5 Ways to Reestablish Healthy Habits
“First and foremost, be kind to yourself,” says Colleen Tewksbury, PhD, MPH, RD, an assistant professor in nutrition science at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Be careful not to let weight gain affect your self-worth, willpower, or morale, Dr. Tewksbury says.
“It is completely normal to have weight fluctuations throughout the year,” Tewksbury says — including over the course of a well-enjoyed holiday season. “The key is that you’re tracking the trends and intervening early if it is a consistent trend upward over time.”
Instead of strict dieting, try these five strategies to gently reengage with the habits that support your health.
1. Go in With a Game Plan
2. Check In With Yourself
Badaracco notes that this can offer “positive reinforcement when you’re successful.” But this tool isn’t for everyone. If you have a history of disordered eating or find the scale triggers anxiety, skip it and focus on how your body feels instead.
3. Return to Your Routines
4. Buddy Up
When people are contending with weather that urges us to stay indoors and are experiencing a post-holiday slump, it can be especially helpful to create goals with others, says Badaracco. Whether you want to embark on Dry January (or extend it to February and beyond) or start hitting the gym again, a partner can keep you accountable so that you both see results.
Schedule workouts with a buddy, have walking meetings at work, or swap healthy recipes with a pal. “It makes the activity so much more enjoyable, and you look forward to it,” says Badaracco. It can be done virtually with fitness- or nutrition-tracking apps, too. Or use a notebook to keep a log to be your own accountability buddy.
5. Give Yourself Grace
The holiday season is generally defined as a six-week stretch, so don’t expect to feel back to normal overnight. “It’s more important and effective to set small, manageable goals,” Badaracco says. “Planning to go for a 15-minute walk three times a week might not seem like much, but it’s a small win that can propel you forward. Then you can gradually increase the goal.”
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