New year, same myths: Health resolutions debunked

The calendar flips and the gym fills up, but the real story of lasting health begins when the buzz wears off. We dig into why most resolutions fizzle—spoiler: marketing cycles, novelty highs, and all-or-nothing thinking—and show how to replace the hype with simple systems that actually fit a busy life. Drawing from years in hospitals, cardiology, and mobile primary care, Yvette shares the patterns she’s seen and the strategies that stick.

We break down the difference between motivation and maintenance, then map a path from January enthusiasm to year-round routines. You’ll learn how to turn a 20-minute walk into a keystone habit, design an at-home workout setup that removes friction, and use accountability with partners, friends, and family to turn private goals into shared support. Food gets practical too: the best diet is the one you’ll follow, so we talk about swaps over bans, planning for cravings, hydration first, and building meals you enjoy so you can keep going for months, not days.

We also tackle supplement hype—especially B12—and why testing beats guessing before you spend on pills. Most importantly, we explore identity shifts: when you see yourself as someone who cares for health, choices align faster and feel easier. Start with one small habit for 4–12 weeks, stack the next, and finish the year with four to six permanent upgrades. Ready to trade quick fixes for steady wins? Listen now, subscribe for future episodes, and share the one habit you’ll commit to this month. Your answer might inspire someone else to start.

Transcript

Meet Yvette And Her Mission

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Hey everyone, it's Yvette here with the Health Without Hype podcast. And today I'm doing a solo episode. I wanted to give you guys a little bit more background on me and a dive into New Year's resolutions because I get a lot of questions about that. And so we're gonna dive right in. So my name is Yvette Guzman. I'm a nurse practitioner. I graduated a little over 10 years ago as a nurse practitioner. And I've worked in all different types of healthcare. I've worked in hospitals, I've worked in cardiology. And most recently, I've worked in my own practice doing mobile primary care.

Hospital Lessons And Mobile Care

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And working in the hospital, I saw a lot of patients that would always come back to the hospital. They had a lot of recurrent issues. And I just felt like there was a lot of disconnect in the outside world of healthcare. And so I really wanted to create a mobile healthcare practice because I felt like it would fill in some of those gaps in healthcare and bring healthcare to people directly where they were at. Over the years, we have treated a lot of seniors. Naturally, they need in-home care more often. And so our practice really focuses on that. And over the last year or two, I've really felt like targeting younger individuals and healthcare is super important because I see so many elderly people. And a lot of times we're just, you know, we're treating the issues that they have because they haven't maintained their health throughout their life. And that'll

Treating Root Causes, Not Symptoms

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be a common theme that we talk about is how can we actually maintain health instead of just treating it? And I feel like in healthcare, especially in America, it's very focused on giving you a pill and putting a patch on a really big issue instead of treating the root cause. And so the goal of this podcast is really to dive deeper into health and create a space where we can talk about what really works and how to create true health and how to maintain that health.

The Resolution Hype And Marketing

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So let's dive into the topic of New Year's resolutions and kind of all the hype around that and why it's really not realistic. Again, I feel like over the last 10 years with social media, health has become very gimmicky. There's a lot of fad out there, and it can be really confusing for people. Um, so I've had a lot of people, my patients, my friends, my family come to me when they really need good advice. And that was part of the reason I wanted to start this podcast is because I really feel like there needed to be really good advice out there instead of trying to, you know, take the new supplement or do this new fast or whatever. Because I feel like a lot of that, it's made. Um, and a lot of these companies are just like marketing to people to get their attention. And we are also um committed to being healthier because when we feel healthy, you know, it has a positive impact on the rest of our lives. So a lot of us do we buy into those things because we're hoping that we can get healthier and feel better and live our best lives when in reality it's not fixing the real issue. Um, and a lot of times it is hard to find what the real issue is. Um, it takes a little bit more time, uh, a lot of times more money. Um, but really we're gonna be breaking down how can we get to those real results um without all the gimmicks and fads. So um, New Year's, everybody, you know, a lot of people try to jump

Motivation Fades, Consistency Wins

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back on the bandwagon. Um, you know, they think that it's a new year, so they have a kind of this energy um around that. And I've always felt like, and I've heard this a few times um in different books and um things that I've listened to other podcasts, that um motivation and inspiration, we hear those words a lot. And again, they're very much like buzzwords, but they don't carry a lot of value. Um, so really, you know, the less glamorous side of motivation and inspiration is consistency and maintenance. And I think that those two things get less attention because they're not as glamorous and sparkly. Um, but really at the end of the day, that's what's gonna get you the results that you're actually looking for. So we're gonna be talking about today how do you actually stay committed to your goals and how do you keep that maintenance up instead of just jumping on a New Year's resolution for six weeks and hoping that that's gonna change your whole life. Um, so why did New Year's resolution start? Um, it's you know, like most things in America, it's related to marketing and making money. Um, so you know, every season that comes, you know, there's a new um thing that's being promoted. So, you know, it's Christmas and now there's all this Christmas stuff out. And it's really just to try to engage people to spend money. Um, so after the holidays, a lot of people don't spend as much money because they've spent so much money on Christmas. Um, but I think it's important to understand the psychology there because we are all being um, you know, we're being utilized by, you know, social media and the internet and things like that. And really, there it's all a lot of it is a gimmicky um and it's marketing tactics to try to get us to buy into whatever the next fad is. Um, so really the thing about New Year's resolutions is it's great to have a New Year's resolution. Um, it can definitely help catapult you. And if you're like me, I do um benefit from having like a little bit of excitement or something to um re-engage me. Um, and I've always been the type of person that says, you know, if you join a gym and they're doing like a challenge or something like that, it can really help you initially, um, especially when you're first trying to make those habits stick. So, you know, when you're it's the New Year's, a lot of people do feel like, oh, I can start going to the gym or whatever. And I'm not saying not to do that by any means. I think that it's a

Using New Year Energy Wisely

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good opportunity, but it's also important to understand that that motivation or that inspiration or that challenge is gonna be only for a moment. You're not gonna have that same energy uh all the time when you go to the gym. And that's okay. That's, I mean, that's just human nature. It's like impossible to stay at a level 100 excitement and motivation all the time. And we see that with anything we do, whether it's a new job, a new relationship, a new diet, or a new workout, we initially have a lot of excitement around that. And that's just how humans are wired, you know, for new novelty things to feel great. And it's important when we're talking about health that we understand that although it's great to try new things and get on a new program, what really is going to make the difference in our lives is maintaining that. And so, how do we pivot from all that excitement to making it into part of our daily lives? And I think that's the hardest part for people. And that's why so many people um kind of fall off the bandwagon. So if you, you know, if you've ever been in a gym the first couple of weeks of the new year, you know that place is packed. And so we want you to still, you can still totally jump on the bandwagon and start something in New Year's. Um, because again, I like I think if you have that excitement and energy, it's definitely a good thing to utilize it. But it's like, how do you keep going? Because I think the statistics, I mean, I've seen so many different ones, but their significant drop-off after two to six weeks of the new year. And you see it if you go to a gym, you know, in February, it's definitely way

From Excitement To Daily Routine

SPEAKER_00 8:15

less packed. So, what we're gonna talk about today is kind of like how do you get from I'm super excited and I want to go to the gym every day, to I'm gonna go to the gym consistently for the next year because it's realistically gonna take you that long to see the kind of results that are meaningful and have an impact on your health. And I think that a lot of people, again, they're chasing either losing a certain amount of weight or looking a certain way, or they want to look more muscular. Um, and those things are great again, but it takes time. And a lot of people fall off the bandwagon when one, they don't see the results they want right away, or two, it gets it gets difficult. So stuff comes up, you know, where the first few weeks of New Year's, maybe, you know, you're able to clear your schedule, you have that extra motivation after work to go work out. Um, but after a few weeks, you lose that initial excitement. And it's like, how do you keep showing up for yourself? And how do you um, you know, instead of saying yes to going out to eat with your friends, say, hey, let's go do a workout instead, or let's go to this healthy restaurant. And I will say there's really no easy way to kind of make that pivot. You really have to just make a choice and stick with it. And the thing is, is when you make those choices and you say, okay, I'm not, you know, I'm not going out to eat at that place, or I'm not gonna eat those things anymore. Initially, there's gonna be like this internal resistance because it's new and it's different. Um, but the second you make that choice one time, you have now like rewired your brain and said, I can do this and I can do hard things or things that feel different or uncomfortable. And that is the transition that we have to all fight through. And I think the important thing is one understanding it. And that's why I wanted to talk about it today is because I feel like if we know that that's how humans are, and we know we're gonna

Accountability And Social Support

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have that initial drop-off of excitement and motivation, we can actually be prepared for it and we can put things in place that will make a difference. So, what I always recommend for people that are trying to start a new fitness um goal or a new diet is having an accountability partner. Because when your family or your friends or your spouse know what you're up to, you know, you can tell them like, this is why I need to go to the gym after work, you know, this is how my schedule's gonna be. Now you're preparing not only yourself, but your family to be supportive of that. And I remember um probably, gosh, it was like 2018, I got really into fitness. Like I was like going to the gym every day, and I just was like, it was just a moment where I got super motivated and I was working out a lot and I had a really big goal. And um, you know, I just was like set in it. And I remember after a few weeks, you know, my parents were like kind of getting annoyed, um, you know, and it was just like because they weren't on the same path as me at that time. And um, it was okay though, because like I had, and I can be kind of like hardheaded. So it didn't bother me as much that they didn't, they weren't on the same boat with me. Um, but it did like make it hard. Like I felt like sometimes I wouldn't tell them I was going to the gym. Um, I would just tell them I was busy because I didn't want them to like be judgy or things like that. Um, but I still made the commitment and I still went. And what I found over time is that, you know, because I was actually so committed to my goals, um, they actually and they started accepting it more and they started listening to me more. Um, and actually now my parents go to the gym uh three times a week. Um, and they are very like, this is our gym time, and we're gonna go at this time. And I feel like it's you can be the positive impact on any relationship you're in. And initially it may feel uncomfortable, but it's it's great when you push yourself through that or you say, like, I'm gonna keep doing this, because ultimately what happened is that elevated my parents' health and wellness. And I'm grateful that I was kind of like obnoxious with my wellness at that time because it influenced them positively. And you have to realize we're all always getting influenced. So any relationship you're in, you're either getting influenced by a negative habit or you're getting you're influencing them in

Influencing Family Habits

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a positive way. So you get to decide, and it's always happening anyways. So you either get to have a positive reinforcement or a negative one. So you get to decide this, you know, this New Year's, this whatever day you're deciding to make that change, that this is what I'm gonna do. And you kind of accept the discomfort that comes with that. And I'll tell you, like my parents, um, they're Puerto Rican, so they are like very stuck in like what they like to eat and stuff like that. Um, and again, I was on this whole fitness thing. I was like really hardcore at that time. Like I said, I was doing like meal prep and they would get offended when I would bring like my food to their house and like not eat their food. Again, I was like, you know, this is like an extreme example, but it was, I was okay with it because I like knew my goal and I wanted to do it. But what happened over time is that instead of me just giving in and like, oh, we're just gonna eat this or whatever, my parents actually started making adjustments. So um, instead of, you know, frying chicken, they got an air fryer and they would season the chicken the same way, but then they put it in the air fryer. So it's like way healthier, but that was like the compromise. And then I would eat that chicken because it wasn't like greasy and stuff like that. Um, so I think that again, I was having a positive impact on them, not being pushy. I wasn't like being like, oh, you need a change or whatever, but I was just saying, like, this is what I'm doing and this is why I'm doing it because I want to be healthier and I want to live a longer life. And just being that like stronghold showed them, like, you know what, it's it's worth us looking at enough that we want to make some changes in our own life. And I think it's important to be that positive impact on your family and your friends. And you can only do that when you're willing to like share that you're trying to make a change. And I think that's the hardest part of New Year's resolutions is people try to do it all on their own. Um, you know, they say, Oh, I'm gonna follow this like crazy keto diet and I'm gonna do this. And it's like you feel alone. You're like alone on this island eating your like really sad chicken breast. And it's like instead of just being with your family and um, you know, sharing that. And it and again, I would still go to my parents' house. I would literally bring my own food, and

Make Food Changes You Can Keep

SPEAKER_00 15:20

but I would still spend time with them. So I think you have to find that balance. And like I said, over time, they slowly started shifting and like changing up some of their recipes to be a little bit healthier. And like, not only was that great for me because I do love Puerto Rican food, but it was great for them because like now my parents get to be healthier and um live a better life. And I think that that's where New Year's resolutions can go so sideways, is like people try to do like, you know, these meals where it's like, um, you know, you're ordering it and it's just like so unrealistic long term. Um, and I think it's super important to pick goals that you can actually do long term. So another thing is like um for food, it's like picking something that's easy for you to do. Like for me at that time, meal prep was easy because I was living by myself and I would just do it all in the one week or you know, on the weekends or whatever. Um, but now in my like where I'm at now currently, like meal prep, I mean, it takes a few hours and I just I'm not able to do that anymore. Um, so you know, I currently am ordering pre-made food um meal prepped for me. And I know not everybody has that, you know, luxury, but again, I always tell people, I've I've done the cost analysis, and honestly, the time I spend going to the grocery store and making food and all that, um, I don't spend that much more just doing meal prep. And then I also just don't spend money on groceries because I'm I already just have the meal prep food. So I think it's finding things that make it easier for you to stick to your goals and also, you know, create a lifestyle around it. Um, so whatever that looks like for you in the New Year's, I think it's important for you to decide. Um, and then just stick with it because sticking with it is the most important

Diets That Work Are The Ones You Follow

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part. And um, there were uh a slew of um meta-analysis on different diets. So people always ask me, like, do you do low carb, do you do keto, do you do vegan, whatever? And to be honest, I think all diets have their benefits and you could go into like the nitty-gritty of it. Um, but I think at the end of the day, what really matters is if you follow a diet that works for you that you like and you're willing to stick to it, that's gonna give you the best results. Because if you do keto for two weeks, um it's not gonna benefit you. But if you can do the Mediterranean diet for the next five years, that's gonna benefit you. So I think people have to pick stuff that they like. And I know people that love keto. Um, when I do keto, I feel like I'm going crazy. All I can think about is food. And so that diet just does not work for me. Um, so I just think you have to find what works for you. And again, it's not like it has to be perfect. You can do a little bit of trial and error. Like if you're like me, I have a sweet tooth. And so I cannot just not have sweets in my life. Um, so when I was doing the meal prep, I was doing like chicken and vegetables all the time. And I just felt like all I would think about was like cookies and stuff like that. So, what I do now is I have um these pre-made shakes and they're like chocolate. They have a mocha one. And I feel like if I drink one of those, I don't get as many sweet cravings. And they're like, they're it's a protein shake, so it's not unhealthy, but I have to have something like that. Um, and I also buy like those protein cookies and like you could go into the details, like, yeah, they're not, they're not the healthiest thing or whatever. They have some additives in there. But like for me, that's what helps me from not eating like a whole box of Oreos.

Simple Workouts And Walking Wins

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So I think you have to find what works for you. Um, and if you know you have a sweet tooth, like don't try to cut out sweets, try to replace it with something that's not as bad. I know a lot of people that like really love ice cream, and now there's all these new like protein ice creams, there's Greek yogurt, like there's all these alternatives. So I think it's way easier to say, I'm gonna eat this instead, um, instead of just like cutting something out. So I think that's super important is like set yourself up for success, but also be honest with yourself. Like if you're the kind of person that likes to eat pasta, and I like to eat pasta, to be honest, um, I'm like carbs a lot. So I just can't go on a diet where there's no carbs. Or like I said, all I think about is is eating carbs. So I think if you, you know, either you decide, okay, I'm gonna have uh one portion. And honestly, if you're doing that versus eating like unlimited pasta, you're you're probably gonna lose weight anyways. So I think. People again, they get too extreme. They think they have to follow this certain diet. And a lot of times, if you just make a small adjustment, you're going to see the results that you want. And it's not going to feel like, you know, you're just always thinking about food. Um, the other thing that's really important is with workouts. Again, I think if you can go with a friend or a spouse, and again, it doesn't have to be like this high-intensity workout. Um, when I had my son last year, I just could not make it to the gym. I didn't have the bandwidth. I was, you know, taking care of him, trying to work. And I just felt like trying to go to the gym felt like the most momentous task that I just couldn't navigate because I would have to like figure out child care for him, pack a bag, all these things. And it was just like not happening. I tried a couple of times and it just wasn't working. Um, so what I started doing instead is I just started going for walks with him in a stroller. And that was easy. I could just do it whenever I wanted. And he loved it. He would usually either take a nap or just like have a good time looking around. Um, but that ended up being what worked for me. And I was able to consistently do that. And I ended up losing all of the baby weight that I had gained um, you know, within a few months, just because I just kept going on walks and it was easy. I even sometimes I'd go on a walk and I would still I'd be on a call for work or like a Zoom meeting that I knew I wasn't, I just needed to like listen in on. Um, so it was like I was like multitasking as much as possible. So I think

Home Workouts Over Perfection

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a lot of times, again, you don't have to make it this big ordeal. You don't have to, you know, go out of your way. Um, you can just do something that's like literally just walk out your door and go for a walk. Um, and then some people also talk about like working out at home. I'm the kind of person that like, again, I don't want to have to like pack up my car, do all this stuff, go to the gym. I've always been the kind of person, like, if it's at my house, I'm probably more likely to do it. Um, so if that works for you, I definitely recommend it. You can get a couple of resistance bands. There's tons of free workouts on there online. I that's another thing. Diets and exercise are kind of the same. It's like, it doesn't really matter if what you do, it just matters that you do it. Um, so a lot of people ask me, like, well, what kind of workouts do you do? And like literally, if I have like 15 minutes and I want to do like an arm workout, I just go online and do like 15-minute arm workout and just do whatever comes up, whether it's a video on YouTube. Sometimes I go on Pinterest, they have like a lot of like little workout things on there, and I just do whatever. And to be honest, I think people get too into the details. And like obviously, if you're like gonna be a fitness model, then maybe you need to do like a certain thing. But if you're just trying to be healthy, it's just about moving. So I think you have to focus less

Supplement Hype And B12 Reality

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on the details and more about just getting it done. Um, the other thing that a lot of people ask me about is supplements. Um, and to be honest, um, I think that again, that's just another like gimmick. People are trying to sell you something for like you to feel better instantly. And I think a lot of people, if they just eat better, they don't need a lot of supplements that are out there. A lot of our foods are like fortified. So a lot of like, you know, I like the protein cereals and oatmeal and stuff like that. And a lot of them have a lot of the vitamins and stuff like that that are in those vitamins and supplements that they're selling that they say give you energy. Um, one specifically that I get asked about all the time is B12. And I feel like there's been so much hype around B12 for like the longest time. And B12 has been getting added to our foods since like the 80s. Um, because women, when they were pregnant, if they were deficient in B12, it could cause um certain birth defects in babies. Um, so I always find people, I'll do their blood work, and their B12 is like 20,000. And that's like way, that's like 10 times what it needs to be. And it's because they're taking vitamins that have B12 in it, they're eating cereal that has it added to it, and then like they have all this extra B12, is all I'm saying. It's like a lot of times they don't need it. And really, if your B12 is that high, like it's not helping you at all. You're you're mostly just like peeing it out. Um, so I always tell people that, you know, before you buy a ton of expensive supplements, you should probably try to better understand what your nutritional profile is like. And for example, I have some um women that are my patients that they are vegans um or you know, they don't eat certain foods um or they're gluten-free or something like that. So people who have dietary restrictions like that, they may be, they're more likely to be deficient in certain things. But again, we test their blood,

Start Small: One Habit At A Time

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we find out, you know, what's actually going on. So I think it's super important to be informed um of what your body really needs instead of just buying like supplements because you heard they were um, you know, needed. This is what the future of aesthetics looks like. Advanced stem cell technology that supports skin regeneration, collagen health, and scalp vitality, customized to address wrinkles and thinning hair with precision and purpose. Elevated science to match our elevated standards. So I want to pivot a little bit and talk about what you can really do differently. I've given you guys a little bit of background, things that have worked for me before, and a little bit of science of like why New Year's resolutions do and don't work. So I want to share a little bit about what I'm gonna be doing in the new year and what I've found that works, and what's worked for other people that I know and have worked with different patients and things like that. I think the biggest thing that I would recommend, the number one step, is do not feel like you have to boil the ocean. I see this all the time. I find that people, like I said, we get that motivation, that inspiration. We're going on a trip or we're going to an event and we want to lose 10 pounds or 20 pounds or whatever your goal is, and we start doing all the things. We start working out, eating differently, and you know, changing everything all at once. And it may feel like that is the best way to do it, but what I've found is when you do all those changes at once, it's like it's so taxing on you, um, your mind, and just like trying to figure out and do so many new things that ultimately it sets you up for failure. You can't maintain it, and it just becomes so hard because it's all so different. Um, so what I always recommend is pick one thing that you're gonna do and start doing that. So maybe it's going to work out a couple of days a week, or maybe it's going for a walk, you know, for during your lunch break

Hydration Before Diet Overhauls

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um a few times a week, and literally just focus on that one little goal for a couple weeks until it feels like it just happens. And I think that when you get to that point, you always know, like, oh, this is just now my new routine. And for most people, that can take anywhere from four to 12 weeks. And again, this is always the hardest part for us because as humans, we want to, you know, do all the things and fix everything. And when we get that motivation, we feel like we have to do everything all at once. Um, so I really want to you guys to challenge that this New Year's, and instead of doing all the things for just a couple weeks, pick one thing that you could do forever and love. And I think that's the other thing that people don't do is they don't try to pick something that they really enjoy. And then of course, you just don't feel like doing it forever because you don't honestly enjoy it. And that doesn't mean that every day you're gonna be like, oh yay, I'm so excited, I need to go for my walk because it won't feel that way. There'll be days when you're like, I don't want to go for a walk or it's raining, um, and things will come up. Um, but I think when you find something that's enjoyable and you know the reward and it doesn't feel so hard, you can start building that in and stick with it consistently. And then once you do that, you just pick another thing for the next couple weeks to do. Um, and then by the end of next year, you will have actually done so many changes and your life will look so different because you know, if you take two to three months to build in a new habit by the end of next year, that would be, you know, four to six new habits that are now part of your everyday life, and that

Enjoyable Eating And Social Meals

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would be such a huge shift for anybody. Um, I usually recommend um before switching up your diet or anything like that, um, making sure you're drinking enough water. So when we're dehydrated, we feel hungry because our brain is just trying to get us some kind of nutrient. And so when you're dehydrated, you're gonna feel more hungry. So before you change your diet or do anything, and this one usually people can do and they'll get into a routine within a couple weeks. So this one may not take you as long as some of the other ones, but I would definitely make it your first or second goal is to just start drinking water, keep track of it for a while, make sure you're drinking enough, and then, like I said, after a couple weeks of that, you're gonna know that you're drinking enough water every day because you've built this routine, and you know, you're gonna feel so much better. Everybody feels better when they're hydrated. And if you're like me, I'm like the terrible at drinking water if it doesn't have flavor in it. So you have to find what works for you. I love um, you know, like flavored water that has some bubbles in it, and some people may say, well, oh, that's not as good as regular water, but for me, it's what works, so I'd rather drink that than not drink water at all. So again, if you're somebody who needs, I know some people like like the little drops that you put in there, and people are like, Are those bad? And it's like, well, if it makes you drink water, I think it's a good thing, and it does, it's not about being

Tie Goals To Meaning That Matters

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perfect or doing exactly what you need to do, it's about finding what works for you and making it consistent, consistent thing that you can stick with. And then I would say for the diet part, because I get like I said, I get asked about this all the time. Find something that you can stick to that you actually like eating. I just always find it so crazy that people will go on these diets and eat food that they do not enjoy. Um, I feel like humans are we're built to enjoy our food. Um, if it wasn't that way, there wouldn't be so much good food out there. Um, I also feel like we're built to have um meals with people that we care about. So I think it's important to build those things in. Like you don't want to put yourself on an island where you're just eating like this sad salad all by yourself, and like you'll wonder why you couldn't stick to it. It's because it doesn't feel good. Um, so doing things that are fun, going out to a place with salads with your friends and making that normal um a part of your normal routine is a great way to actually stay excited about your goals and also to get people involved, which we talked about earlier is so important. You know, you have to get your friends and family on the same bandwagon as you, and it'll make keeping those goals so much easier. And then I would say um the last thing, you know, for New Year's resolutions, make sure that the reason you're doing it has some meaning to you. Because I feel like when we put meaning to what we're doing, um, it helps us stay motivated and it helps us have a bigger goal in mind. Like if you're just like, I want to lose 10 pounds, you know, in a few weeks you might be like, you know what, I don't really care about losing those 10 pounds anymore because it's gotten hard or you're feeling some friction. Um, but I find that people that have a greater goal, like for me, um having myself be more healthy, I I wanted to also not only for my own wellness, but I also wanted to inspire other people to

Progress Over Perfection And Swaps

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take control of their wellness, like my parents and my friends and my family that I care about. So I know when I take care of myself, I can be a good example to other people, and other people that I care about having their health and wellness is super important to me. And I feel like having that as my mission is more meaningful and it helps me make those hard decisions on the days when I just feel like eating cookies or I just feel like not working out. Um, it's easier to stay motivated when I have such a big reason for it versus just losing 10 pounds. And um, I do want to say, you know, it's not you don't have to be perfect. I feel like so many people they go on a diet, and then the second they eat a cookie, they're like, I messed up, it doesn't matter, I shouldn't do this anymore. And they just like go off the deep end, and like suddenly they're at an all-you can eat buffet for five hours. And like those kind of extremes are where where people fail. And so I always tell people, like, if you really want a cookie that bad, you know, one, you should just eat it because one cookie isn't gonna make a big difference, anyways. But two, you should evaluate why you're feeling like you're so like craving that cookie because, like I said, I'm a sweets person, and if I don't eat stuff that's sweet every day, I will crave it. So I've always found when I go on diets where they're very bland and there's no sweet stuff, I just I fail. I get miserable, I start thinking about cookies all the time, and I

Identity Shift For Lasting Health

SPEAKER_00 34:00

just want to eat, you know, ice cream and cookies. Um, but I found that the diet that works for me is like I said, plugging something in that's sweet, but not it's not ice cream, you know. So, like a protein shake, a smoothie. A lot of people like making like fruit smoothies, um, just finding something that's a good replacement. Um, the biggest thing that will help you this year, I think, is redefining how you see yourself and creating a new identity as someone who cares for health. And I think that this works because our brains are wired to reprogram themselves based on our beliefs. And a lot of people talk about manifesting and mantras and things like that. And I've always been like kind of on the fence like, do they really work or don't they? Um, but I've personally tried them because anything I recommend, I've personally tried myself. And I find that when you start identifying yourself as someone who values health and wellness, that shifts your brain into realizing or believing that you can achieve whatever goal you've set. So if you are somebody who's never worked out and you have the mindset that you're a person that never works out, it's really hard for you to start working out. But if you tell yourself, I'm this year, I'm gonna be the kind of person that does work out a few times a week, then that makes it easier. There's less friction for you mentally when you try to set those goals and when you try to go to the gym. Um, it sounds funny, but it really does work. Um, shifting your mindset about yourself and about the goals that you're setting has the biggest impact on being able to actually achieve them. So when you start out with your whatever goal you choose to do first, um make sure that you shift your mindset

Closing And New Year Wishes

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around it and create that belief in yourself that you can achieve it, and that'll make it a lot easier for you to get to your goals in the new year. So, thanks everyone for tuning in to the Health Without Hype podcast, and hope you have a happy new year.