Skip the Resolutions: This Year, Make Changes That Stick
Because you deserve more than one season of self-care
Are you feeling those post-holiday self-reflection vibes?
Here's the deal—we're not into this whole "new year, new you," thing.
Why?
First of all, we think you're pretty fantastic just as you are. And second, New Year's resolutions notoriously fail because we often bite off more than we can chew. We make big promises to ourselves that are ultimately unsustainable, and then we get mad at ourselves for "failing." How unfair is that?
It's a rigged game, and we think we could all benefit from having a little more fun, grounding, and nourishment in our lives. And guess what? When you're feeling your best, all of those goals you have in mind will be much easier to attain—it's our little secret success loophole.
So read on for some attainable, sustainable, and, dare we say…enjoyable, self-care tips to help you feel your best today, throughout 2024, and for the years to come.
Feel-Good Self-Care Tips
Mind Your Blood Sugar
The holidays are all about celebration—which often translates into more alcohol and sweet treats. While there’s no shame in that game, ensuring that your blood sugar gets back on track will do wonders for both your physical and emotional health.
How do you reign in the blood sugar rollercoaster?
Protein.
Of all three macronutrients, protein is the most satiating (it’ll keep you feeling full), and it helps stabilize blood glucose after you eat[* www.sciencedirect.com (opens in a new window)]. While it’s not always necessary to track your protein intake with each meal, simply adding more protein to your meal can make a big difference if you’re trying to curb cravings and keep your blood sugar steady.
Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, or anything in between, there are plenty of protein-rich foods you can add to your diet to keep things interesting. And if you’re looking for a protein-rich superfood shake with vitamins and minerals, we happen to know of a delicious one (wink wink).
Of course, you’ll also want to watch your sugar intake if your goal is to keep blood glucose steady.
Embrace Versatility In Your Diet
Eating the same foods day after day is a one-way ticket to food boredom—which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from throwing in the towel on healthy eating entirely.
The solution?
Keep your diet versatile with a variety of fruits, vegetables, carbs, proteins, and fat sources. Consuming a variety of different foods helps your body receive the nutrients it needs to function optimally.
A quick hack for keeping your diet versatile: eat the rainbow. Aim for a variety of colors in your meals (think kale, carrots, apples, blueberries, and so on).
And to keep things interesting, we highly recommend tapping into the vast recipe encyclopedia of the internet. With so many people opting for healthier choices these days, there’s no shortage of better-for-you recipes out there to choose from.
Don’t Forget About Your Taste Buds
Speaking of keeping things interesting, your taste buds always deserve a seat at the table when it comes to healthy eating.
In fact, research shows that when you enjoy your food, it directly impacts your ability to stick to a healthy eating plan[* pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (opens in a new window)]. Deny your taste buds what they want, and they’ll fight back with cravings so intense you’ll have no choice but to give in.
Remember: you may be able to choke down a bland salad for a week, but we’re in this for the long haul.
Build Out a Self-Care Start
If you really want to feel your best, diet isn’t the only thing worth addressing. And one of the best places to start is your morning routine.
This past year, we worked with Courtney Knowles (Mental Health & Mindfulness Advisor) to learn about a little something called habit stacking.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, you already have a morning self-care routine. If you’re like most people, you:
- Get out of bed
- Go to the bathroom
- Brush your teeth
- Wash your face
- …you get the idea
Habit stacking is the practice of using your current habits as an anchor for new habits to form. For example, you could leave your bottle of vitamins in the bathroom to take after you brush your teeth each morning. And to add to that, you could make it a habit to fill your water glass up so that you drink a full glass of water before drinking coffee in the morning.
Start by picking one wellness practice and building it into your routine. Stick with it for 14 days, and see how you feel. After about two weeks, you’ll likely find that your new habit is now just a plain old habit—success!
Calm Your Nervous System
To make any change stick, there’s one crucial ingredient that many people overlook: your nervous system needs to be on board.
Making changes in your life can be challenging, but it’s a whole lot harder if your nervous system is on edge.
Why?
When your nervous system is unsettled, it sends the message that something is wrong, which gives you a feeling of unease or danger. This state doesn’t exactly lend itself to motivation or trying new things. In fact, it makes us want to stick to our tried and true routines—they may not be ideal, but at least they’re familiar.
A revved up nervous system can also negatively affect digestion, slowing things down and making it more difficult to absorb nutrients.
On the other hand, when our nervous system is calm and relaxed, our minds naturally open up to new possibilities. We feel energized and curious and start craving novelty in our lives[* www.frontiersin.org (opens in a new window)].
When trying to make positive changes, we can leverage that calling for novelty to drill in some new, healthy habits.
So, how do we go about calming our nervous systems?
Great news: you have a ton of options. Here are some of our favorites:
- Deep, parasympathetic breathing
- Meditation
- Grounding (putting your bare feet on the earth, sand, grass, etc.)
- Aromatherapy with calming essential oils like lavender or chamomile
- Gentle yoga
- Attend a sound bath (or pull on your headphones and set up your own)
- Take a cold shower or cold plunge
Get Moving
Physical activity is one of the best ways to keep your mind and body in optimal shape. Moving your body not only keeps your joints, muscles, and bones happy, but it’s also a natural stress reliever[* www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (opens in a new window)].
You don’t have to train for a triathlon or become an Olympic weight-lifter to gain the benefits of physical activity. In fact, any type of movement practice is beneficial.
Your movement practice might include:
- Walking
- Yoga
- Tai Chi or qigong
- Dancing
- Hiking
- Cleaning your house
- Gardening
Then, of course, there’s higher-energy activities like HIIT, running, boxing, team sports, and so on. But don’t dismiss movement just because it’s low-impact. The key isn’t the type of movement, it’s the consistency.
Bonus Tip: Make It Fun
Making positive changes and achieving your goals feels great—but what’s the point if you’re not enjoying your life while you’re doing it?
You can take any of the tips mentioned above and make them work for you. Would habit stacking feel more fun if you had a calendar with gold stars to mark your progress? Would eating protein taste better if you served it on bright-colored dishware? Would you look forward to meditating more if you had a friend to do it with?
One of the ways we like to make our daily Ka’Chava more fun is by finding new ways to enjoy it. For instance, adding it to one of our many Ka’Chava-inspired recipes, mixing it in with a variety of fruits, or pouring it into different types of bottles and glassware.
It may seem insignificant, but romanticizing your meals—and shakes—is a great way to savor them that much more.
TL;DR
The holidays come and go, but your self-care is here to stay. Instead of making a New Year's resolution this year, make a commitment to showing up for yourself in the best way you can, each day, without judgment.
To help you along in your journey, start a Ka'Chava subscription to get your favorite flavors of all-in-one nutrition shakes delivered without a second thought. Start your new ritual here. We're thrilled to be a part of your wellness journey.
