Happy 2020! A new year is here, and around this time, we really start thinking about our wellness. Your wanting to take care of yourself is fantastic, but some of the resolutions you’ve decided on might need a few tweaks. Let’s explore a few common resolutions and how to make them work for you. Keep reading.

You’ve made your mind up to only drink diet soda. Yes, the calories in that soda might be fewer than in the regular version, but the artificial sugars are the problem. Studies show increased risks to our health linked to drinking diet soda— issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and obesity. No thanks!

Here’s your tweak: Try drinking fruit-infused water, instead of any soda so you still lower your calories while satisfying your sweet tooth and staying hydrated. Plus, fruit-infused water is delicious! 

Eating low-fat foods is your intended dieting plan. Choosing low-fat foods, however, is an old-fashioned approach to losing weight. So is counting calories and worrying about the numbers on the scale. Strict, restrictive plans have shown themselves to be unsustainable over time, and drum roll, please, proven to actually guarantee weight gain. Find a balanced menu strategy that works for you, instead, and don’t forget that healthy fats are essential. 

Here’s your tweak: Start incorporating healthy fats into your snack rotation. Avocado, a serving of nuts after dinner, or even a square or two of dark chocolate are some great starters.

Pinky swearing that you’ll regularly attend a gym is on your 2020 reform agenda. This one is on a lot of people’s lists—and I know how crowded my gym is right now, and how uncrowded it will be around mid-February. If you don’t normally go to the gym and don’t enjoy traditional gym equipment, forget about it! 

Here’s your tweak: Do what you enjoy! Dancing, yoga, running, or maybe working out at home with an app or with a friend are all possible substitute ideas. A lot of fitness apps these days help you track your workouts—and your food intake—almost like a mini-personal trainer. The gym isn’t the only place to exercise your body.

Promising yourself you won’t eat treats is the top on your list. Stopping yourself from eating sweets altogether is tough if that goodie is normally in your daily routine. Please don’t punish yourself and vow to never eat another brownie ever again. That’s no fun. An approach like that probably won’t work anyway, and you might experience unnecessary guilt and wind up eating even more than that one evening brownie. 

Here’s your tweak: Name your feeling at that moment. That’s right! Is it loneliness, anger, fatigue, or boredom? Say the word out loud before you reach for the brownie. Pause and ask yourself, “What do I need right now because I feel this certain way?” Whatever is behind the sugary snack probably isn’t really the brownie. What you actually need might be a nap, a chat with a friend, a hug, or possibly a walk. That’s mindfulness for you and an approach of examining your habits you can start practicing.  And if it’s the brownie that wins, enjoy it!

And finally…one item you should PUT on your list.

Try new things! 

Starting off the decade right may turn out to be just that simple. To begin with, you don’t have to commit to anything in particular. Simply be open to the world around you. The new thing you might go for could be a new vitamin or a new type of workout, finding a new place to travel to, or doing morning meditations or weekly acupuncture. If you don’t try it all, you won’t know what works best for YOUR self-care. 

I’m here if you want to chat about new things you’d like to try in 2020, so call and pencil me into your schedule—212-686-0939—or simply email—Roberta@robertamittman.com! Patients and clients ask me what plan I’m on. My answer: It’s the Roberta plan, of course ! 

Let’s craft yours.