New Year 2023: Ways To Refresh Your 2023 Diet And Fitness Resolutions

As we approach the New Year, many of you may be contemplating writing down some diet and fitness resolutions. They offer a sense of motivation and hope for improving your health and well-being.

In spite of this, you may feel a sense of failure if you do not take the necessary steps to effect change or achieve your goals.

Just thinking about creating a resolution can make us feel stressed and overwhelmed. That's because we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be a certain way or to quit/start a habit, and if we fail to keep them, we feel disappointed.

Making healthy changes is still a good thing and something worth aiming for. However, you can set yourself up for greater success in the coming year by adjusting your approach and mentality in the following ways.

And no, this is not your usual - eat well, sleep well resolutions. We are the real deal, guys!

Ways to Refresh Your 2023 Diet and Fitness Resolutions

1. Make progress, not perfection

It is easier to become healthier if you create lifelong habits, rather than trying to achieve perfection. When perfection is the goal instead of progress, most people quit once they realise that they cannot be "perfect." Diets do not work, but sustainable eating habits do.

You cannot achieve results by exercising every day for three weeks and then giving up. However, by exercising three days a week for the rest of your life, you will be able to achieve results.

2. Food = fuel

Talk to your doctor about the benefits of taking amino acids, vitamins, and minerals supplements. Neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, require protein as fuel [1].

3. Don't stress on Jan 1

There is a temptation to establish a new goal at the beginning of the year [2]. If you wish to make a change and create a different reality for yourself, now is the time to do it. Not January 1, but right now. If we think we can only make changes/resolutions on January, we set ourselves up for failure.

4. Take care of your brain

Generally, resolutions are primarily concerned with how your body looks rather than how you feel emotionally. Now is the time to reverse that trend. By improving the health of your brain, you will naturally be able to increase your feel-good hormones naturally [3]. By doing so, you will be more alert, do more, and desire to exercise and eat more.

5. Gym is not a necessity

If you're serious about fitness goals, join a gym, but exercise doesn't have to be at a gym. Find ways to move that you enjoy, like a walk, bike ride, or streamed workout video, and schedule time for exercising every day.

6. You gotta eat what you like

The temptation to blame your favourite foods or beverages for not being able to reach your goals may seem appealing at first, but denying yourself these foods can actually backfire. Whenever we deny ourselves anything, we begin to focus exclusively on that one thing, which ultimately leads to an eating binge [4].

7. List what works and what does not

Make a list of what you are struggling with while working toward your resolution. After conquering your struggle, move it to the "what has been working well" list, and move on to the next one on your "struggle" list. Pick one item to focus on and create a plan to make it less challenging.

On A Final Note...

Make sure that you don't overwhelm yourself by trying to focus on too many things at once. Keep it simple, create a plan that is simple to follow.