Christie Bayley

I see you, 2019! Let this be a year of growth, compassion, and lots of good food without any judgments! If you’ve been home, couch-surfing, and watching way too much tv like myself, you’ve probably seen enough weight loss commercials to make you sick. Nutrisystem, WeightWatchers (or whatever BS name they’re calling themselves), Coolsculpt, delivery shakes and meal plans, on and on and on. Those “after” people look so happy. How can you deny the results?

Uh, science.

But I digress, that’s the point of this post. We’re here to talk about taking on the new year without succumbing to diet pressure. Here are 19 things to do this year instead of wasting your time, money, and energy in participating in another diet.

1. Throw out (or put away) your scale – if you can do one thing for your health, throw this damn thing out of your bathroom. Get it out of your house. Smash it. If you can’t get yourself to do that, put it in a place not easily accessible. You do NOT need to weigh yourself daily, weekly, monthly, etc.
2. Find joyful movement – no need to join Beachbody and its restrictive and excessive workout programs. I’m all for a good workout, but there’s no need to feel like they have to be a certain amount of time or leave you absolutely exhausted to be beneficial. Change your perspective on exercise this year. See it as a way to move and stretch your body, to strengthen your muscles, and to feel good in the moment.
3. Strengthen your relationships – call your girlfriends, make plans for brunch, whatever. It is way too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and then it’s suddenly a year and you haven’t talked to your BFF. Created group chats where you can send funny memes to each other and just touch base. Like and comment on each other’s posts.
4. Cut out toxic ones – ain’t nobody got time for that. Whether it’s family or friends, if they’re dragging you down or making you feel bad about yourself – Bye, Felicia. You do not have to keep people in your life just because they were part of it for a significant amount of time.
5. Take up a gratitude practice – life-changing, let me tell ya. Doesn’t have to be complicated, but just simply taking a moment to reflect on your blessings can change everything. I try to do this when I feel overwhelmed or inpatient or anxious. For example, I was feeling overwhelmed by a very ambitious goal and noticed myself being short with my daughter. I paused, hugged her, told her I loved her, and felt gratitude to be tackling such a goal and that my daughter was so forgiving and loving. I instantly felt better (she did too) and the whole vibe of the day was changed.
6. Limit phone time – anyone notice the new Apple upgrade that tells you your weekly screen time. DON’T TELL ME MY BIZ, PHONE! But seriously, it adds up. When was the last time you watched a movie without simultaneously flipping through Instagram? Put the phone down – it’s okay to do just one thing at a time.
7. Unfollow social media accounts that make you feel less than the awesome person you are. Screw #fitspo. You know those accounts of supermodels sipping smoothies and pretending that their bodies aren’t pure genetic lottery and plastic surgery. You do not need to follow accounts for ab-spiration or weight loss tips. Barf. Instead, follow accounts that promote anti-diet health and joyful movement.
8. Make appointments with your doctors – General Practitioner, Gyno, Therapist. Get your physical, get your pap-smear, take care of your mental health. There is no shame in your self-care game and that includes making (and keeping) your basic health appointments.
9. Read some great non-diet books – start with Intuitive Eating! Join Audible or your local library – better yet, both!
10. Practice compassion, not judgment – with others and especially yourself. This may prove difficult when our culture can feel entirely judgment. Stop the comparison game. Practice compassion. Give others the benefit of the doubt. Give yourself a break.
11. Commit to a sleep routine. A old-y, but a gold-y. Sleep is so important for your health. Get yourself a noise machine. Turn off the tv and get rid of any ambivalent light. Use lavender essential oils or any scent you find relaxing. Keep water by your bed. Put in a mouth guard – that might be a personal one for me, but it helps relax my jaw while sleeping. Get an alarm that wakes you up gently. Put the phone away. Put on a lip moisturizer. Keep your room cool. Getting a good nights’ sleep is a game-changer. You shouldn’t be waking up tired.
12. Have fun with food – take a cooking class, try a new recipe, PLAY in the kitchen. I don’t know when food became about what’s NOT in it, but cooking became stressful. Cooking should be fun. Get yourself in the kitchen and start playing.
13. Put date nights in the calendar – Remember that person you live with? That spouse/partner? Oh yeah! You are not two passing ships. You love each other, remember? Make a point of spending quality time together. Get yourself a babysitter and go on a date. Nothing says love like having a steak and people-watching together (at least for this girl_.
14. Plan a vacation – just do it! Ever have those convos with your spouse/partner about vacations you want to take…but they never happen. Commit to one! Just book it. It doesn’t have to be long or luxurious, but take up that friend on her offer to use her beach house or uncle’s place in Cape Cod. Get away.
15. Meditate – take a class or try an app. Yes, there’s meditation classes and they’re amazing! Try it. At least, download an app. Just 1 minute, even 30 seconds, is all it takes to start then build yourself up. In a culture where business is praised, taking a minute to do nothing can feel wasteful. However, there are a lot of benefits to meditation reduction in stress, anxiety, and even chronic pain.
16. Learn a new skill or take on a new hobby. Always wanted to start a blog? Do it. Wanted to join a book club? Do it. Us humans are meant to do more than work and sleep. We’re meant to create and play. So get to it.
17. Discard/donate clothes that no longer fit you or make you uncomfortable. For the love of Pete, get rid of your high school clothes. Get rid of your “skinny” clothes. Get rid of anything that is torn, stained, or worn.
18. Get yourself some clothes that fit your body now – don’t forget the gotchies too! Yes, you can get yourself some fresh threads. Get undies and bras that fit you. We all know sizes are BS so stop giving them so much power. Get yourself some clothes that are comfortable and make you feel amazing – no matter what the tag says. Yes, you deserve it!
19. Get yourself some new activewear pieces that are comfortable – no more squeezing into restricting sports bras and too sheer leggings. Wearing your husband’s leftover tees to the gym? Not anymore. Even if you work out at home and not a soul sees you, doesn’t mean you have to wear crappy stuff. Make sure your sports bras fit you and that your leggings/pants move in the ways you need them to. If you feel comfortable in what you’re wearing, you’re more likely to get changed (the hardest part, right?) and get your workout on.

And there you have it – 19 things to do in the New Year that have nothing to do with losing weight. If you do make a resolution, make it to not diet this year and instead, truly take care of yourself. Cheers, my friend, and Happy New Year. Let’s do this!

Bonus – Work with me! Ready to ditch diets, find true food freedom, and start living life beyond numbers? – sign up for a free consultation or shoot me an email!