Everyone makes them every year, but does anyone ever stick to them? New Year’s Resolutions are notoriously joked about, famously failed, and epically tragic every single year, but if you’re one of the many people who resolve to be healthier, here’s some ways to actually succeed, without a daily battle to stick to a new regime.
Swap to Water
Our bodies run on water, everyone knows water is important, but the struggle to stick to a daily water goal is still hard! This year, to stick to that resolution, start with building healthy drinking habits.
If you have it on hand, you’ll drink it.
Pick something in your fridge (be it soda, juice, iced coffees, or anything else) that you can give up, largely. Instead, put in a water filtration pitcher or water bottles in its place. Anytime you would usually reach for your original drink, shoot for the water instead.
The hardest part of drinking water is usually having the water easily available, so stock the fridge with what you want to drink- ditch what you don’t.
Invest in your travel container
Some people love water bottles, I love straws! Depending on your lifestyle and preferences, get one heavy-duty container that you can carry around during your daily habits. Then, carry it. Fill it before you head out in the morning. Then, anytime you finish it, you’ll eventually have to scoot to a restroom where (typically) the drinking fountains are located.
So if you finish your container, refill it whenever you spot a place to. That way, you’ll always have more to drink.
Flavor it
A lot of people find water boring. It does take getting used to if you’re addicted to the caffeine or sugar infusion from other drinks. So, to segway, get flavoring involved! Try liquid water enhancements or crystallized fruit (flavors come in lemon, orange, grapefruit, and lime typically) that are much easier than infusing fresh fruit into water.
Embrace water when dining out
Drink with purpose when you dine out, because usually defaulting to soda is extra calories and money and usually we just mindlessly drink it. Try defaulting to “I’ll just have water” when you go out and only order something else if it genuinely sparks your interest.
Start with Vegetables
Portion control is hard. Eating healthy is hard, but developing daily habits that lead to healthy portions and better eating is a lot easier than counting calories or tracking nutrition. Start with, whenever dining, especially when you’re serving yourself in a cafeteria style or from the pots in the kitchen at home, take your vegetable portion first and fill half your plate.
Now if you’re eating creamed corn, reconsider because a lot of the health benefits are undermined there. But for largely veggie-based dishes, eating more of those and less of the main grain or meat is going to lead to more minerals and vitamins and fewer calories.
Make the Gym a Getaway
We set the resolution, we steel ourselves to be healthier, better this year and then the gym becomes a chore. A daily task to tick off to avoid failure. That mindset is instantly going to make the whole thing miserable.
Instead, make going to the gym optional, but fun. For example, make the gym the only place you’ll watch a certain show on Netflix. Then, instead of forcing yourself to go to the gym, decide to go to the gym to catch the next episode.
It still takes dedication not to break that rule, but I find it easier to start re-thinking the gym as a reward or fun activity than to manage it as a chore.
Add Something to Your Routine
This is probably the hardest one, the closest to a traditional regime of dieting and exercise, but it’s still simpler. Based on your own goals, add something easy to your daily routine. The best thing about a routine is whatever you do, if done daily, you’ll see some improvement that can inspire you to keep going with all you new improvements.
Consider walking something you usually take an elevator or drive to. Over time, notice that you may stop running out of breath, your legs get less tired, or you travel faster. Add longer distances, more challenges as you improve.
Add a morning or evening stretching routine to build flexibility. Over time, notice that you can stretch deeper, your limbs are looser, or there’s less pain with stretching. Add more advanced stretches and more poses as you develop.
Invest in a small weight or DIY one with a heavy water bottle and do a few sets on one body part- like do curls every day for your biceps. Over time, notice how you gain muscle and strength. Add more lifts as you desire to continue building it.
Depending on your own goals and your own lifestyle, add in one daily, healthy routine that will take ten minutes or less so it’s a no-excuse addition that will slowly build results, and seeing results is the best inspiration there is.
