Why to Set New Year's Health Intentions Instead of Resolutions. Plus 25+ intention ideas.
Written by Isabel Vasquez, RD, LDN
As this year comes to a close, you may be thinking about what you want in the coming year. You’ll soon see lots of people sharing their new year's resolutions, and you may be thinking of what resolutions to set for yourself.
It may not surprise you that physical health, weight loss, and eating habits are the most popular categories for new year's resolutions, per a 2020 study in PLoS One.
Yet if you’re practicing intuitive eating, you may wonder how to set health-related intentions that don’t lead you right back to the diet mentality. Well, we suggest that you set intentions rather than resolutions.
In this blog, learn why we recommend intention-setting rather than resolution-setting, how to keep your new year’s intentions, and a bunch of ideas for intentions that support your food freedom journey.
Why to Set New Year’s Intentions Instead of Resolutions
According to the Oxford English dictionary, resolution is defined as, “a firm decision to do or not to do something”; whereas, intention is defined as, “an aim or plan”.
Based on these definitions, resolutions are rigid and set in stone. They offer little room for flexibility and adaptability.
Intentions, on the other hand, offer more room for compassion and flexibility. You give yourself direction for where you’d like to head, but there is space to adapt.
Setting intentions for the new year gives the chance to reflect on what you want in your life without being too rigid. You get to brainstorm ideas for how to direct your energy moving forward.
Honestly, it’s a worthwhile process at any point in the year. So, if the new year isn’t a time you feel inspired to do this, come back to it later in the year. Some people feel more inspired in the spring since there is new growth and energy at that time of the year.
What If You Stray From Your Intention?
One of the biggest differences between intentions and resolutions is what you do if you break them. First of all, resolutions are easier to “break” because they’re generally pretty black-and-white.
For example, if your resolution is to lose x pounds, but you’re not seeing the results you want a couple days, weeks, or months into the new year, you may be tempted to say “screw it!”, ditch any food and movement changes you made, and get stuck in a shame spiral about your perceived failure.
Yet, intentions give us an area of focus for our attention throughout the year. We can’t really break a new year’s intention, but we might stray from it.
Rather than scrapping your intention entirely, reflect on what your stuck points have been and how you can meet yourself where you’re at to continue moving forward.
You may even decide that your intention is no longer relevant. Recognizing that and being okay with prioritizing something else is also commendable. After all, it’s normal for your priorities, values, and perspectives to change over time.
Return to the intention behind the intention
In other words, keep your eye on the prize.
Sometimes we lose sight of why we even wanted to make a change in the first place. Especially if you made a rigid resolution, you may get caught up in abiding by your made-up rules and forget why you’re even making these changes in the first place.
If you find yourself drifting back into disordered mentalities or behaviors, pause. Notice. Remind yourself of your intention. Reflect on whether your actions align with the purpose of your intention.
For example, let’s say your cholesterol was high this year, so you have the intention of making behavior changes to reduce your cholesterol. One way to help reduce cholesterol is by eating more fiber, so you might aim to incorporate more fiber into your meals.
But maybe as the weeks progress you notice yourself feeling super guilty when you have a meal without a veggie. You start getting down on yourself and you get caught up in all-or-nothing behaviors where you either eat a veggie-packed salad or no veggies at all.
This would be a good time to recenter yourself around the root of your intention.
What was the root of your intention? To reduce your cholesterol to promote your health.
Is stressing over how many veggies you eat and falling into all-or-nothing patterns really promoting your health? Probably not.
So, practice self-compassion.
Maybe it's time to work with a registered dietitian on convenient, culturally-appropriate ways to incorporate more veggies without feeling guilty if it doesn’t happen all the time.
New Year’s Intention Ideas
Part of setting new year’s intentions from a non-diet lens may be focusing on physical health without centering weight or restriction. It could also mean ditching the physical health/weight/food-based intentions and instead, setting ones that impact other areas of your well-being. Here are 25+ new year’s intentions ideas:
Start seeing a HAES RD
Explore new forms of joyful movement
Read more (Check out The 10 Best Anti-Diet and Wellness Books by BIPOC Authors for inspiration)
Be compassionate towards yourself
Start (or continue) going to therapy
Be your own advocate by setting boundaries
Put yourself first more often
Learn to ask for help
Journal regularly
Donate money or time to organizations that align with your values
Build community
Support local businesses more often
Be intentional about what you choose to purchase
Learn how to make your favorite family recipes
Find a work environment that suits you better
Open up to loved ones about your relationship with food and your body
Find weight-inclusive movement spaces
Practice mindfulness
Reduce your screen time
Adopt more health-promoting behaviors
Find sustainable stress-reduction techniques
Make time for family
Start a meditation practice
Final Thoughts
No matter where you’d like to center your focus next year, ground yourself in compassion. Setting intentions allows more room for this, so consider setting intentions rather than resolutions. As the year progresses, remember to approach yourself with kindness and compassion if you veer from your intentions.
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