#NewYearNewStress?

It's inevitable that just before the New Year and shortly after, that our our Facebook feeds will explode with New Year Resolution status' and that we will digest a whole load of #NewYearNewMe hashtags on Instagram. 

We are all guilty of giving ourselves New Years Resolutions to try and stick to.  From career and lifestyle changes to the forever popular.. Vowing to get fit and loosing weight! 

To some it may gave them hope and prosperity for the New Year while others may be fearful of the pressures and anxiety that these resolutions can bring. 

For me, I'm the latter. I'm stubborn and I never like to quit on anything I intend to do which is why getting fit and losing weight as a New Years Resolution brings me absolute dread. I hate the gym and I love chocolate. I prefer to spend my days reading books, watching documentaries, not braving the cold for a run round the park looking like a sweaty mess. 

I, like many others struggle to find the right balance when setting this goal of getting fit and losing weight in the New Year. I feel such pressure to stick to my New Years Resolution that I end up going to such extremes that result in me feeling miserable when I tell myself I can't even have that small bar of chocolate at the weekend that I've worked so hard for during the rest of the week. 

I've collaborated with Belfast-based Nutritionist Haley Bell to give some expertise on how to achieve your health and fitness goals for 2017 as well as how to remain happy, joyful and motivated through this time of change. Here's Haley's top 3 tips..

@hb_nutrition

1.) If your decide to embrace a new diet regime in January, avoid restrictive diets. A restrictive diet can not only limit and deprive your body of essential nutrients but can be difficult to stick to (regardless of willpower) and can result in frustration and potentially going on a 'binge' which is not healthy physically or mentally.

2.) If your New Year's resolution is to become healthier in general, then you need to think of how you will achieve this. I recommend writing down a few small changes you would like to make. For example, aim to make one change per week. This will help you transition into a healthier lifestyle (avoiding a FAD diet) See my blog on '5 small changes you can make in 2017'

3.) Don't compare yourself to others! This includes celebrities and social media health gurus. We are individuals, different things work for different people and everyone's bodies take a different amount of time to adapt to changes.

Haley's social media:

Instagram: hb_nutrition
Twitter: @haley_3
Website/Blog: nutritionin5.co.uk