Authors:
Vickey Godfrey (co-founder): DipNut, mBANT, rCNHC, mANP DNApal co-founder | Nutrition & genetics specialist | BANT registered nutritionist
Kate Scott: DipNut, mBANT, rCNHC, mIFM DNApal co-founder | Nutritionist | BANT registered nutritionist

“New Year. New You”. Ugh! Every January, our newsfeeds and inboxes are inundated with offers for crash diets, exercise programmes and “miracle” detox products, hoping to leverage off the guilt we feel for relaxing and indulging over the festive period. Many of us make resolutions in January (while nursing a hangover or struggling to fit into our favourite jeans) to improve our health and well-being. One common approach is to adopt as many new healthy habits as possible all at once, often with the goal of making a complete health transformation in just a few weeks. However, this approach can be overwhelming and ultimately set us up for failure when we can’t sustain long-term perfection. We believe striving for perfection is a toxic approach to health and well-being. After all, life is about balance, and it’s impossible always to be perfect. Instead, we encourage our clients to consider taking a more sustainable approach to health by focusing on making small, gradual changes over time. Additionally, we get them to focus on the specific changes they need to make to their diet, lifestyle and supplement stack based on their individual genetic needs. So, no more wasting time and money on diets, supplements and fitness plans that aren’t suited to you as a unique individual!

It is important to focus on quality of your healthy habits rather than quantity. Consider which habits will impact your overall health and well-being. For example, getting enough sleep, managing stress, and maintaining a healthy weight are all important for overall health and may be more impactful than trying to incorporate a long list of specific habits. Understanding your genetics helps prioritise areas for support.

So, rather than completely overhauling your diet and exercise routine in January, consider making small but powerful changes to your daily routine to help you reach your goals. Some habits are great for everyone, regardless of genetics. These include adding in a daily walk (if you’re starting at 0, aim for 5000 steps, if you’re averaging 5000, aim for 10,000), swapping out sugary drinks for water, incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your meals, spending more time in nature or going to bed earlier. Small, gradual changes allow you to build healthy habits that are far more likely to stick over time.

When it comes to weight loss, it’s far safer for you to lose weight gradually over time than rapid weight loss. This is because your body uses fat cells to store toxins, such as pollutants, pesticides, and other chemicals that can be absorbed from the environment or the foods we eat to help protect your vital organs from damage. Gradual weight loss allows the body time to deal with the toxins being released. How best to do this depends entirely on what’s been causing you to gain weight in the first place – hormones, excess calories, insufficient movement, lack of motivation, eating the wrong foods, emotional issues etc. As we said earlier, we are ALL unique individuals with slightly different needs.

If you’d like to start building healthier habits and would also like to understand your unique genetic needs, why not start your health journey with us? Purchase a DNA package today.

Feel free to leave us a comment if you have any further questions.

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