Get your New Year's resolutions right this year!

Another new year is here and with it comes the traditional resolutions. For X years you have been setting a goal that from January you will finally start to live healthy, play sports regularly, lose those extra pounds, run a marathon or change your eating habits, but year after year in the middle of January you quit because you can't manage to choose the right path at the first attempt without excessive restrictions, unnecessary overloading and too radical changes? How about trying it differently this year? We've compiled the most important tips for you to follow and make your resolutions come true!

Set realistic goals

Okay, let's start at the beginning. A huge number of New Year's goals fail on the grounds that they're just completely unrealistic. Want to lose weight quickly and easily, put on 10kg of muscle or run a marathon in a month? Well, back down to earth. The process of changing your body, in whatever direction, is not a momentary affair, it requires effort, perseverance, a strong will, and above all just a sensible approach. The problem is that many beginners with a healthy lifestyle fail to appreciate what such a realistic goal actually looks like.

So try to set a smaller, more achievable goal to start with and gradually move it further and further... because in the end you will find that the journey is the goal and there is still something to work on. You just need to not get discouraged right at the beginning. Moreover, the moment you set a smaller goal at the beginning, which will be easier to achieve sooner, it will also boost your motivation and enthusiasm.

You don't have to get everything done in the first week of January

If after x number of years you're going to change your lifestyle, start eating healthily and exercising regularly, don't be too hard on yourself and expect to get everything right in the first week. Rather than embarking on some huge radical change, take it one step at a time. You don't have to suddenly cut back on all the foods you love. Make dietary adjustments gradually.

Start by learning to drink plenty of plain water and adding more vegetables and fruit to your diet. Slowly reduce your consumption of sweets and fast food and instead experiment, try healthy recipes and look for alternatives to your favorite not-so-good foods in a healthy diet. And the same goes in sports: if you've never been to the gym or gone running, don't expect to be a pro in two weeks. On the contrary - getting started in sport is challenging and quite often painful, which can put many people off. So, rather than overdoing it and playing sports 7 times a week, give yourself three workouts and allow your body time to recover and get used to the movement. Then you can safely add the workouts.

Every change needs its time

In addition to setting unrealistic goals, people often assume that change will come quickly - ideally right away. If they don't see at least two pounds less on the scale after the first week, have three centimetres bigger biceps, or can't run 2km without getting out of breath, they give up their efforts because their plan "doesn't work". One thing to remember is that every transformation and every athletic goal takes time, strong willpower, discipline, consistency, and last but not least, patience.

You certainly didn't put on your pounds in a week, so you can't expect to get rid of them in a week. If you've never run before, you can't expect to be a second Bolt in a week. And if you're new to strength training, you're more likely to be all sore after a week than you are to see any huge muscle gains.

How long it will take to reach your goal depends on many factors - size, character, dietary or training history, genetics, and most importantly, yourself. Be prepared for the fact that every body is unique and the process of reducing or gaining fitness occurs at a completely different rate for each. It can be demotivating to see people around you dropping pounds at the snap of a finger and you just aren't doing that well, or someone else's fitness is going up faster than yours... but try not to compare yourself and focus on the fact that what you're doing is primarily for yourself. Even though it may be hard at times, if you persevere and don't give up, it will be worth it. Give your body time to adjust to the new routine and respond to any changes. They couldn't even build Rome in one night!

There are no shortcuts, period.

One of the steps that beginners in nutrition usually take is to resort to some drastic, overly restrictive or unnecessarily monotonous diet that they find on the internet or look up from some model or blogger on instagram. However, such diets or universal manuals downloaded from the internet do not meet their needs and this is the main reason why such attempts to reduce fat usually end in failure, yo-yo effect and sometimes even health problems. If we can advise you, don't look for any holy grails and start straight away building a dietary direction that will suit your personal needs in every way and help you meet your goals.

So how do you put together a diet that is functional and truly balanced? Ugh, that would make for a separate article, so we'll take it in a bit of a hop. The first, and most important, step to remember is that it needs to be based on your individual needs. It should reflect your needs, your physical disposition, your occupation, your daily schedule, the intensity and frequency of your sporting activities, their nature, but also your taste preferences and specific goals... in short - it's a bit of alchemy, but it should reflect you.

It shouldn't be based on how your favourite Influencer eats, or what's currently in. Following it should feel natural to you and not cause pressure or stress. And just as importantly, your own diet should taste good, be fun for you, and be sustainable for you in the long term.

Therefore, it should be based on simplicity, quality ingredients in sufficient quantities and also be flexible enough. It should contain all the macronutrients in the optimal proportion that your body needs. It should be based on plenty of easily digestible proteins, which can come from all types of meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, but also from legumes, tofu, tempeh or even protein powder. Protein should also be supplemented with adequate amounts of complex carbohydrates. These can be found in rice, pasta, wholemeal bread, oatmeal, potatoes, but also in buckwheat or quinoa. Fibre should not be missed either, which is abundant in vegetables, fruit, pulses, oatmeal and whole grain products. Finally, there's fat - add avocados, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts or seeds to your diet.

We'll be looking at what such a healthy diet should look like, what it should contain and where to get information in a separate article soon, as it's really quite a broad topic. However, we won't shoot any specific or non-specific numbers on how many calories to take in as part of the recommendations here, because there really is no universally valid recommendation in this regard. If you're not sure how to set up your diet, want to avoid unnecessary mistakes or extreme deficits, don't be afraid to reach out to an expert who can help you set up your diet. However, be careful in this regard as well, because there is no such thing as an expert, and a high number of followers on instagram is no guarantee of real education.

Don't be tempted by advertising for overpriced dietary supplements that don't work

Newcomers to nutrition and their resolutions are an easy target for salespeople selling various would-be weight-loss aids. That's why in January, mailboxes, web magazines and social networks are full of ads for various detox programmes, vegetable juices, powdered meals, slimming teas or other magic pills. The packaging of these products promises faster fat loss, removal of toxins from the body and other miracles. But let's pour the wine clear - no tea, pill or meal replacement will do the hardest work for you and they never work on their own, even though their packaging usually promises it.

You really don't have to start your January journey to a slimmer you with a detox program. In fact, if you have a healthy liver, kidneys, lungs and other organs of the excretory system, you detox continuously - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. And if you don't live a disordered life, don't smoke, don't use addictive substances, don't regularly consume large amounts of alcohol, and don't wash down your fast-food lunch menu with a glass of burnt oil every day, then your body can detoxify just fine on its own and you don't need to help it. Taking pills or applying detox treatments often does more harm than good and does not support your weight loss. In fact, quite the opposite.

Detox programs are often based on extreme calorie restriction, which will lead to weight loss, but at what cost. Besides the fact that the weight loss will only be due to dehydration, when you return to conventional eating, the weight will climb back up to its original value, maybe even with a little something extra to give your body a reserve in case you think of similar crap another time. And as for the various pills, teas and concentrates... detox products may promise faster weight loss and cleansing the body of toxins, etc., but honestly... the only thing these products really cleanse is the contents of your wallet. You'd better invest your money in good food, a gym membership, new shoes or some workout clothes. You'll be doing yourself and your health a much greater service!

Move regularly

Movement is important not only for weight loss, but also for health in general. In some form, we should engage in it every day - at least in its most basic and natural form, which is walking. In addition to burning calories and building muscle mass through movement, any kind of physical activity is also a great way to improve your mood, clear your head and relieve stress, as it releases endorphins, the hormones of happiness. To make matters worse, regular exercise can help us improve the quality of our sleep, which is crucial not only for weight loss but also for overall health.

Well, what kind of movement is the best? Simply the one that you enjoy the most, that gets you results and that you are able to do regularly. Swimming, running, gym, cycling, skating, boxing or even dancing? Do what you really enjoy and what fills you with happiness! It is also advisable to vary the movement frequently, to load the body from different angles and to give it constant stimuli to grow and improve. But don't forget to rest properly. Especially if your body is not yet used to more intense activity, it may be sore and tired after the first workouts. That's absolutely fine, but there's no need to overdo it with the movement - give your body room to recover, there's no rush.

Quality sleep in sufficient quantity as one of the priorities

Speaking of that regeneration thing, the fact that you need sleep must necessarily come up. You need to sleep enough in terms of quality and quantity. Because during sleep, our sore muscles regenerate, but also other cells and organs, and also during sleep, hormone levels are balanced, which is also important for successful weight loss, for example. Quality and sufficient sleep is one of the main pillars of overall health, so let's make it a priority in 2023. Along with diet, sufficient drinking, regular physical activity, sleep is really extremely important for our whole body, performance at work and in the gym, a slim line and a strong immunity. Although the optimal sleep time for each of us will be slightly different, it is generally stated that we should get at least 7-9 hours of sleep a day.

Don't forget a regular dose of fresh air

Due to the increasing demands of today's times, the growing popularity of social media and the never-ending popularity of watching TV, our generation is spending less and less time outdoors, and that's a huge shame. As well as being a great way to stretch your body, clear your head, boost productivity and get fresh air into your lungs, a daily walk in nature is also very important for your overall health.

It helps build strong immunity, plays an important role in sleep quality, serves as a depression preventative, and replenishes the all-important vitamin D over the summer. So let's get outside again this year and spend a little more time. Treat yourself to a walk on the way to work in the morning, drag your colleagues out of the office for lunch, take the family for an afternoon walk instead of watching TV, head out for some sports, or just slip on your shoes and go outside just for the heck of it. Your body and head will thank you, and you'll find half an hour a day to get outside.

Not only physical but also mental care is important

Recent years have taught us that health is not just about the physical, but also about the mental. Stress is something that touches everyone's life and we need to know how to work with it. It is harmless, even beneficial to a certain extent, but when it is too much, it becomes a stimulus for health problems or can boycott our efforts to transform our bodies. When stressed, the body produces more of the hormone cortisol, which can wreak havoc on the body.

Therefore, it is good to remember to have something to help us regulate stress. It can be sports, meditation, walking, going to a spa, music, massage, or even a good book. Unrealistic resolutions, high expectations or simply unfulfilled expectations towards our goals can also be a source of stress. So go back to point number one and choose your goals for the new year wisely. Not just in fitness and healthy eating, but everywhere else.

What to take away from the article?

With the start of a new year, our biggest ambition is to work on our bodies - whether it's by changing our eating habits, getting regular exercise or doing both at the same time. And of course, we're rooting for such goals! That's why today we've put together a few tips on how to make this year's transformation resolutions come to fruition, without going to extremes, making unnecessary mistakes or gambling with your health. We look forward to having you share your lifestyle change journey with us in some form, and we hope you'll stick around reading our nutrition, fitness and supplement articles all year long!

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