How to Develop New Habits for the New Year

January always feels like a great time for a reset. A time to embrace a healthier lifestyle and become the person you’d like to be. Ultimately, whatever your New Year’s Resolutions are, be they about health, fitness or personal growth, the underlying aim may be to live a good life and to be contented with your lot. The idea that what matters is not just to live, but to live well has been central to both Eastern and Western thought for centuries. Democritus, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and Epicureans were some of the early Western philosophers to consider the nature of happiness and of a good life (1).

Setting Your Intentions

With this in mind key questions to ask yourself when setting your new years intentions are:

1. What are your reasons for wanting to change?
2. What do you ultimately want to achieve?

If the answers involve pleasing other people, or because society or the zeitgeist are making you feel you ought to be different in some way the chances are your best intentions may not be sustained.

Behavioural science tells us that it is internal motivation that is the key to continuing with an activity. It needs to come from something we want not what we think others want us to be.

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation

Life goals can be intrinsic or extrinsic.

If an activity or behaviour has value to you or is enjoyable, then you are more likely to continue with it, even if you hit difficulties.

So setting yourself goals is fine but first think about your reasons for setting the goal. If you join a gym or take up running in January because you feel you’ve overindulged over Christmas, or because it seems like everyone else is doing it your best intentions may fall by the wayside before January is out.

If you have set a goal to fit into a certain dress for a wedding, you might continue until the wedding day and then your motivation will fall away.

These externally motivated reasons are not likely to lead to a new, life long habit.

On the other hand, if you want to get fit because you want to be fitter and healthier in the long term, and you find an activity that you enjoy and that leads to positive outcomes you are more likely to sustain the habit. This is finding the value in fitness which leads to motivation to carry on.

Intrinsic aspirations include:

• Personal growth
• Meaningful relationships
• Working to make the world a better place
• Engaging in activities that fit with your underlying values 

These aspirations satisfy basic psychological needs and, in turn, improve well-being, life satisfaction, vitality, mindfulness, empathy and a lifestyle that promotes personal health and that of the environment.

Extrinsic aspirations such as the desire to be rich, beautiful, thin or famous, involve comparisons with, and approval from, others and do not lead to well-being. These aspirations are associated with poor mental health, anxiety, depression and sometimes physical symptoms.

Give it Time

Time is a crucial factor when it comes to behavioural change. Don’t expect over night results. We don’t magically transform into a new type of being just because a new calendar goes on the wall. Take the time to make the changes and see mistakes and set backs as learning opportunities.

How to Make Resolutions Stick

• Make it enjoyable. If you’ve resolved to get fit, but the gym has no appeal, try something else - perhaps dancing, swimming, running, yoga or team sports.
• Make sure you’re in it for the right reasons. If you’re only doing something for other people, and not for yourself, then your motivation is likely to be poorer quality and unsustainable.
• Be flexible. If your resolution isn’t working shift your goals to something that is achievable.

Supplemental Help

One thing is for sure, it will be easier to stick to your resolutions if you are well nourished. Eating a healthy diet is the back bone to any self improvement programme. Due to digestive and absorption problems. poor soil health, imported food harvested before it is ripe and processed food that is stripped of nutrients, supplements are sometimes needed. Here are a few basics that will give you a good baseline of nutrition:

Multi Vitamins and Minerals – taking a daily multi is a good insurance policy against nutrient deficiencies and accompanying symptoms. Tom Oliver’s Nutrition have multi vitamins and minerals geared towards men’s and women’s health.

Omega 3 – needed for energy, brain function, the immune system, the endocrine system and for skin, hair and nails. Most people could benefit from an omega 3 supplement.

Vitamin D3 + K2 – doctor’s recommend vitamin D supplementation through the winter. Vitamin D is needed for blood sugar regulation, bone and teeth health, the immune system and cardiovascular health. The addition of vitamin K aids the utilisation of vitamin D in the body.

Tom Oliver’s Protein Powder – protein aids blood sugar control as it increases satiety meaning you stay full for longer and are less likely to snack between meals. Available in whey and vegan varieties.

References

1. Szentagotai, A., David, D. (2013). Self-Acceptance and Happiness. In: Bernard, M. (eds) The Strength of Self-Acceptance. Springer, New York, NY.