Seven tips for a healthy New Year

Many of us will make resolutions to be healthier, shift excess pounds or cut out treats in the New Year.

But after stuffing ourselves with chocolate, biscuits, cheese, and booze over the festive period, what are the best ways to get back on track?

Here, Dr Eleanor Bryant, Associate Professor in Health and Eating Behaviour Psychology at the University of Bradford, pictured below, gives seven top tips.

1. Get rid of temptation

You know that box of shortbread you got from your niece or that tub of Celebrations the neighbour brought round? Those need to go. A major factor in our eating habits is availability. If you know there are leftover Twiglets lurking in the cupboard, it’s very easy to dip into them. If you haven’t got them, you won’t eat them - unless you’re very determined to go out and buy more. Don’t throw them in the bin, but perhaps you could find clever ways to re-gift them.

2. Don’t go from everything to nothing

Over Christmas, everyone overindulges. It’s practically the rule to have chocolate for every meal and nibbles in between. Don’t try to go from eating everything in sight to existing on salads alone, it won’t work, you will feel deprived and then you’ll end up throwing in the towel and diving headfirst into the Quality Streets. Forbidden food is irresistible. Instead, make it a gradual decrease. If you’ve been eating three mince pies a day, drop down to two then one.

3. Have compassion

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Instead, tell yourself, ‘I’ve enjoyed myself and overindulged, but so what? Now I can get back on track.’ Talking to ourselves with kindness, not chastisement, will make it easier to make positive lifestyle changes. Studies show it takes between 21 and 56 days to make a new habit, so think of it as a temporary change in eating that won’t stay. It’s likely you might feel pretty ropey after all the late nights, and calorific food and drink, and you will be ready and willing to freshen up.  

4. Find alternative comfort

The festive season can be really stressful and tiring, so it’s no wonder we might reach for sugary and fatty comfort foods. Try to build in activities that will give you pleasure and distract you from those cravings, like playing with pets, going for a walk, going to a museum, reading a book, knitting … whatever makes you feel good. January is also a good time to book in something to look forward to, like a weekend away or a holiday, but try not to think about getting ‘beach ready’ - you already are beach ready, whatever your size and shape. 

5. Warning: Don’t buy into the diet hype

Magazines, newspapers and online media will be full of diet plans in January. The only diet that works is one of variety and moderation. Anything that offers quick results or cuts out food groups is a fad and likely to be only a short-term fix that won’t benefit you in the long run. If a plan requires you to make a massive change in what you’re eating, leave well alone.

6. Get moving

It goes without saying that we should all be including physical activity into our daily lives. Exercise helps reduce your appetite, distracts you from reaching for treats, gets you out and about and gives you that feel good boost of endorphins. If you feel better about yourself, you will be less tempted to reach for the biscuit tin.

7. A weighty subject

Some experts recommend regular weigh-ins to maintain a healthy lifestyle, others believe getting on the scales can provoke disordered eating and obsessing over pounds. You will know if you need to cut down on treats if your clothes start feeling tight. So, let’s change the narrative. Instead of talking about weight or aesthetics, let’s talk about how we feel, our energy levels and health and our emotional wellbeing. That way, we will all start to feel lasting benefit much sooner.