I’m Nurse Lauren, HealthcareNOW Radio’s #NursesNOW content contributor. Today, let’s chat about New Year’s Resolutions. Did you plan on making any this year? It’s easy to decide NOT to make any resolutions, but it can also be a good motivator to stay on track and reach your goals. First, let’s switch your mindset. The key to resolutions is remembering it’s about the results! You want a healthy life but you need to be realistic on how you’ll get there. And as if committing to #newyearnewme wasn’t hard enough, now throw in a three years of a global pandemic that makes napping an Olympic sport.
The key here is the word realistic. So you haven’t worked out in (insert number of years here?) Maybe swearing you are going to workout 2 hours a day, six days a week isn’t the best first step. Do you drool over the perfectly placed meal photos in matching Tupperware all over Instagram? You swear you can be #mealpreplife and #makehealthychoices even though you haven’t used your oven in years?
These kind of resolutions only do 1 thing … set you up to fail. Setting smaller more realistic goals gives you a much better chance to stick with them, grow from them, and ultimately be successful.
Realistic Exercise Resolution:
Walking is a great way to start an exercise routine and get your heart rate going. Plan on walking (even if it’s around your house!) for 10 – 15 minutes a few days this week. Next week maybe add a day – or a flight of stairs. Next steps, after a couple of weeks of walking, look into small home workouts (check out Youtube – look at the number of minutes the video is first.)
Realistic Meal Prep Resolution:
Prepare snacks for the week. Buy five apples for a midmorning snack and separate almonds into 5 containers to take as a midday snack. This is a way to start a meal prep routine without cooking for 10 hours on your first Sunday attempt. Next week, commit to adding on roasting a tray of veggies for lunches and dinners.
Are you ready to get started? Start realistically and add as your comfort level increases. Remember that exercising and eating healthy is key to combating obesity. Being overweight can equal many health problems like diabetes and risk of heart disease.
This is Nurse Lauren signing off with your Wellness Wednesday tip. Wishing you a happy holiday season and a healthy start to 2023!
ICYMI – my Wellness Wednesday Blog posts, Nurses NOW Weekly Roundups and Friday Fives.
