Health doesn’t start in January: small choices that already make a difference today

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Every end of the year carries a collective promise: “in January I start”.

I start the diet, I start training, I start taking care of myself.

But while the calendar changes, the body remains the same, with the same habits, accumulated fatigue, emotions and needs.

The truth is simple but liberating: health does not start in January.

It begins when there is awareness, not when there is a set date.

The myth of the perfect fresh start

January gained a symbolism that does not exist from a physiological point of view.

The body does not recognize the New Year, list of goals or emotional promises. It responds to repeated stimuli: food, sleep, routine, stress and movement.

When everything is postponed until January, it usually happens:

Not because of a lack of will, but because the starting point is already exhausted.

Why delaying health care hinders the process

Waiting for “the right moment” creates a familiar cycle:

Furthermore, radical new beginnings in January usually generate:

• extreme restrictions

• hormonal disorganization

• increased hunger and anxiety

• conflicting relationship with food

The result is rarely sustainable.

What really works in clinical practice

Changes that stick do not begin with maximum motivation, but with small and possible actionslike:

• regulate meal times

• improve hydration

• include more natural foods

• reduce excesses little by little

• organize dinner

• sleep a little better

• observe body signals

These simple choices build the metabolic, emotional and behavioral basis for greater evolution.

Health is a process, not an event

Taking care of your health is not a 30-day challenge.

It is a process built in the midst of routine, work, family and real life.

When this view changes:

• food is no longer a punishment

• the body stops being a problem

• care becomes continuous

Health does not require perfection. It requires constancy.

The role of nutritional monitoring

Without guidance, many people try it alone, get lost in contradictory information and end up giving up.

Follow-up with a nutritionist helps transform intention into plan and plan into possible routine, respecting individuality, context and objectives.

It’s not about doing everything at once.

It’s about doing what is sustainable.

Health doesn’t start in January. It starts when you decide to take care of yourself without waiting for the ideal date.

Ending the year with this awareness takes away the weight of promises and makes room for more realistic, kind and lasting choices.

The best time to start is not when the year turns.

That’s when the mindset changes.

Scientific references

1. Mann T et al. Diets are ineffective and may be harmful. American Psychologist2007.

2. Polivy J, Herman CP. Dieting and binge eating. American Psychologist1985.

3. Berthoud HR. Homeostatic and non-homeostatic controls of eating. Obesity2012.

4. dulloo ag et al. Adaptiver thermogenesis and appetite. Obesity Reviews2015.

5. Kanoski SE. Cognitive fatigue and overeating. Frontiers in Neuroscience2012.

*NUTRITION COLUMN ON THE AGENDA / LUANA DINIZ NUTRITIONIST – CRN7 16302

Nutritionist and athlete, graduated from the Federal University of Acre, postgraduate in clinical sports nutrition. He works with clinical nutritional care in partnership with the supplement store Be Strong Fitness and is a columnist for ContilNet on topics about food and its correlation with health and well-being.

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