Can you believe that 2021 is almost over? No matter if it was good or bad for you, it’s important to strive to make 2022 better than its predecessor. One of the most important and effective things you can do for yourself in 2022 is look into a few healthy habits and trends and try to follow them all throughout the year.
Set a few realistic goals
Setting goals for the new year is a great habit to have. However, many of us set big and overly vague goals. What does it mean to “exercise more” or “eat better” and how do you measure and follow these goals? Goals that are too vague or too ambitious are why people give up on them quickly. However, if you make it a habit to create smaller goals that are easy to measure, you can actually do a lot of good for your health and diet. For instance, here are a few good goals “eat a portion of veggies with every meal” or “replace dessert with fruit” or “drink water instead of soda”. These goals are clear-cut and will allow you to keep up with your resolution and notice many great changes in your health and look.
Make anti-resolutions
What is something that you want to stop doing or eating in 2022? Make one or two anti-resolutions and drop unhealthy habits. “I won’t visit Starbucks before work anymore” or “I don’t want to visit the vending machine at work anymore”. These anti-resolutions also need to be specific, measurable, action-oriented and realistic.
Prepare more food at home
If you’re busy, your only food option might be the work cantina or takeout that you can pick up while returning home or doing errands. However, meals prepared in a restaurant always seem to have more calories than those we prepare at home. So, in 2022, strive to prepare at least one or two meals at home a week. If you’re a beginner in the kitchen, this transition won’t be too demanding for you. Just look up some easy recipes to prepare and you’ll be blown away by your expertise. This habit might help you discover a new passion for cooking and increase your motivation to be healthier and fitter.
Rethink your shopping habits
If you want to eat healthier in 2022, you should start by changing the way you shop for food. When you hit any supermarket with all sorts of junk food and sweets, it’s hard to resist the temptation of putting something unhealthy in your basket. But if you visit a whole foods store, all of the purchasing mistakes you make will be much lighter on your diet. The same goes when you’re shopping for healthy food online and get distracted by new products and tasty-looking treats. If you stray from your shopping list and buy something unplanned at a healthy food store, your mistake won’t be that big.
Go “dry” in January
The pandemic boosted the sale and consumption of alcohol all over the world. It’s understandable since many of us were stuck at home, bored and worried for our future, and drinking was the only escape. However, obviously, binge drinking is not a great habit, so many people are choosing to participate in Dry January—refusing alcohol all through the month. This is a great opportunity to rethink your relationship with drinking, but also improve your mental health, fix your sleep schedule and reduce calorie intake. And since January is a very busy month preceded by a whole month of indulgence, all these benefits of Dry January will be more than welcome. If you like Dry January, you can also partake in Sober September and share your progress and experience on social media.
Go (partially) vegetarian
Vegetarianism and veganism are two of the biggest diet trends today. While they are great for your body and mind, and even better for the environment, they do require a lot of effort. If you’re not ready to give up animal products in their entirety just yet, you can become a flexitarian or adopt plant-based eating in 2022. Both types of diet emphasize vegetables with every meal and reserve meat, eggs and chees for certain meals or keeping them in support roles. Also, both diet trends have various benefits for the human body such as weight loss, better cardiovascular health, increased longevity, stable blood pressure, levelled cholesterol and insulin, etc. To ease into vegetarianism, you can choose one day of the week to be vegetarian or ditch one food category—these are easy goals to follow and measure all through 2022.
Take up gardening
This habit and trend might not be 100% about food, but it’s more than connected to eating and cooking. Many people took up gardening and growing their own food in 2021, and even more, people are expected to join them in 2022. And don’t think you need to have a huge garden to grow your own food. A few lanes of different products will be enough to spark your healthy eating habits, get you outside and expose you to nature, sunshine and fresh air. And if you don’t have any outdoor space, you can try growing herbs in planters on the balcony or kitchen window all through spring and summer.
We all know that sticking to our new year’s resolutions is not an easy feat, but if you set these interesting and easy to follow goals, all of these healthy eating habits and trends will do a world of good for your health, fitness, weight and mental health. And 2022 will be welcomed in style and turned into the best year of your life!
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