Forget the ‘New Year New You’ movement, here’s how the current ‘you’ can live happier and healthier starting now…

Happy new year! I hope you had a peaceful and relaxing Christmas (I certainly did) and now we’re back to the realities of daily life, I wanted to share with you what I think might be your most valuable tool this January.

Based on what almost every person who has contacted me about joining Boot camp, or starting personal training sessions has expressed to me these past weeks, I cannot stress enough how important it is to not throw yourself in at the deep end this January, in order to become a ‘new you’.

My lovely team and I have met so many people who have let themselves become defined by how much weight, or dress sizes they have lost. Slimming clubs capitalise on this, by placing far too much value on how much mass an individual decreases by. And if their mass increases…well is having to pay a fee really a healthy incentive, long-term?

What’s important to remember is that weight loss and health are not the same thing! Someone losing a considerable amount of weight does not necessarily mean their health has improved, especially if they are still deficient in vital nutrients.

Making yourself smaller is not going to change who you are. You’ll still be the same person! Your body is the only one you’ll ever have, so embrace it’s capabilities, rather than scrutinising and comparing it to others’.

Becoming fixated with what’s on the scales can quickly and all-too-easily become an obsession, leading to an unhealthy mind-set and life full of rules, restrictions and stress. Lots of our Boot camp attendees came to us following experiences of this at slimming clubs.

They’ve explained how the collective group environment no longer felt like a fellowship of support, but competition, restrictions and negativity. Does that sound like living?! No wonder so many New Year’s resolutions are abandoned after months or even weeks…

We promote a mindful, relaxed approach to life, which takes into account the most important thing: living it and enjoying every moment! Rather than dwelling on past fears and anxieties, think about your new intentions for your health and, most importantly, why not learn to accept the ‘you’ you are?!

If a habit (or several) you’re currently practising aren’t serving you or starting to become detrimental to your physical and mental health and well-being, then think about what healthier habits you can replace them with. Wishing you a healthy happy 2019!