January is a time when many of us take stock, resulting in the inevitable New Year Resolutions – approximately 60-65% people make New Year Resolutions. While resolutions vary considerably depending on our personal circumstances, statistics show that a common theme is health-improvement. One recent survey indicated that the three most popular resolutions were:
- Exercise more(38%)
- Lose weight(33%)
- Eat healthier(32%)
Despite our best intentions, only 8-10% of those who make resolutions keep them beyond February and only 4% by the following New Year.
If this cycle sounds familiar to you, don’t despair – knowing the pitfalls is half the battle to over-coming them. Some of the most common reasons given by those who gave up on their resolutions include:
Setting unrealistic resolutions(38%) – while it may be tempting to imagine ourselves spending 2022 running a marathon a week, if we don’t even own a pair of trainers, it is unlikely we will live up to our resolutions. Try making small and sustainable changes to your current diet/lifestyle and don’t be too restrictive with yourself.
Not keeping track of resolutions as they go(33%) – keeping track of where we started, where we’re at now and where we wish to go is an excellent way to keep us on track with whatever resolutions we make. It reminds us of our original goal and how far we’ve come to achieving it, thus motivating us to continue with our endeavours.
Just plain forgetting(23%) – if your resolutions are a little abstract and do not form part of your daily life, it is probable that when it comes to sticking to them, your good intentions will be forgotten.
Choose resolutions which may be easily integrated into your normal daily routine and you will increase your chances of successfully keeping those resolutions.
Making too many resolutions at once(10%) – while there may be many elements of our diet and/or lifestyle we would like to change, attempting to change them all at once is setting us up for failure. Prioritise the elements in order of importance to you, limiting yourself to no more than two or three at any given time so as not to feel overwhelmed before the first week of January is through.
Above all, please remember to be kind to yourself, particularly as are still living with COVID19 and the changes it has brought to our lives.
I’d like to wish all Meath Coaster readers a very happy and healthy 2022 and the best of luck with your endeavours, whatever your New Year Resolutions….
Anna Ryan, Dip. NT, DC, MNTOI,
BAI, BA
www.nicanutrition.ie
nicanutrition@gmail.com