Pro Tips To Help You Tackle Your New Year's Resolutions
These tips from PhD Nutritionist Cassidy Gundersen will help you make better strides toward your health goals in 2022.
The new year always brings about an excitement and an opportunity for a fresh start that we all want. For most of us, we want to not only look better, but we also want to feel better. But when it comes to setting health goals for the new year, it isn’t always practical to shoot for the moon. This is why gym memberships surge in January and February and then drop off over the following months.
In order to set goals that you’ll actually stick to when it comes to your health, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. First, you’ll want to set a main goal that you want to hit over the long term. Then, pick something small that will help move the needle in the direction of the big goal and only focus on that thing. I call these, “micro-goals.” These are things that you want to turn into habits that will help you achieve your overall goal. These could look something like getting more greens in your diet by having a fresh salad once or twice a week. It could be as simple as making sure you drink enough water by starting every day with a big glass of water. You just want to make sure that it’s something you actually can achieve and turn into a habit. Once you hit that goal often enough, you’ll have the confidence that you’re actually making progress rather than trying to go all in on one big goal.
The next thing you’ll want to do is make sure that you have someone who can help you out. The ideal is to have someone who will do it with you. That way, you’ll both feel motivated to help each other and work together to accomplish the goal. This can be a spouse, a friend, or a family member. Having a buddy to help you on your journey can make a big difference, especially when you feel like you want to give up.
Lastly, you want to make sure that you count the cost, or, in other words, make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. Do you have all the things you need to hit your micro goals and eventually your large goal? Is there anything you need to have on-hand? What is it going to look like on a day to day basis? What if you go out of town; how will you work on your goal when you’re out of town? These are important questions to ask yourself and to have answers to before you begin. It’s much easier to press forward when you’re ready for the obstacles that may come up.
One of my goals for this new year is to spend at least 1 day each week in the great outdoors. This is my micro goal to help me find greater peace and calm (something we could all use more of these days). There is something rejuvenating and healing about being in the open air away from the bustle and noise of the city life. To accomplish this goal, I’m going to enlist my husband to help so that we do it together. We’ve got kids, so we’ll have to account for their schedules and needs to accomplish this goal. One thing that is helpful is that my kids LOVE Ruvi, which is great because we can take the powders on the go. They’re also packed with nutrients, so they’re not only mom-approved, but nutritionist approved as well.
You may have heard the phrase, “Eat the Rainbow”, and nothing could be more true! Each color found in nature contains its own unique nutrients, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. This makes each color important to our health it its own way. For instance, anything orange (carrots, oranges, sweet potato, orange peppers, papaya, persimmons) contains beta carotene which is converted to vitamin A and provides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects to the cells. Purple foods (grapes, purple cabbage, eggplant, purple potatoes, blackberries) on the other hand contain anthocyanin, a compound which has been found to increase longevity, prevent cancer and protect from dementia.
Getting all of the colors in our diet helps to provide every essential nutrient that our body needs to protect from disease and live a healthy life. This is one goal worthy of everyone's consideration this new year, eating a more colorful diet. Start your morning with a rich berry smoothie, eat a green salad for lunch, and end your night with a grain bowl full of vibrant chopped veggies. It sounds great in theory, but putting this into practice can be hard. Utilize Ruvi, meal preps, and natures fast food (aka fruit) to get everything you need to thrive this year. Don’t be afraid to start small and work your way up to a full rainbow on your plate!
Ruvi is a phenomenal addition to your daily regimen because it's the only fruit and vegetable product I’ve found on the market that don’t contain any fillers, additives, or preservatives. Ruvi is the cleanest and easiest way to get your daily dose of fruits and vegetables without any junk added. Ruvi is quite literally a nutritionists dream.
Written by: Cassidy Gundersen, PhD Nutritionist
More From Cassidy Gundersen:
Visit her website spirohealthandwellness.com
Follow her on Instagram @cassidy.gundersen
Get her Best Selling Book