Hi friend,
New Year’s resolutions are by their very nature intended to improve us. (After all, you don’t hear many people saying “My New Year’s resolution is to keep being my awesome self. Yup.”) Resolutions can be used to uplift us, to challenge us, and to set and achieve goals.
But unfortunately, they can also be used to beat ourselves and each other up, to fill us with shame, and — by unscrupulous people and companies — to manipulate us into buying more stuff to try to fill that achievement gap.
The classic New Year’s resolution is, of course, weight loss, in the form of gym memberships and new (or repeated) diets. But we know that intentional weight loss– whether you call it a diet, a lifestyle change, keto, clean eating, yoga for weight loss, Whole30, or anything else — doesn’t work in the long term.
So if weight loss doesn’t work in the long term, what are we supposed to replace it with? What about our friends and family who are all excited to get back to the gym or start on that lifestyle change that’s really going to work this time? How are we supposed to navigate all this while still being able to participate in the fun of New Year’s resolutions in a body-positive way?
From ditching diets to replacing unachievable goals, here’s your complete guide to a positive new year and to setting resolutions that are healthy both mentally and physically.
