HOW TO SET REALISTIC NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

Aahat Sajnani
Dietitian & Nutritionist

New year, fresh start? Are you setting health goals for 2022? More often than not, all health and wellness related resolutions tend to fail primarily because they are extremely restrictive, unsustainable and unrealistic in modern day lives.

To break this constant cycle of setting new year’s resolutions, failing & waiting for the next new year, setting realistic and achievable goals and resolutions may help you achieve long term health and benefit as opposed to short lived benefits.

Weight, body & health goals are commonly the most chosen new year’s resolutions. Below are some tips to choose realistic goals & resolutions that you may actually want to keep:

1. Shift the focus from your weight or body type.
Focusing on a number on the weighing scale or aiming for a certain waist size may do more harm than good. Instead, try focusing on choosing healthier food every day, sleeping better and prioritizing how you feel. Long term weight loss will always accompany as a byproduct.

2. Cook more at home
Eating out and takeaways have slowly become part of our everyday lives and we all know it’s not the best for our health. Take back charge of your health by cooking more at home. If this seems unrealistic to do every day, start slowly by gradually increasing the frequency of home cooked meals.

3. Reduce reliance on “convenience foods”
Instant oatmeal, chips, cookies, canned tomato sauce, frozen meals or even store-bought granola is a convenience food. Instead, make your own granola, choose rolled oats and perhaps even making your own cookies at home are better options.

4. Prevent long hours of sitting
Find it challenging to move more, find exercise time or meet the 10K steps per day? Try introducing consistent movement throughout the day by moving & standing up every hour. The goal is to prevent long periods of time sitting or sedentary.

5. Cut back on added sugar
Cutting back doesn’t mean no sugar. Creating balance and reducing added sugar from processed foods or sweetened drinks is a good place to start. Try using natural sweeteners such as dates or honey in your foods.

Making realistic & achievable that help build a firm foundation to a healthy lifestyle instead of changing your lifestyle completely will help you stick to your resolutions & build a healthier, happier you.

Learn more about our Nutrition & Dietetics Clinic in Dubai and book a consultation with one of our specialists.