Forgiving Yourself After the Holidays

We’re a few weeks into the new year and you might be working really hard to stick to your nutrition and wellness plan or you’re still struggling with having fallen off the wagon in December.

You’re not alone. But the best course of action is to forgive yourself and move forward with kindness. Stop beating yourself up and be grateful for where you are now.

I know that’s easier said than done. But with some small actions and little steps you can stick to your goals and ensure that any little slip-up is just that: a slip-up that you can move forward from quickly.

Here are some little changes you can implement right now:

• Drink more water. I know you hear this all the time, but water is the key to any nutrition plan. Water will help you feel full and may discourage you from snacking. Use a tracking app or spreadsheet to track your water intake each day to make sure you’re getting at least 8 glasses.
• Add veggies. You know you need veggies, but are you getting enough? Add at least one vegetable to one meal a day, or even a few times a week. Every little bit helps! The extra veggie will fill you up on healthier foods so you’re less likely to snack.
• Substitute an unhealthy habit. Breaking bad habits is hard, so instead try replacing a bad habit with a healthier one. Love that glass of wine at the end of the day? Trade it for bubbly water. Like to snack on chips while watching television? Switch it out for air-popped popcorn.
• Increase your activity level. It’s so easy to track your activity level each day with smartwatches and even apps on your phone. The baseline seems to be 10k steps, but if you’re nowhere near that, make an effort to increase your step count by 10 percent each week. You can also take the stairs, park further from the grocery store door and take daily walks to move more.
• Meditate. Slowing down can really help you improve your health, and meditation has been shown to offer numerous health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety, improving sleep, and even helping with your bowels. Not sure how to meditate? There’s an app for that!
• Read and learn. I love personal development, and I’m constantly reading books on how to do life better. Some of my recent favorites include The Curious Mind by Brian Grazer, Jay Shetty’s Think Like a Monk, and Badass Habits by Jen Sincero.

The key to doing 2021 better, with kindness and grace, is to feed your body and mind the good stuff and leave the rest behind. Start by doing one thing on this list, then add another. And don’t worry about being perfect.