Ready or not, the New Year is underway! Have you made or started your New Year’s resolutions yet? Whether you have or haven’t, take a look at our previous blog, the SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, and realistic) goal-setting system to help you make good resolutions this year.

For this week’s blog post, we decided to ask several health and wellness experts what their advice was for people starting their New Year’s resolution goals. Here is a roundup of everything they had to say!

Resolution Advice Roundup

Dr. Lauren Fitz - Physician, health coach, podcaster, and an adamant believer that food is our best medicine (couldn’t agree more). Dr. Fitz said:

“Surround yourself by a community with the same goals and don’t try to change 100 things at once. Start small with one or two things and go from there!”

Follow her and all her amazing advice @drlaurenfitz

Jolly Abraham from the Texas Weight Loss Center - a PA-C with a background in emergency, family, and geriatric medicine. She’s passionate about helping people be healthy from the inside out, not just lose weight. Jolly said:

“If you’re wanting to lose weight this year, REMEMBER three things: 1. Be kind to yourself. 2. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint! 3. You are worth the tough journey that it takes!”

Follow her and her team from the Texas Weightloss Centers @texasweightlosscenter

Robert O’Bannon from Try Yourganics - a family-owned, Houston based, and 100% organic CBD brand that is helping people find relief for their body and mind via holistic means. The O’Bannon’s said:

“Don’t just do it, know what you want to get out of it (whatever “it” is). To help you get after it: 1. Sleep more. 2. Cut back on processed foods, fried foods, and sugar. 3. Start and continue exercise as opposed to overexerting yourself by doing too much.”

Follow Robert and the O’Bannon Family @tryyorganics

Stephanie from Foster Health - The Houston keto coach! She shows people how to foster the ketogenic lifestyle to lose weight, gain mental clarity, and upgrade their health. Stephanie said:

“Write down your goals. Create actionable steps towards that goal with a timeline, get specific, and hire a coach to guide you and keep you accountable.” 

Follow Stephanie @foster.health

Andres Loperena from Pledge to Fitness -  A Houston based, holistic personal training company helping people move better, feel better, and look their best self. Andres said:

“If it’s not something you could pretty much do every day for 3 years, then it shouldn’t be the basis of your wellness regimen - be that workouts akin to torture and diets that make you feel tired and limited. As for working out, if you can’t do it with your chest up, shoulders down and back, core engaged, and feet properly planted… lower the weight or switch the exercise, otherwise, you put yourself at risk of worn and imbalanced joints.”

Follow Andres and the Pledge Team @pledgetofitness

David King - Collegiate and Pro Football Player with years of experience keeping his body at a high athletic caliber. I know he’s a Sooner… but let’s look past that. David said:

“Make sure to set realistic goals that you know you can follow, then have the discipline to actually follow them.”

Follow David @king_david1989

Mark Zoch - Owner and head chef of The Dinner Dude, a Local Houston business created to support people seeking a convenient source for health-conscious meals. With Dinner Dude, you'll be confident that your food not only tastes great but also is great for you. Mark said:

“Winners and losers have the same goals, only different habits. What are your habits?”

Follow Mark @the_dinnnerdude

So there you have it. That was the 2020 New Year’s resolution advice from people with plenty of experience helping people eat better, move better, and feel better. A few things, in particular, stand out to me:

• Have a plan!
• Don’t take on too much, and set realistic goals for yourself.
• Take care of yourself.
• Long-lasting change takes time. 
• Put yourself in a position to succeed by surrounding yourself with the right people, the right environment, and the right professional help if needed.

Have a wonderful week everyone, and best of luck with your goals.