It probably won’t be surprising to know that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail within the first year.i In fact, most people report failing their resolution by January 12th.ii So, if you’re struggling to keep your New Year’s Resolution or worried about choosing a resolution and failing to keep it, you’re not alone. But a change in mindset can help keep your goals more manageable.
A good start may be asking yourself, what do you think ‘being healthy’ really means? I spoke to Drew DeOrsey, a Certified Holistic Health Coach who was voted Denver’s #1 Fitness Coach on the keys to embracing good health and strategies for keeping health-related New Year’s resolutions! Drew offers his inspiring, multi-faceted approach to optimum health, which includes incorporating mind, body, spirit, and community!
Our culture often misuses the word ‘HEALTH,’ and most people don’t understand what really constitutes good health.
Does good health mean being able to run 10 miles, eat a lot of vegetables, or lift heavyweights? Or does it simply tell you’re good at running, enjoy the taste of vegetables, and have attained some strength?
Although these activities are critical components to optimum health, they are just pieces of a giant puzzle. What about your stress levels? Run all you want. Eat all the organic vegetables and grass-fed beef in the world, and your body will STILL be unhealthy if you’re always in a sympathetic stressed-out state, which can make you susceptible to many chronic diseases.
What about your mental & emotional state? You might be the strongest in the gym, but what about your emotional strength? Can you direct your focus for more than the average attention span of 8 seconds? Is your mind controlling you, or are you influencing your mind? This has a significant impact on actual health.
What about your relationships? Even having a six-pack won’t fix this. Feeling disconnected and emotionally isolated is one of the deadliest viruses known to man. Researchers have linked emotional isolation and loneliness to an increased risk of health issues including cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, weak immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, even death.
What about your connection with spirit? Train hard. Eat right. Build solid relationships. Do it all. But what if you believed it was all for nothing? What if you didn’t have a regular practice to connect you with spirit? What if you were stuck in your head and disconnected from your heart? The amount of ‘dis-ease’ this would create in your body over time can be depilating.
The year is still young, so you have plenty of time to fulfill your New Year’s resolutions. If you haven’t added improving your gut health to your list, you might want to. It plays a leading role in your health, even affecting your mood. Did you know that your gut contains 90% of the serotonin receptors in your body?
Helpful microorganisms cover the surface of your body and intestinal lining, keeping pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria under control. About 38 trillion of them. This interplay between good (probiotics) and harmful bacteria throughout your body is called your microbiome, and typically the more good bacteria you have, the healthier you are.
How to Reset Your Gut Health
Changing a few habits goes a long way toward improving your health. You’ve heard it before, “You are what you eat.” But it goes deeper than that. Here are five steps you can start now to improve your gut health and, thus, your overall health.
- Prepare more meals at home – You would be amazed at what those tasty restaurant and takeaway meals conceal besides a lot of calories. Unhealthy fats, loads of salt, more sugar than the CDC recommends, chemical flavor enhancers like MSG, etc. Many of these can disturb your gut biome.
When you cook at home, you know exactly what’s in the food. You can choose organic products and monitor your food’s fats, sugars, salt, and chemical content. We’re not suggesting you avoid eating out at all, just that you increase the number of meals you prepare at home.
Preparing large batches of the food you cook and freezing it in individual portions cuts down on meal prep time, and you still have quick, healthy, home-cooked meals.
- Eat more whole foods – The quality of food we eat significantly impacts the quality of our microbiome and our health. A diet of whole foods containing multiple nutrients supports the good bacteria that promote good health.
Researchers found that good bacteria are more common in the digestive tracts of people who eat a varied diet containing high-fiber foods such as nuts, spinach, fish, and full-fat, plain yogurt. One surprising finding was that identical twins only shared 34% of gut microbes, and unrelated people shared only 30%. Hence, genetics play a minor role in gut health, with diet the greater influence.
- Exercise more – You’ve heard it before, but we’ll repeat it. Moving your body keeps you healthier. We’re not talking about an intense workout you’ll get tired of in a week. We’re talking sustainable exercise. What about a brisk walk during lunch, a refreshing stroll with a friend after work, or a relaxing evening yoga session? A few simple changes can make a big difference.
Recent studies have found that study participants with higher heart and lung fitness had more diverse bacterial gut populations than participants with lower levels. Exercise also helps with elimination, and better elimination limits the time harmful bacteria have to create havoc in your digestive tract.
- Increase plant-based foods – Many plant-based foods contain prebiotics that support healthy bacteria. You’ll mainly find prebiotics in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, such as berries, apples, flaxseed, green vegetables, and legumes or pulses (lentils and beans).
Prebiotics provide food for healthy bacteria by providing carbs your body doesn’t digest. Instead, the undigested carbs go to your digestive tract, where they help good bacteria grow.
- Add probiotics to your diet – Many fermented foods help boost the good bacteria in your body. You might try unsweetened, full-fat yogurt, kefir, miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut.
You might also want to consider a high-quality probiotic supplement to ensure you get suitable strains of bacteria. What is a high-quality probiotic? Here are a few things to consider:
- Does the supplement contain multiple probiotic strains? Each strain has a different benefit.
- Does it include prebiotics to help nurture the good bacteria and postbiotics to feed them in the intestines?
- Can the supplement survive the harsh stomach acids so it arrives in the intestines to do its good work?
- Is the product shelf-stable, and do the bacteria survive on the shelf?
- Is the product pure and without chemicals, preservatives, coloring, flavorings, and additives?
- Does the manufacturer guarantee that it is free of soil-based organisms?
15 Tips for Creating Your Happiest and Healthiest New Year
Creating your happiest and healthiest year requires a combination of positive habits, mindset, and self-care. Here are some tips to help you make 2024 your best year yet:
1. Set Clear Goals:
- Define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for the year.
- Break them down into smaller, actionable steps to make them more manageable.
2. Prioritize Mental Health:
- Practice mindfulness, meditation, or yoga to reduce stress and improve mental well-being.
- Consider therapy or counseling if needed. Taking care of your mental health is as important as your physical health.
3. Establish Healthy Habits:
- Focus on a balanced and nutritious diet. Include a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.
- Incorporate regular exercise into your routine. Find activities you enjoy to make it sustainable.
- Ensure you get enough sleep each night for optimal physical and mental functioning.
4. Stay Hydrated:
- Drink an adequate amount of water daily. Proper hydration is crucial for overall health and well-being.
5. Cultivate Positive Relationships:
- Surround yourself with supportive and positive people.
- Make an effort to strengthen existing relationships and build new ones.
6. Practice gratitude:
- Start a gratitude journal to reflect on your life’s positive aspects regularly.
- Cultivate an attitude of gratitude to appreciate the good moments, no matter how small.
7. Learn and Grow:
- Set aside time for personal development and learning new skills.
- Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and development.
8. Manage Stress:
- Identify stress triggers and work on healthy coping mechanisms, such as deep breathing, exercise, or hobbies.
- Consider setting boundaries to avoid unnecessary stressors.
9. Disconnect:
- Take breaks from technology and social media. It’s essential to unplug and recharge for better mental health.
10. Give Back:
- Volunteer or engage in acts of kindness. Helping others can bring a sense of fulfillment and happiness.
11. Financial Wellness:
- Create a budget and financial plan to reduce Stress related to money.
- Save and invest wisely for future security.
12. Celebrate Successes:
- Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small.
- Reflect on your progress regularly and adjust your goals as needed.
13. Embrace a Positive Mindset:
- Focus on the present moment and practice positive thinking.
- Challenge negative thoughts and replace them with affirmations.
14. Self-Care Routine:
- Establish a self-care routine that includes activities you enjoy: reading, taking baths, or spending time in nature.
15. Regular Health Check-ups:
- Schedule regular health check-ups to monitor your physical well-being and address any concerns proactively.
Remember that creating a happy and healthy year is an ongoing process. Be kind to yourself, stay adaptable, and adjust as needed throughout the year.
Extra Tips on Maintaining Health During this Year’s Resolution
Our health is our most prized possession. Without it, we have nothing. Let’s begin to act accordingly.
Here are my top 4 tips to getting you there:
- Get crystal clear with three things what, why, who?
- What do you want? Like, really. Not “what do you wish you wanted?” or “what should you want? But what do YOU want? No judgment. Have fun with this.
- Why do you want it? Try going a few levels deep here. Sure, one of the reasons might be because you’re going to look hot on vacation, and you’ll get noticed more. That’s okay. But it’s not strong enough to pull you through the difficult times. Do you want it because you want to be an excellent example for your kids? Do you want to not be glued to your sofa because of physical pain? What I like to recommend is asking yourself why seven times. For example, Level One: Why do you want to lose 20lbs? Level one: because I want to look good. Level two: Why do you want to look good? Because I want to be confident in my skin. Level three: why do you want to be confident in your skin? Why is that important to you? Etc…
- Who do you need to become to achieve your goals? It’s been said that you must be willing to let go of who you think you are to become your most vital self. So, who is the strongest & confident version of you? What are their habits? What are their personality traits? What do people say about them behind their back?
- Create a plan unique to you. Don’t follow what works for your friend or your favorite social media influencer. Because they aren’t you. It would help if you had something in alignment with what you want, what you’re willing to do in service of achieving what you want, and what you are not willing to do. This is your unique path to follow.
- Get help. The best way to speed up your success is to get help from those who have achieved what you want and/or have helped others achieve what you want.
- Last but not least, no number of screw-ups or slip-ups will cause you to fail. Statistically speaking, the people who mess up the most are the most likely to succeed. Because to mess up, you must be playing the game. Those who fail are the ones who give up. Never give up on yourself.
It’s time to turn your resolutions into goals and start making real progress! Don’tDon’t forget, January 1st isn’t a magical date. You can begin in March, July, or even December. Take a journey inward and then manifest the happiest, healthiest version of you possible!
An Ancient Probiotic Formula for Our Times
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References:
i Luciani, Joseph. (2015). Why 80 Percent of New Year’s Resolutions Fail. U.S. News.
ii Kahlil, Shireen. (2018). New Year’s Resolutions Last Exactly This Long. New York Post.
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Drew DeOrsey is a Certified Holistic Health Coach who was voted Denver’s #1 Fitness Coach
and can be contacted through any of his social media outlets:
IG: @drewdeorsey
Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bodylifeemastery
Email: drewdeorsey@gmail.com
Website: https://www.drewdeorsey.com/onlineprogram
