Nearly 40% of people surveyed listed losing weight as their New Year’s Resolution. Losing weight is always associated with new year’s resolutions. It’s associated rightfully because the new year is a time for transition and brings hope. Losing weight isn’t the only way to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Dieting isn’t a good idea, and you’ll have better results if your goals are focused on wellness and not weight loss. There are many other health goals to set that can improve your health, and some of them might even indirectly result in shedding off those pounds. 

Ready to get started? Here are a few ideas to get you on the path to a healthier lifestyle:

• Reduce Stress
• Clock in More Sleep
• Eat Home Cooked Meals

Reduce Stress- Ohhh! Stress. It seems to creep up so often. Doesn’t it? Stress can significantly impact your ability to maintain a healthy weight and your exercise routine. Stress produces the hormone cortisol. Research shows that cortisol triggers food cravings and increases insulin levels, which affects the ability to burn off those comfort foods (1). There are many ways to control stress in your life. Some examples are writing one affirmation about yourself every day, starting your day with a five-minute meditation, and writing a journal entry every day.

Clock in Enough Sleep- Most people need between 7 and 9 hours each night. This year putting more sleep on your new year’s resolution list will set you on a healthy path. Sleep deprivation sets up your brain to make not-so-smart decisions. Research shows lack of sleep slows activity in the brain’s frontal lobe, the decision-making hub. Plus, your brain’s reward centers rev up when you are tired and sleep-deprived. So, you reach for those late-night treats. This year take easy steps to improve your sleep hygiene, and you will be on your way to a healthier you. Some of the easy ways to clock more sleep are; setting a reminder to go to bed early, stopping electronic usage thirty minutes before bed, and stopping caffeine consumption after 4 p.m.

Cooking at Home- Put some cooking classes and meal planning on your new year’s resolutions list. You can learn to shop for and prepare healthy meals. Cooking at home will save you time, money, and all those extra calories. When you cook at home, you know exactly how much salt, fat, or sugar is going into your dish, and you can replace the ingredients to cater to your nutrition needs. Some of the easy steps to start cooking at home are planning dinners for the week, making a list of the ingredients, and buying your groceries on Friday. 

You can choose these resolutions that focus on improving your health. At the end of the following year, you might be surprised at how much weight you lost without putting weight loss on your resolutions list.

References:

1-DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102936