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Health & Nutrition
Zaheera Swing
Nutritional Therapist & Herbalist BSc Hons Nutritional Science + NTPD

New Year’s Resolutions, New You: Making Healthy Habits for 2023

The new year is a beautiful time of growth and renewal. There's always a tangible sense of possibility when each new years eve arrives. We can choose to see each new year as a chance to step into a higher version of ourselves and leave behind the baggage and unhealthy patterns that no longer serve us on our life’s journey.

Around 40% of people in the United States set new years resolutions, with the most popular resolutions being to exercise more, eat healthier, or lose weight in the coming year. [1]

While most of us have really good intentions of following through, it’s thought that around 80% of these resolutions fail. Now, this low success rate shouldn’t be a discouragement but rather an opportunity to take a deeper look into why these resolutions fail and how we can start implementing intentional strategies to help us succeed with our personal goals and new healthy habits.

The issue seems to arise from the fact that many of us make bold resolutions without actually mapping out the necessary steps that will lead us to success.

 

 

How long does it take to break a pattern or form a new healthy habit?

It can be effortless to fall into unhealthy patterns and habits, but not nearly so easy to break them, unfortunately. While there’s no exact timeline for breaking a habit, researchers have made some predictions. Studies show that, on average, it takes a person 66 days to change a behavior. [2]

This means that breaking a bad habit involves a consistent and conscious effort!

 

 

What are some tips for setting goals or implementing new habits?

According to the author of Atomic Habits, all habits are based on a four-step pattern: cue, craving, response, and reward.

That means, to form a new healthy habit, one needs to:

1. Make it obvious!

For example, keep your supplements on the counter so you see them every day, don’t hide your fruits and veggies, and keep your yoga mat out, so you always walk past it in the morning, etc.

 

2. Make it attractive!

Start by implementing the habit you enjoy the most so that you’ll want to do it!

For example, if you want to start eating more veggies, choose one you like already and see how many times you can add it to your meals that week.

 

3. Make it easy!

Start with the habits you find easiest to implement consistently, and go from there!

It might seem like a good idea to join the gym if you want to start exercising, but if you know that the long drive will make it hard to get there, start doing home workouts instead or even go for a walk around your neighborhood.

 

4. Make it satisfying!

Finding joy and pleasure in what you’re doing will make it a million times easier to stay consistent.

 

 

 

Here are some top tips to help your new years resolutions stick:

 

Try setting a SMART goal + using a habit tracker.

A SMART goal is a goal-setting strategy used to ensure that your goals are achievable! The acronym stands for:

  • SPECIFIC: Make your goals specific and well-defined for more effective planning.

  • MEASURABLE: Define what evidence you’ll use to demonstrate that you’re progressing and are on the way to achieving your goal.

  • ATTAINABLE: Make sure that your goal is realistic. It’s always better to start with smaller goals, which are more easily achievable.

  • RELEVANT Your goals should resonate with your authentic self and align with your values and long-term objectives in life.

  • TIME-BASED: Set a realistic goal time frame to help keep you motivated!

 

Also, trying a habit tracker is a fun and easy way to ensure you stick to your new behaviors:

This way, you can monitor your progress which is really rewarding. Also, notifications can help to hold you accountable! [3]

 

 

Stack habits

One of the easiest ways to add new healthy habits is by “stacking” them onto other existing habits. For example, while brushing your teeth, you could do some squats, or while waiting for your morning coffee to brew, you could do a 5-minute meditation.

 

 

Set similar goals within a community

Sharing a common health goal with a loved one like a friend or family member not only helps to keep it fun, but research also shows that healthy lifestyle changes are more effective when we have community support. [4] [5]

Outside support can also help keep you accountable and on track. Choose people you know you can reach out to when you’re struggling or need a little extra motivation and promise to do the same in return.

 

 

 

 

Here are some of our favorite lifestyle-based advice to get you on the path to achieving all your health-based New Year resolutions!

 

1. Get your stress levels under control

 

 

We all know that chronic stress can contribute to poor health decisions and bad habits like comfort eating, binge-watching TV, or perhaps drinking a bit too much. Or you may find yourself “checking out” from life by endlessly scrolling on social media. 

Chronic stress can also lead to fatigue, and low mood, disrupt sleep patterns and even mess with blood glucose levels (hello, cravings!). This can make it hard to stay on track with new healthy habits.

 

Luckily, Ashwagandha offers the most incredible all-natural stress relief and sleep support!

  • Research consistently shows that Ashwagandha can significantly lower the stress hormone cortisol while reducing anxiety, stress, and low mood symptoms. [6] [7]

  • Ashwagandha has also been shown to improve sleep quality, helping you implement healthy sleeping habits and feel more energized in the morning! [8]

  • Ashwagandha may also improve concentration, focus, and working memory - this could help increase your productivity and motivation to ensure you’re reaching all your goals and dreams! [9]

 

 

Meditation:

 

Meditation is a powerful mental health tool to relieve stress and anxiety. It can also be used as an opportunity to meditate on the life goals you’d like to manifest or achieve. For instance, you can meditate on positive affirmations like:

  • I am naturally drawn to vibrant, whole foods that make me feel alive.
  • I love to move my body, and in return, it loves me back.
  • I can achieve anything I put my mind to.

 

 

2. Balance your blood sugar, reduce your cravings & kickstart your weight loss goals!

 

 

Overeating and reaching for highly refined carbohydrates and sugary snacks is an unhealthy habit many people struggle to break.

It’s easy to get caught in a vicious cycle since after consuming refined carbohydrates/sugar, blood glucose levels spike and then drop rapidly. This “rollercoaster” triggers more carb cravings which can feel impossible to control by willpower.

That’s where Garcinia Cambogia comes in:

  • Research shows garcinia may help to naturally balance blood glucose levels, reduce appetite, and curb cravings. [10] [11]

  • Garcinia’s main active component is HCA (hydroxycitric acid), which may help boost metabolism and inhibit fat production. [12]

  • Garcinia may also support serotonin levels, an important neurotransmitter involved in feelings of well-being and motivation, which could assist your efforts to make healthy changes. [13] 

Other lifestyle tips include:

  • Balance your meals with protein, fiber, and healthy fats to slow down glucose absorption into your bloodstream.
  • Drink 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water 15 minutes before meals or take apple cider vinegar capsules. [14]

 

 

3. Implement a holistic morning routine

 

 

Implementing a well-structured morning routine can set a positive tone for the rest of your day.

Healthy habits to add to your morning routine could include:

  • Drinking a large glass of water or herbal tea upon waking
  • Cleaning your space
  • Writing in a gratitude journal or setting your intentions for the day
  • 10 minutes of meditation
  • Mindful movement like yoga or any form of exercise

 

If eating healthier is one of your new years resolutions, starting your day with a vibrant, whole food-packed breakfast is one of the best places to start and will provide you with the energy to help you stay on track with your other new habits for the rest of the day.

Getting more veggies into your diet can easily be achieved by adding a superfood greens powder into your routine.

That’s why we created AdaptoZen Superfood Greens! Packed with over 47 plant-powered ingredients and 9 unique targeted blends for digestion, metabolism, immunity, stress relief, detoxification, and more - it’s the perfect addition to your morning smoothie, OR it’s even delicious in water or plant-based yogurt if you’re in a hurry.

 

Reflecting on the past year

 

 

While it's important to place focus on a healthy future, reflecting on the past year can also help us move forward. Journalling can be a transformative tool for our personal growth and evolution. Here are some powerful journal prompts you can use:

  1. What am I proud of myself for achieving this past year?

  2. Why do I think I was successful at making these achievements, and how can I use these skills going forwards?

  3. What unhealthy habits have I picked up over the past year that I feel are no longer serving me?

  4. What limiting beliefs will prevent me from achieving my goals this coming year?
     

 

Note: This article is for informational purposes only and not intended for use as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any dietary supplement.

Zaheera Swing
Nutritional Therapist & Herbalist BSc Hons Nutritional Science + NTPD
As a qualified Nutritional Therapist (BSc Hons Nutritional Science + NTPD), Zaheera Swing has a deep passion for restoring balance and harmony to the body through the modalities of nutritional science, herbalism, and holistic lifestyle practices. Using the functional medicine model coupled with wisdom from ancient paradigms, she aims to provide insight into the underlying root causes of poor health and the holistic tools we can harness to enhance the well-being of mind, body, and spirit.
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