Personal trainers throughout London see it happen every new year - English society doubles down on making aggressive new year resolutions to lose weight and get fit. But such radical lifestyle changes are hardly sustainable and most will abandon their resolutions as soon as February.
But let’s not get discouraged before the new year even begins! We’ve got five of the best life hacks you can adopt to help you lose weight and (finally) live that healthier, happier life in the coming new year!
Did you ever stop to think how arbitrary it is to make a resolution come New Year’s Day? After all, what’s to prevent us from setting our fitness goals any time of the year? Whatever it is about the arrival of the new year that makes us suddenly commit to big goals, it certainly has staying power. Millions will make some form of resolution at the start of the coming new year, with lifestyle and fitness improvements being among the most common.
Unfortunately, only 1 out of 5 people will stick to their commitment!
How to Make a New Habit Sustainable
If you’ve had difficulty making a new habit or resolution stick, personal trainers tell us we’re likely to be more successful setting approach-oriented goals instead of avoidance-oriented goals. For example, instead of “I’m not going to eat any more junk food...period,” we’re much more likely to succeed if we set an approach-oriented goal that’s backed by action. For example, an approach-oriented goal is “I will use the stairs and not an escalator.”
In fact, a personal trainer working in Canary Wharf (east London) referenced a survey done on over a thousand people. The survey revealed that we’re much more successful using approach-oriented resolutions when trying to achieve our goals.
Consider this: For any new lifestyle improvement to stick, it needs to be a life hack that can be cultivated into a habit over time.
Fortunately, we’ve discovered 5 new habits that are not only approach- and fitness-oriented, they’re also a habit you’re likely to stick with over time.
Commit to Staying Hydrated!
Our bodies are made up mostly of water, and we use it for everything. It’s a lubricant for our GI tract and joints, it keeps us cool, and it assists in the transition of nutrients throughout our bodies. Unfortunately, we aren’t drinking enough. For example, 75% of the people in the U.S. barely manage to drink the equivalent of a single bottle of water every day.
Another Canary Wharf personal trainer we worked with offered some intriguing insight on hydration - “if we wait until we’re thirsty, it’s our body telling us that we’re already dehydrated.”
In other words, stop waiting until you’re thirsty.
The fact is that staying properly hydrated is vitally important for losing weight. Science shows that proper hydration can increase our caloric burn rate and it acts as a natural appetite suppressant.
Here are a few tips for staying hydrated in the new year:
Drink a small glass of water with each meal
Keep a glass of water or bottle next to your bed
Invest in a refillable water bottle to tote around with you.
Another great way to stay hydrated is to eat more fruits and vegetables that are high in water content like lettuce, celery, and strawberries.
Commit to Moving More Often!
As harried and frantic as society is, a lot of us spend most of our days sitting. Personal trainers say this where we run into trouble with our fitness and weight loss goals.
After sitting in front of a computer screen all day, we tend to spend our nights sitting on the couch binging on Netflix and Hulu. Heck! We’re even more prone to this type of behavior in the cold and dark months of winter. But this lack of exercise increases the risk of obesity making such sedentary lifestyles harmful to our health.
Fortunately, personal trainers shared a few habits that can help us keep moving throughout the day:
Take the Stairs: Is there an elevator? There are probably stairs as well. Use them.
Download a Fitness Tracker: Not only can they help you track your physical activity, but it can also remind you to get up and move throughout the day.
Stand More: Seem simple? The truth is that standing promotes movement because your body may naturally want to move around. Does your employer have an ergonomic policy? Make the case that a stand-up desk is something to boost your health and productivity.
Park further away: Just make sure you’re in a safe and well-lit environment.
Do exercises during commercials: Bodyweight exercises like pushups, squats and stretching activities during commercials make a difference.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleeplessness can affect everything from mood to metabolism. Unfortunately, 1 out of 5 residents in the U.K. aren’t getting enough sleep. The good news is that we can trace sleeplessness back to our daily behaviors. Overconsumption of caffeine, too much “screen time” before bed, or not having a sleep schedule can all interfere with your sleep.
Many fitness professionals placed an emphasis on the connections between getting enough sleep and effective weight management. An erratic sleep pattern can flare up hormones related to hunger and can lead to overeating and a slower metabolism.
So here are some approach-oriented habits to help you get the recommended 7-hours of shut-eye our bodies need:
Stick to a regular sleep schedule.
Focus on 20-minutes of “wind down” time to relax your body and mind. Meditate, take a warm bath, or listen to soothing music to prepare you for bed.
Download a free sleep app to help you understand the patterns and quality of your sleeping habits.
Focus on Protein Sources
The popularity of the Atkin’s Diet back in the late nineties fueled the popularity of protein as a vital component of the modern weight loss game. Then again, who wouldn’t be intrigued by a weight loss plan that includes a diet of burgers (hold the bun), bacon, and pork rinds?
The truth is that eating protein sources is undoubtedly a healthy way to lose weight. Protein is behind the amino acids that our bodies use to create muscle tissue. The more muscle tissue, the more calories you burn. In other words, the processes in our bodies that ignite our metabolism can be traced back to protein consumption.
But eating enough protein doesn’t necessarily equate to having to eat more meat! There's no shortage of evidence to suggest that eating more plant-based proteins can improve your health.
Frankly, do you consider yourself vain, like the rest of us? Do you want your skin, nails and hair to all look great. Our bodies use collagen to make that happen, and amino acids (protein) are the essential magic that fuels the production of collagen in our bodies.
Switch to Smaller Plates
Ever heard of the Delboeuf illusion? Few have, so don’t feel left out. Ultimately, it’s a theory suggesting that if you surround something with a lot of white space, that “something” can appear smaller.
If you want to lose weight in the new year, our personal trainer friends tell us they often recommend switching to smaller plate sizes. Voilà! Fewer calories consumed.
The simple of it is that over fifty studies show that we eat less when using smaller plates. In fact, just by halving the plate size, participants consumed an average of one-third less than they normally would.
Conclusion
Lose weight. Burn fat. And, oh yeah, lose weight. Blah blah blah. We’re setting the same New Year's resolutions every single year and then... poof! We abandon our efforts. Whatever new life hacks, habits, or goals you intend to set, personal trainers tell us that small, attainable goals like the ones mentioned above are likely to usher us to success because their small and sustainable.
The important part is that you start. And there’s never been a better time than now.