According the NHS, around 7 million of us will have made a New Year's resolution to improve an aspect of our health this year.
Some of the most common resolutions are:
- Lose weight
- Get fit
- Stop smoking
- Drink less alcohol
- Eat more fruit and vegetables.
Keeping your resolution after Christmas can be a tough thing to do. Richard Wiseman, a professor of psychology at Hertfordshire University, gives the following top 5 tips for boosting willpower and staying motivated:
- Make only one resolution. Choosing just one aspect of your health to improve will increase your chance of success.
- Plan your resolution in advance. This will give you time to think about your goal and how to achieve it.
- Don't repeat last year's resolution. Or, if you do, at least pick a different technique to achieve it.
- Keep the resolution specific and write it down.
- Plan a reward for when you achieve your goal. This will give you something to focus on.
If your main New Year's resolution is to eat a healthy, balanced diet, here are my 8 top tips to help you achieve it:
- Eat wholegrain starchy foods (rice, pasta, bread) - they contain fibre and make you feel fuller for longer
- Eat lots of fruit and vegetables - at least 5 a day but even more ideally
- Eat more fish - two portions a week, with at least one portion being oily fish as it contains omega 3.
- Eat less trans fat and sugar - these are the biggest culprits for weight gain. We need some fat in our diet to help the body function properly; just make sure it is mainly unsaturated fat.
- Eat less salt - a maximum of 6g a day. Whilst you don't need to add it to your food, if you like it, the best type to buy is pink Himalayan Rock Salt.
- Get active - we all know the formula for achieving a healthy weight: eat less bad stuff and do more exercise!
- Drink water - 6-8 glasses a day to avoid dehydration. Sometimes thirst is mistaken for hunger so if you're hungry try drinking some water first.
- Eat breakfast - it is the most important meal of the day!
Hopefully this will help you to maintain your goal to eat more healthily.
