Happy January! And what a perfect time to kickstart your journey to a ‘new you’.

Perhaps one of the most common January goals we set is “Get healthier” - but what exactly does that mean? And how do people stick to the goals they make?

Well, today I’m sharing my top tips to maintaining motivation, how to realistically set your new year’s goals and ways to stick to them!

Mind over matter

As humans, it’s natural for our motivation to dip. Let’s take weight loss for example, when we first embark on a weight loss journey, it’s normal to be very excited when starting. You’re on the ‘right track’, sticking to your meal plan and maybe even find yourself going to the gym.

But, after a few days/weeks, you find yourself feeling deflated, becoming inconsistent and sneaking a few treats here and there. Sound familiar?

Well, you’re not alone. This usually happens because people rely on only motivation to reach their health goals. But, what most people don’t know is motivation alone isn’t always enough...

The key to reaching your goals is through forming healthy habits, and changing your mindset, and demonstrating discipline to stick to it, even on those days when you all you want to do is lie in bed with a tub of ice-cream.

So, how do we build discipline?

1: This may be the most crucial and important step; STOP BEING SO HARD ON YOURSELF.

Yes, that’s right! It may seem counterintuitive but, you won’t ever get anywhere if you’re constantly criticising yourself for being human.

This has been the most important step for me; I have found that reaching your goals is a journey which may not always be plain-sailing. You may experience bumps in the road, and that’s totally fine. Restarting or punishing yourself whenever you feel like you fell off the wagon won’t help your mindset. Be forgiving of your journey, and embrace the challenges you may face along the way.

So, how does ‘taking it easy’ look like?

Listen to your body

Identify your triggers and work around them.

Keep reflecting on your journey – use the tracker, photos and even note down details in a journal or food diary

2. Show up for yourself:
Keep your goals in mind and remember them whenever you feel like your motivation is lacking.

To achieve your goals, they need to be realistic, or SMART goals

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time-Bound
Let me explain.

So, if my goal is to “Be healthy” then it can be broken down into:

1. Lose 1 stone over the 6 week challenge (this is an example, your weight loss goals will all vary!)
2. By sticking to my exante plan and aim to drink 2L water a day
3. Move more and track my losses every week
4. Go to sleep earlier

You can break them down even further to make sure they’re attainable, so:

1. ‘Lose weight’ can look like:
a. Eat more protein. Try adding one source of protein to lunch for a week (e.g. chicken breast, exante shake, tuna, boiled eggs etc!)
b. Aim to batch cook and meal prep before the week begins to ensure you’re even more organised!
c. Increase fruit and veg intake
d. Stick to an exante plan

2. Drink more water
a. Finish 2 litre drinking bottles every day
b. Try exante BURST flavours to keep hydration interesting

3. Move more:
a. Sign up to a gym or find home workout videos on YouTube
b. Find the workout that works for me

4. Sleep earlier:
a. Go to bed by 10pm every day
b. Read before bed and don’t spend hours scrolling my phone!

Finally, you need to make sure your goals are attainable, break them down as small as they need to be, and don’t forget to track and measure your progress to help you stick to these new year’s goals.

Use the ‘New You’ Challenge tracker in the portal to log your weekly losses, plus help track your food through either a food diary, or digital apps. My favourites are:

MyFitnessPal

NutraCheck

I hope this has helped you reframe your January goals and stick to them a lot more.

Don’t forget to tag us and share your goals with us on @exantediet, using the hashtag #exanteNYChallenge.

Good luck with week one!