The New Year is a chance for us to reinvent ourselves. A chance to make new resolutions for the new year. Leave your old bad habits behind and resolve to be a healthier, better, newer version of yourself in the coming year. At least, that's how it should work.
The hard truth is that despite our best intentions, hardly any of us actually manage to keep our New Year's resolutions. In fact, studies have shown that over 90% of us don't follow through. And most of us break them within less than a month.
We want to help you not just repeat the same old resolutions that are doomed to fail - but make 2023 a New Year's Revolution to achieve the (health) goals you've been working toward all along.
In this blogpost we will:
- show you why it hasn't worked so far.
- Give you tips on how to make realistic, achievable, and sustainable New Year's resolutions that will really move you forward in the coming year.
- Show you that your blood sugar is an important indicator of your overall health and progress.
- show you how to get started.
Why do most resolutions fail?
Before you've even started to make lasting changes, your New Year's resolutions may already be doomed by the way you made them. Many of us are too ambitious with our goals and don't do ourselves any favors with the things we expect our minds and bodies to do.
Aside from making realistic resolutions, it's also important to remember that we humans take quite a long time to get used to new behaviors and form new habits. It can take 3 to 4 months before your body sees a new habit like going to the gym as essential and doesn't want to miss it. If you break a new habit within a few weeks, it's very unlikely that you'll be able to just pick up where you left off later.
Keeping these things in mind and being kind to yourself are the first steps to making New Year's resolutions that will last and put a smile on your face when you look back in December at what you've accomplished. It's time to say HI to lasting New Year's resolutions.
Gym memberships tend to skyrocket in the first few weeks of January, when fresh-faced health and fitness enthusiasts take to the equipment to work on their New Year's resolutions. But if you've ever been to a gym in February, you know that enthusiasm wanes by the end of the month.
If your New Year's resolution is to go to the gym every day, you're going to fail at it. There will be days when you feel sick, when you don't have time, or when you feel so exhausted that you just don't feel like packing your gym bag and heading out into the cold. In the long run, none of this should stop you from getting fitter and healthier. But if you've been breaking your golden rule of going to the gym every day, you may suddenly experience a major motivation slump when you realize you've broken your New Year's resolution and it's not even February yet.
What's the secret to keeping New Year's resolutions?
When you set goals, it's important to be really precise and specific about what you want to achieve. Don't just say, "I want to lose weight" or "I want to live healthier." Think carefully about what you mean by that. How much weight do you want to lose? In what ways do you want to live healthier?
By focusing on this, you can break down your resolutions into smaller and more manageable steps, such as gradually changing your diet, gradually increasing your exercise program, and focusing on getting regular and consistent sleep so that your body has the best chance of responding to and recovering from the new stress you're putting it under.
It's also important to set milestones that you can use to measure your progress. For example, set a goal of losing half a kilo per week. If you miss that goal, you can think about what that might be. Then make further changes to stay on track.
When you make major changes to your diet, exercise, and routine, it's absolutely essential that you have a healthy dialogue with your body. Pay attention to how you feel, not just how you look. If you start feeling irritable, having trouble sleeping, migraines, or other physical ailments, it could be a sign from your body that you're pushing it too hard.
Real changes to your appearance can take months or even years. There is no safe and healthy way to speed up your progress. Your body will reward you for your patience and consistency. That's why it's so important to create habits you can stick to. Make commitments that are realistic within your lifestyle and circumstances.
What New Year's resolutions are best for health and wellness?
Here are 6 key areas to focus on when thinking about the type of resolutions you make. All of these areas directly or indirectly affect your blood sugar levels and therefore have a big impact on your short and long term health.
- Healthy Eating - Your diet directly affects your health, immune system and blood sugar levels. Why not try eating healthier by reducing your sugar and alcohol intake or eating more vegetables and fiber?
- Exercise & Sports- Regular exercise is a great way to keep your heart and lungs healthy. It also keeps your blood sugar levels stable. Why not start by taking a certain number of steps a day, or even going for a short run or bike ride once or twice a week? Once it feels like second nature, you can try increasing it!
- Sleep - There is no substitute for a good night's sleep. Your body needs a consistent and generous sleep schedule to recover from the rigors of the day and regulate your health and blood sugar levels. Why not try to be in bed at a certain time every night, and you'll see many other areas of your life improve?
- Relationships - Humans are social creatures and the company you keep has a big impact on all sorts of things in your life. Having friends and family around you to support you can make a big difference in achieving your goals. In the coming year, why not strengthen your existing relationships and bring more community into your life?
- Addictive behaviors - We all know how harmful certain habits and addictions can be. But it can be hard to find the strength to give them up once and for all. The new year can provide that opportunity. Do you smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, drink too much caffeine or order too many fast food deliveries? Why don't you use the New Year to give up these harmful habits?
- Stress - Stress sensations are not only psychological, but also physical. Stress releases cortisol, which increases your insulin resistance. This means your blood sugar levels spike, affecting your mood, sleep, ability to concentrate, and body weight. Why not try to relax and manage your stress better this year?
4 ideas to make your resolutions a revolution
As we've seen, the key to making lasting New Year's resolutions is proper and thorough planning. Here are some simple things you can do to make sure you succeed.
1. write down your resolutions - if you put them in writing, they will seem more real. Keep reminding yourself of what you have resolved to do.
2. share your resolutions with a friend - designate someone to hold you accountable. This will help you keep them, even when it's tempting not to!
3. Set milestones and check your progress - If you can measure your progress towards your goals, you will stay on track and make the necessary adjustments to ensure you achieve them. The Hello Inside app is a great companion to help you visualize your progress.
4. be realistic and indulgent with yourself - you know yourself better than anyone else. You know what's doable and what's not. Remember that you want to have a good year, not one filled with regret, guilt and self-doubt as you set yourself up for failure.
So start the new year by saying HI to lasting resolutions and setting realistic goals. Get the Hello Inside app and learn more about your body this year. Take the guesswork out of it and really understand what "health" means to you!
And don't forget: be patient with yourself and keep at it. Patience and consistency are the key to long-term changes in your health.
