The new year brings along the same old new year resolutions of hitting the gym, eating healthy, and having more fun. We often go all out in the first week of January, smashing all our goals before hitting the motivation and energy crash by the third week.
The reason behind this is that we place too much pressure and importance on our new year’s resolutions. Quitting your bad habits cold turkey will result in them coming back with a vengeance.
Instead, we should opt for achievable goals through adding subtle yet effective changes to our routines. This slow transition allows our bodies and minds to process our lifestyle change without feeling stressed or backtracking.
Below we have listed 5 fitness tips and healthy eating tips to help you on your new year, new me journey.
Table of Contents
1. Grocery Planning
Planning your weekly groceries is one of the easiest stepping stones towards upping your nutrition. Grocery shopping can feel like a chore and you may often leave the shop with a trolley full of things you don’t need.
To make the process more efficient, follow a set routine and approach to grocery shopping. Start by checking your fridge, freezer, and cupboards. Make notes of any food items which are missing or running low.
Also make note of items that are rotting and untouched, as you should add these to your ‘do not buy’ list.
Once you have established what items you already have or need, you can then begin planning your weekly meals. Think of three dinners, lunches, and breakfasts you would like during the week. Yes, there are seven days in the week, but buying ingredients for all seven days can be overwhelming and will make it harder to stick to.
The next step is to split your grocery shopping list into four sections. Making the list on your phone or laptop means you are likely to get less confused and make easy edits. The four sections on your list should be:
- Fresh Produce
- Cupboard Items
- Meat and Dairy
- Frozen
Add in your meal ingredients and other essentials under the relevant section. This will speed up the amount of time you spend in the supermarket and sticking to the list can even save you money by avoiding random items.
An organized grocery list allows you to be prepared for a week full of nutritious meals. A bonus tip for grocery shopping is to go on the same day each week. This creates a routine to follow and in turn, will reduce impulse takeouts.
2. Monthly Meal Prep
Once you have a functioning grocery routine, the next step to upping your nutrition in the new year is by engaging in the world of meal prep.
There are three ways to go about meal prepping. You can batch cook, make individually portioned meals, or just prep ingredients ahead of time.
Batch cooking covers the process of making a massive meal such as a pasta bake or tomato soup. You then keep some in the fridge to grab and go for dinner and lunch or you can opt to freeze it so you can eat it throughout the month.
Individually portioned meals take the same process of making a big meal but this includes making side dishes and then refrigerating and freezing them in portioned tupperware containers.
I’m sure you can guess the process of prepping ingredients ahead of time but essentially this includes chopping peppers, garlic, or onions and freezing.
Meal prepping allows you to experience a faster cooking process. Which means you’re less likely to avoid it and choose an unhealthy option.
Meal prepping can be made easier by using targeted meal prep apps, buying meal prep containers, setting one day a week for all the cooking, and using labels to keep track of expiry dates and meal names.
Some things you can meal prep that provides great nutrition for a healthy lifestyle:
- Boiled eggs (protein snack)
- Chicken and rice (individual portions)
- Chicken and vegetable soup (batch cook)
- Tuna casserole (batch cook)
- Sweet potatoes and salmon (individual portions)
3. Under Desk Treadmill
The new year brings in an increased purchase of gym memberships. Adding the gym to your weekly routine is amazing for your health but it can be hard to stick to.
After a long day at work, the last thing you want to do is sit in traffic on the way to the gym and spend an hour getting even more exhausted. Instead of purchasing a gym membership, it might be more convenient and worthwhile to purchase a treadmill for under your desk.
This is ideal if you have your own office at work or you work from home. Under desk treadmills fit conveniently under your desk so you can walk at a steady pace while working.
Sitting at a desk all day can damage our posture and make us feel lethargic. Whereas using a under desk treadmill can provide us with a multitude of benefits such as:
- Improve cardiac health
- Improve circulation
- Improve posture
- Reduce weight
- Reduce stress
- Relieve lower back pain
- Strengthen muscles
This also means that you get your steps in and workout done during the day. Leaving your evenings free for whatever you want to do. Using an under desk treadmill can also positively affect your motivation and creativity.
4. Open Water Swimming
Open water swimming can provide an array of benefits to both your mind and body. The activity is a form of mindfulness and also exposure therapy that helps our bodies function in handling stress.
Swimming in open water can help improve things such as our speed, stamina, strength, and endurance. It is a fun way to up your fitness level in the new year and experiences the thrill of being in the water.
If you are looking to try open water swimming, ensure you are a confident swimmer, join local swimming groups (group swims), and also make sure you have all the essentials.
Open water swimming essentials consist of:
- Wetsuit
- Swim cap
- Tow float
- Emergency whistle
- Dry bag
5. Find An Active Hobby To Pursue
The final tip on our list to help you up your fitness game in the new year is finding a new hobby that requires you to be physically active.
Finding something you find engaging and fun while it also helps you stay active is one of the easiest ways to stay fit. When you are doing something you love, you’ll be inclined to do it more often and spend longer doing it.
There are many physically active hobbies you can pick up:
- Hiking
- Skating
- Bowling
- Dance
- Sports (golf, basketball, tennis, football)
- Gardening
- Rock Climbing
