"I hope to nourish my well-being this year by..."

New Year's Eve has come and gone, and our New Year's resolutions are still pretty fresh. I also know that weight loss and health and wellness goals are on top of everyone's mind. Weight loss goals are slippery, as many have repeatedly been there, myself included!

If you are reading this email, you are part of my community, and you know I have taken a strong stance on a non-diet approach to health and wellness.

Some of you may be wondering what and why I take a non-diet approach to health and wellness.

• It is a holistic approach that focuses on improving overall health and well-being rather than just trying to achieve a certain body weight or shape. This approach recognizes that dieting and weight loss are not the only, or even necessarily the most important, factors in improving health. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of a healthy relationship with food, body, physical activity, and self-care and addresses social, cultural, and environmental factors that can impact health.

• Instead of focusing on restrictive diets or rigid food rules, a non-diet approach promotes flexibility and balance, encouraging people to make choices that support their overall well-being rather than just trying to meet specific weight or body size goals.

• One of the key benefits of a non-diet approach is that it has proven to be more sustainable and less likely to lead to disordered eating behaviors or negative body image issues. It also considers that everyone's bodies are different and that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to health and wellness.

I choose this work because I have seen the harmful effects of dieting personally and professionally and want to be a part of the change for all women who struggle with their weight, body image, and health and wellness.

If you are willing, I'd like to ask you to sit for a few minutes and forget about the thoughts that focus on the "new me," finishing the year strong, starting the year stronger, having willpower, or the "I am going to get it "right" this time.

Let's try a softer, kinder, and more compassionate start to this year's new year with the thought:

"I hope to nourish my well-being this year by..."

I love the word nourish because it means providing food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition. It's positive and soft.

Nourishing yourself may include physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual nourishment. What you tend to "grows."

For example, I hope to nourish my well-being this year by getting more sleep. When I get better sleep, I have greater focus and attention, make healthier food choices, and feel better. The action of getting better sleep enables you to have growth in other areas of your life.

I hold no judgment as in today's society; it is normal to want to lose weight; to be honest, it was my primary "health" focus for 40 years. It is the mantra we have been taught for as long as we can remember. As the Author and RD Christy Harrison of the book Anti Diet says, dieting is the life thief that steals your time, money, and energy.

This year, if health and wellness are part of your goals, it's time for us to talk so that you can gain clarity on what health means to you as it changes over time. It is time you become confident, understand how to nourish yourself, and make the best choices for you. A health and wellness vision plan that includes the thought, "I hope to nourish my well-being this year by..." helps you define your needs and create a health and wellness vision plan that supports only you. Food is the messenger, not the enemy.

Join me over the next few weeks in my virtual or in-person events and shift into making 2023 the year you UNDiet your life and learn how to nourish yourself.

You can learn more about my upcoming events here.