn’t take any extra effort to go!
Stacking your exercise on top of something you’re already doing will make it 10 times easier to make it a habit!
3 ways to stick to your New Year’s resolutions
Now that we’ve gone through some healthy resolutions you can set this year, let’s talk about how to really make sure you stick to and accomplish those resolutions.
Really quick - take notice that we didn’t set a goal that had a result focus. All of these goals are habit-based. Adding healthy food in. Making time to move your body. They don’t have an end date. They are habits that will help you build a healthy life.
Now, if you’re struggling to create those habits, or are ready to uplevel after you’ve implemented the habits, these three tips will help you.
Hire a coach
I am the biggest proponent of having a coach! I grew up playing sports and relied heavily on my coaches to help me get to the next level. After college, when I wasn’t playing sports 24/7, I felt so lost! I knew I needed help to keep progressing in my health and professional goals, but I didn’t know who to turn to.
I started hiring coaches to help me reach my goals. I hired a macro coach, who taught me how to fuel my body as an adult who worked out but wasn’t a two-sport collegiate athlete anymore.
I hired a business coach (multiple actually) to help me grow my own nutrition business! When I outgrew what one coach could help me with I hired a new one!
A coach can help keep you on the path towards your goals. They can guide you through the tough spots when you want to give up. They can keep you accountable when life gets busy. A coach is an invaluable tool in making forward progression.
Now, I know that you’re probably saying, but hiring coaches is expensive. And you’re right! It can be an investment to hire a coach, but you're worth that investment, mama! If your kids were struggling, you would hire someone to help them. You deserve that amount of love and attention too. If you’re struggling and you want to be better, then you are allowed to spend the money to get the help you need.
And not to say this is the reason you should allow yourself to invest in yourself, but the more you learn and know, the more you can help your kids through their struggles!
My knowledge of food and exercise is helping my kids avoid a lot of the problems I faced as a kid. I hope that they won’t have the same issues I did with food because I’m teaching them now how to have a healthy relationship with it!
Get an accountability partner
If you aren’t ready for a coach, then find an accountability partner! Asking a close friend or your spouse to hold you accountable to your new year’s resolutions is so helpful!
An accountability partner can help encourage you and make this transition a little less lonely! I believe there are three tiers of accountability partners: Good, Better and Best.
Good accountability partners are a check-in point or sounding board. They’re willing to cheer for you, but aren’t ready for the path you’re on.
Better accountability partners will be on the same journey and can walk through the trenches with you. You’ll support each other through the hard times and celebrate the good times together.
Best accountability partners will have gone through a similar experience and can lead you through the journey. They’ll know what to say when things are hard, and they’ll understand the joy you feel when you reach milestones.
An accountability partner, no matter what tier, is helpful, but the better or best partners are going to understand the struggles you’re facing and can help you get past them.
One last caveat, make sure you choose a partner who can be honest with you and who will support you. Sometimes friends and family want to be there for you, but they struggle to see you change and grow. If it feels like your accountability partner isn’t pushing you forward anymore, then don't’ be afraid to find a new one!
Meal plan & prep
Meal planning and prepping is a habit that will help you with all of the New Year’s resolutions we talked about. I know that at first, it can seem time-consuming or overwhelming, but I promise if you stick to it, it will save you so much time and energy in the long run!
I have several resources on how to meal plan and prep that will help you, but I wanted to share my Complete guide to planning and prepping your meals so you can stop thinking about food all the time, with you because it lays out the easiest ways to include protein and veggies in your meal plans!
This is a part of my backward meal planning strategy and it’s the most successful meal planning system I’ve found!
If you want to make real strides in your health in 2022, then don’t try to do it all at once! Aim to be 1% better than you were the day before and you’ll achieve your goals.
I can help you live a healthier life without giving up your favorite foods, spending hours in the gym or saying “I can’t have that” would you want in? Schedule a free discovery call to see how you can lose weight and still have a happy, fun life!
