Posted on January 17, 2023 by Emily Forbes

Often, for New Year’s resolutions people start setting their goals for all the things they want to give up – drinking, unhealthy eating, smoking etc. and it is very much focused on how they DON’T want to feel/look. The problem with this is that our attention is now focused on that thing that we don’t want instead of the thing we DO want. You may have heard the saying “energy flows where attention goes” meaning we should be putting our energy and focus on the things we do want rather than the things we don’t.

We need to change our mindset and narrative. Rather than telling ourselves “I don’t want to be overweight anymore” we can try saying “I want to be fit and healthy”. So, instead of depriving ourselves of things to move away from something we don’t want, why not try adding some healthy habits to move towards the things we do want?

Here are 4 of my top tip suggestions:

  • Optimise your sleep: simple but revolutionary. Set out to do any task and I can be certain that the amount of energy you have will be a determining factor to whether that task is easy or hard, including exercise and sticking to healthy eating. Sleep is one of the easiest ways to replenish our energy. Why not set a goal to go to bed 30 mins earlier than usual and see how your energy changes?
  • Daily movement: humans weren’t designed to sit at desks all day looking at screens, we’re animals, we like to move (even if you don’t believe that). Most of my clients tell me that their aches and pains have been relieved just from moving more. Daily movement isn’t necessarily hitting the gym, but just getting up off the chair/couch/car seat, walk, stretch, dance, let the body be free. And boost the benefits of that movement by including nature or your favourite feel good tunes.
  • Meditation: A lot of people will say they don’t know how to meditate or that they don’t have time. You don’t need to be a Buddhist monk, but creating space in between our thoughts and our day to day busy-ness, can have huge benefits to our mental well-being. Apps like Calm and Headspace offer very short 3 minute meditations, or use a YouTube video. You can take a mindful walk (bang for buck) – leaving phone and distractions behind, and notice your breath, your surroundings and the sensations of walking. Or a simple breath techniques like box/square breathing for a few minutes – inhale for 4s – hold for 4s – exhale for 4s – hold for 4s.
  • Healthy swaps: this is an easy one for food and drink too, we aren’t depriving, we’re making better choices. We don’t have to label food “good” and “bad” demonising food, if you like crisps swap a big grab bag for pop chips for example, by meeting your cravings you are more likely to adhere to a diet but able to stick within a calorie control. Swap a snickers for a light chocolate mousse, your large glass of white for a 125ml of Prosecco, swap full fat soda for diet variations. But we can also make healthy swaps in terms of lifestyle and habits, swap social media scrolling for 5 minutes breathing exercises, read a book instead of binge watching Netflix, catch up with friends by taking a walk together (many bangs for your buck).

Remember, focus on your goals in how you want to FEEL and start doing things to optimise that feeling, and keep moving towards that feeling; I promise it will make the hard things easier and maybe, dare I say it, enjoyable.