2024 is almost here, and many of us are mustering up the strength to get started on our resolutions, which typically include: losing weight, following a healthier diet, and starting an exercise routine.

However, I’m sure you would all agree that the goals we set ourselves are typically unsustainable and we usually end up breaking them less than 2 weeks in. Let’s be honest, this happens year after year, and yet we never learn, which is probably why we make the same resolutions every year.

Can this cycle be broken? I’m not entirely sure.  Ideally, we should be setting realistic goals that we can actually stick to. And even then, we are like to slip up every once in a while, which is also okay.

Having done some research, there’s nothing I have found which would guarantee a lifelong commitment, but to those of you who are looking to start fresh in 2024, here are some helpful tips to get your started:

• Eating more whole foods; definitely one of the easiest ways to improve overall health. These include:  vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, legumes and fish. In short, opt for meals with whole ingredients, and less of the processed stuff we tend to reach for.
• Avoid liquid calories; even on your cheats days, it is far better to indulge with a burger than a sugary drink. Though quitting sugary drinks entirely might not seem possible for some of you, gradually minimizing them may eventually lead to you craving them less.
• Cook more meals at home; as research shows that people who prepare and cook their own meals, are far more likely to have healthier diets than those who regularly eat out or order in. It will also help you stick with your goal of eating more whole foods.
• Eat less ‘convenience foods’; these include take out and delivery, crisps, packaged foods, and frozen supermarket meals. Though convenient and quite tasty, they do contain a lot of ‘nasties’, i.e. ingredients we don’t recognise and can’t pronounce, which equals highly processed.
• Toss the diets; in fact, your one resolution this year should be to throw out diets entirely! Stop following fads, don’t give up carbs or animal proteins, and don’t go crazy with the scale. Simply adopt healthier lifestyle choices, and allow yourself the occasional cheat along the way.
• Weekly grocery shopping; since you’re now cooking your own meals at home, a weekly visit to the supermarket is required. Be sure to have a list handy, as this makes it easier for you to stick to what you need. Big tip: ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU ARE FULL BEFORE GOING TO THE SUPERMARKET, as shopping hungry will usually end in a trolley full of chips, cookies and in my case, donuts.

Any new year’s resolutions you’d like to share?

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