Health And Fitness Goals For 2018

New Year brings with it a promise of a fresh start with a blank slate.

Topmost on everyone's list is how to become fitter and healthier.

Nutritionists Mansi Chaudhary and Tapasya Mundhra are in favour of ditching pie in the sky resolutions and making realistic goals for the year.

“Setting realistic health & fitness goals for 2018 will make you will feel more accomplished instead of regretful by the end of the year,” says Chaudhary who is a Certified Nutritionist and a Diabetes Educator. Her integrative holistic approach helps patients learn about Mindful Eating, manage lifestyle diseases and autoimmune conditions as well as achieve weight.

Chaudhary believes in keeping simple resolutions:

"Firstly, aim at disassociating yourself with the weighing scale. The figure that pops up on the digital scale everytime you step on it is not what “YOU” are all about. If you are targeting a “healthier & slimmer self” in 2018, look for inch loss, how sooner or later you get rid of current health issues and how lighter and better you feel now as compared to how you felt 3 months back. “WELLNESS” should replace “WEIGHT-LOSS”. Get your fat percentage checked once every month and set that as a benchmark. You want to lose fat, right, not bone density or muscle mass ?"

"Secondly, more than anything, aim for “CONSISTENCY”. Many new year resolutions get completely forgotten by the end of the first quarter. We start the year with a bang, and then the work stress, the holiday moods take over and we start pushing health as part of the plan next year. Follow an exercise regime that you can be consistent with. You “don’t have to” join a gym or run to lose weight if you don’t enjoy that. You are more likely to be doing a workout till December this year if you chose what makes you happy, what you enjoy… be it dancing, kick-boxing, brisk walk, or yoga. Also, aim for a mix of cardio and strength training."

"Thirdly, focus on “BETTER SLEEP QUALITY”. Sleep is the most underrated aspects of wellness. Lack of sleep makes you gain fat. We tend to measure our sleep with the number of hours. However, the quality of sleep is equally important. Try to keep away from gadgets like mobile phones, laptops, and television at least 30 minutes before you wish to hit the pillow. Use this time to meditate, chant or just be with yourself to help you recharge for the next day,” Mansi shared.

Well renowned Nutritionist and Health Coach, Tapasya Mundhra who has been practicing in Delhi for over a decade believes in making realistic resolutions which focus on incrementally improving yourself which will, in turn, ensure that you stick to them.

“The most important resolution you can make this year is to take care of your body. Human life revolves around good health, don't complicate your body system by focusing too much or avoiding it completely. A balanced approach to your health will always give you good results.”

Emotions play a massive role in our physical and not only mental health. Psychosomatic illnesses are on the rise, which usually manifest themselves as lifelong ailments.

“Negative emotions like stress, insecurity, and weakness lead to bad health. The primary reason people fail is that they only try to change how they look externally, and not introspect within themselves about how they feel,” Mundhra stressed.

According to Tapasya resolutions for a healthy body should include reinforcing the following habits and ideas; these will indeed help you in making this a year of transformation:

- I love myself
- I will make myself healthier and stronger
- I will make one change in my eating habits each day
- I will connect with like-minded positive people
- I am grateful for my body and will not abuse it with inappropriate eating
- I will become strong and healthy and not focus just on weight loss

“Our mind, body, and souls are gifts and should be taken care of. These are achievable resolutions and when you start affirming it to your body, you will discover immense positivity and energy within yourself. You will be able to follow the diet and exercise effortlessly without fail,” Mundhra emphasizes.