Counting Down the New Year without Counting Down the Calories

As you head into the new year, you might be looking at goal setting and ways you can live a healthier life. The end of the year is a good time to reflect on the year that has passed and ask what you might do differently. For some, this means looking at their health and asking how they can make better choices in the new year. This can be smart to reflect on at the end of the year as long as it doesn’t add to the holiday stress. The good news is, you can create a new you in the new year with less stress with some of these low-stress new year’s health tips.

Low-Stress New Year’s Health Tips

Start with an Honest Look at the Prior Year

Before planning out goals for the new year it can help to take a look at the year you just finished. Taking some time to do an honest inventory of the prior year can be a game-changer. It can help you to get some perspective while deciding where your energy is best spent in the coming year. Even better, a lot of this can be done in your downtime during a busy holiday season. Here are a some questions to ask yourself:

• What were you grateful for? - Any look back should first start with the good things. What happened that you were grateful for? What accomplishments or goals did you meet?
• What were my biggest health struggles or limitations this year? - Next, take some time to look back on struggles you may have had with eating habits, health conditions, and your overall well-being. This could include issues with blood pressure, blood glucose, or cholesterol. After taking some time to look at these struggles, ask yourself how these things may have limited you from living life on your terms.
• What do I wish I would have had less of? - Take some time to look at the life experiences of the past year in relation to your health. What things within your control do you wish you would have less of? This might mean fewer days where blood pressure issues impacted your overall well-being or fewer days where you had to regulate your blood glucose levels.
• What do I wish I had more of? - After looking at the above questions, ask yourself what you wish you had more of. It may be that you want more endurance when taking on day-to-day life, more days when you feel well overall, or more energy for the fun things in life. Take some time to focus on things you want more of in the coming year.
• What limitations did I have that were beyond my control? - When looking at your last year, it can help to frame the year with some kindness to yourself. Be honest about some of what was beyond your control about some of your health goals. This will help you to move more confidently into a healthier lifestyle going forward.

Set Goals and Have an Action Plan

With the new year, comes a variety of resolutions. Resolutions can seem like a great way to make some changes to your life. However, they can actually work against you. It can help to change up your approach and try goal setting. Setting realistic goals with action steps can be the trick to avoiding “failing at resolutions.” Here are a few ideas for setting goals and building an action plan around them:

• Spend some time listing out your goals and breaking them down - Setting a large goal can leave room for disappointment. Instead of setting larger-than-life goals, it can help to set a large goal and break it into smaller actionable goals. This might mean changing up one behavior at a time instead of rewriting the entire habit. Setting small goals helps you to have small wins that encourage you to keep going.
• Research your goals - Spend some time researching the things that will support success with your goals. For instance, adding a product such as Amla Green can support immunity, help with cholesterol, or aid in establishing healthy blood glucose. You don’t have to succeed at your goals alone! For more detailed information on how Amla Green can help regulate your levels and improve your health, click here.
• Prepare yourself to succeed - Many people will plan for the new year with an unspoken expectation that they might not succeed. Take some time to prepare yourself to succeed before you begin. This might mean adding in an Amla Green supplement to boost metabolic health or purchasing the items you need to make healthier choices for yourself.
• Invite a friend to join you - Having a friend to take on a new adventure with can help both of you to succeed. Ask a friend to encourage you and hold you accountable as you make changes. This can make a world of difference for your health goals!

Start Small and Be Kind to Yourself

Making big changes doesn’t have to be impossible. Starting new eating habits can feel like a daunting task with calorie counting, strict eating plans, and restrictive diets offered as the only option. Instead of opting for extreme options that may leave you feeling defeated, start small. You won’t always get it right and that’s completely okay. Here are some tips for starting small and being kind to yourself.

• Start by switching snacks - Snacks are one area where a lot of unhealthy choices can be made. By switching out snacks for options that are healthier for you, you can gain the confidence to make changes in other areas. You might also investigate intermittent fasting.
• Setbacks aren’t failures - As you work to change things up, there may be setbacks when trying to reach your goals. This doesn’t mean you have failed. When looking at your goals and setbacks you might encounter, remember that you didn’t get where you are based on one choice and one choice won’t make or break your success.
• Start with the small wins - When planning out your goals, put small steps at the beginning. These can be things you know will be easier. Having those small wins at the beginning of the process will help you to have the confidence to tackle the rest of your bigger goals and move towards a healthier way of life.