When you’re setting your New Year’s resolutions, you tend to come up with something big and vague, like “lose some weight” or “eat more healthily” – but these resolutions never pan out. In order to achieve some of your wellness goals in 2014, you need to make them smaller and, in turn, more achievable. If you set, say, seven little goals instead of one big one, you’re at least guaranteed to check one or two off your list come next year. Here is our list of New Year’s suggestions, as well as the reason why they’re so beneficial to your wellbeing.
1. Drink More Water: Celebrity Nutrition & Fitness expert JJ Virgin, author of NY Times bestseller The Virgin Diet and the bestselling Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy, comments, ‘More than 50% of the human body is made of water, yet dehydration can make that number drop, and fast. Dehydration means your metabolism coming to a grinding halt and increasing your body’s inflammation levels, often resulting in weight loss resistance. By the time you realise you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Start with a large glass of filtered water upon waking and keep a water bottle nearby to sip throughout the day.’
2. Get Enough Sleep: You may have had a few late nights over the festive season, so try to get more sleep during 2014. ‘Just one [bad] night’s sleep can knock fat-burning hormones out of whack,’ Virgin warns. ‘Turn off electronics and use the hour before bed to power down. The best gift you can give yourself is seven-to-nine hours of high quality sleep every night.’
3. Actually Do Some Exercise: It’s easy to drive past the gym unless you’ve committed yourself to a membership and trainer (just think of the money you’re wasting!) According to Virgin, ‘Muscle is your metabolic Spanx that holds everything together’ so make sure you fit burst training and weight resistance into your schedule.
4. Control Your Stress Levels: While the Holidays have probably been stressful enough, coming back to work, getting the kids ready for school and just general life can keep those stress levels up in 2014. Not only is stress bad for your health, the high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your system will cause your body to break down muscle and store more fat. ‘Find your centre of calm,’ Virgin advises. ‘Meditation, deep breathing, yoga, or just walking your dog around the block can provide momentary bliss.’
5. Eat More Fibre: ‘[Fibre] slows stomach emptying, dials down your hunger hormone ghrelin, balances blood sugar, and reduces cravings,’ says Virgin. ‘The Centres for Disease and Control Prevention recommend a daily intake of fibre of between 25 to 35 grams for adults, but I personally aim for 50. To make it easy to meet your daily quota, try to eat high-fibre foods like berries (especially raspberries), lentils, leafy greens and nuts and seeds. I throw flax or chia seeds into my protein shake for an easy fibre boost.’
6. Make Breakfast Easy: On busy mornings, you can be tempted to skip breakfast altogether, and at the weekend you can overindulge in pancakes or a fry-up. However, Virgin points out, ‘A protein shake can rescue you in even the trickiest situation for a fast, filling, cravings-busting meal. Whether I’m at the airport or on the road, I always keep vegan (but not soy) protein powder nearby. I blend it with flax or chia seeds, frozen raspberries, raw kale, and unsweetened almond or coconut milk.’
7. Indulge Smartly: While setting all these goals may make you feel virtuous, you can’t be too strict with yourself or you’ll fall off the wagon. Virgin recommends, ‘Aim for a low-sugar dark chocolate with at least 80% cacao, preferably organic, and enjoy sparingly. For extra indulgence, smear some almond butter on top of it.’
