With the Christmas season over, this is the time of year when many people like to make a fresh start and set goals for the next 12 months. From exercising more, starting a new hobby, or saving money, a new year is a great opportunity to make some positive changes.
Unfortunately, the likelihood of these changes sticking is slim, with 80% of people giving up on their New Year’s Resolutions by February .
So what’s going wrong? For many of us, it’s a lack of planning that makes resolutions hard to stick to. Rather than choosing a resolution and then expecting an immediate change, it may be better to establish a series of mini goals and work towards them as part of an ongoing process.
Think about what your target is. To be successful, goals need to be measurable and accountable. Rather than saying “I’d like to improve my fitness levels”, try saying “I will go running four times a week.”
Your goal also needs to be realistic. For example, if you frequently work late then it’s unlikely you’ll be able to achieve this goal. In this case, it may be better to set a goal of going to the gym at the weekend, and going for a daily walk during your lunch break. If you’d like to eat healthier this year, perhaps starting to plan your meals in advance would help you achieve your goal. Spending some time at the beginning of each week organising your meals will reduce time spent deciding what to cook during the week. It will also save you money at the supermarket as you can do one big shop rather than lots of smaller ones. More importantly, meal planning is a great opportunity to try out some new recipes and discover new cuisines.
Meal prepping goes one step further than meal planning and involves pre-making your lunches or dinners for the week ahead. Cook protein such as chicken or steak, steam or roast your favourite vegetables, and cook some rice or potatoes to go along with them. Organise your meals into suitable containers and then all you have to do is take a portion from the fridge each day. Ready meals… like you’ve never known them before!
If improving your personal health is one of your goals for this year, there are lots of tools available to help you on your journey. From calorie-counting apps, to wearable activity trackers and connected scales, different types of technology can provide you with useful data about your progress. If you’d prefer to use more manual methods, try keeping a journal of your daily eats and exercises to stay on track and gain deeper insight into which areas you can improve in.
To support you with your healthy eating goals, we’ve included nutritional information with each Cookidoo® recipe. Choose recipes that fit in with your nutritional needs, or adjust portion sizes accordingly and balance out your meals with additional vegetables.
If your goal for the coming year is simply to enjoy a healthier lifestyle, your Thermomix® is an invaluable tool. By cooking real food from scratch rather than relying on processed ready meals and takeaways, you’re already making big improvements to your health. And, with so many delicious recipes available on Cookidoo® from all over the world, you’re always just a click away from discovering a new way of cooking.
