January presents a time when many of us are keen to reinvigorate our health. Motivation is high to chase after our resolutions, and we endeavor to carve ourselves out to be more fabulous than we were the year before. But all too often we go out hot and enthusiastic, only to let all our resolves slide after a few weeks. And then we find ourselves no further forward than when we started the year. How do we ensure that we stick to our New Year’s resolutions and achieve what we want for our bodies and health?
Be realistic
It’s important that the goals you set are achievable and appropriate to you. Ensure your expectations are realistic, and the strategies you have in place are sustainable. Big goals can be exciting, but taking on too much can be overwhelming, leading us to ‘give up’ and generating a sense of failure.
Don’t be afraid to start small. Set one, maybe two very specific behaviors that are very easy to do. Stick with them, celebrate the small wins, and keep building momentum. Aim for ‘better’ instead of ‘perfect’ – this helps you avoid the ‘aaagh I give up’ mentality.
Be sensible
Juice cleanses, detox kits, fat burners, muscle gainers, and anything that requires celebrity endorsement will not help you achieve your resolutions or health goals. Cleanses and detoxes are only good for expensive and hectic trips to the toilet. And magic pills simply don’t exist (even with a personal discount code). Please don’t waste your money.
Our lungs, skin, liver, and kidneys do a great job of removing ‘toxins’ from our bodies. Try cutting back or eliminating processed junk foods, caffeine and alcohol and drinking more water instead. If you are keen to feel ‘cleansed’ try eating a salad at lunch, veggies with dinner and snack on that celery for a supercharged dose of antioxidants and fiber.
Be consistent
Be wary of highly restrictive diets, ‘drop a dress size in a week’ diets or ‘6 week challenge’ programs. While you may achieve short term success from a magazine diet and enjoy the comradery of a community challenge, you most likely will be hungry, deprived of the foods you enjoy, and find yourself binging at the end of the program, quickly regaining all your losses. This creates an almost perpetual dependence on these types of programs. Especially if they are not supported by nutrition and healthy lifestyle education.
Fitness, sustained weight loss, good health and optimal lifestyle habits are not just created in January. Like magic pills, quick fixes don’t exist either. Sadly, we can’t just ‘tick that box’ when February arrives, at the end of 6 weeks, or the day after bariatric surgery. Fitness and great health are lifelong pursuits. Consistent healthy behaviours practiced daily over the course of your life are key. The team at Upper GI Robotic Surgery will support and educate you on proper nutrition, and give you all the tools you need to create healthy and sustainable lifestyle habits that work for you.
Be committed
Weight loss surgery by itself, is not a magic pill either. It requires just as much dedication and commitment towards a life-long change to dietary and lifestyle choices, as any other health related objective.
Consistently including junk foods as part of your regular diet, or neglecting to move your body most days will unfortunately hinder, undermine, and may even prevent you achieving your weight loss and health goals. Making sensible and healthy decisions post-surgery is vital to ongoing and long-term success. Charles, Lisa and Meredith at Upper GI Robotic Surgery are on hand to make sure you remain on track and continue to make great choices.
Be healthy
As a Health Coach, I am absolutely all for resolutions and making positive changes to your health. If that’s aiming to lose some weight, cut back on the booze, be more active, join a gym, or – if the time is right to commit to weight loss surgery – then absolutely get after it. Your body is a big responsibility, but it is amazing, so give it some challenges to learn, grow and improve. Appreciate your body and all the awesome things it can do. I encourage you to make yourself a priority and invest in your health by making realistic, sensible, consistent and committed choices. Not just in January.