See ya 2023, hello 2024… the year for me! 

As January comes to an end, 2024 has never looked brighter. Greet the mirror, and there you are—empowered, confident, and beautiful! This year is all about embracing positivity. To do this, let’s kick things off with some positive affirmations to absorb all the energy that is already surrounding us. And hey, we’re not just talking about January – we’re talking about developing sustainable habits that carry us through the entire year. It’s time to step into your energy and live life the Happy Way! 

Affirmations help to support positive thinking and self-empowerment. They help us  overcome our negative thoughts and patterns of overthinking that can lead to self-sabotage. Most importantly, affirmations can help us regain our self-confidence and embrace our shiny selves (you’ve got this girl!). To get yourself in the habit: whip out your journal/piece of paper or laptop/computer and write down some meaningful affirmations for your new year ahead. Below are some examples to get you started: 

2024 Mood: 

• Accepting all positive energy and good vibes only. 
• Celebrate the small wins. It’s about the journey, not the destination. 
• I am heard, I am seen and loved just as I am. 
• Balance, consistency and commitment are core ingredients to my life.
• Manifesting abundance by being grateful for what I already have.

Affirmations lead us into developing SUSTAINABLE HABITS. Have you ever set yourself new year’s resolutions that were unrealistic and too hard to achieve? Felt deflated because you didn’t stay on track or meet those goals that you set out for yourself? (We’re right there with you!) Resolutions have a way of letting us down, because in most cases, they were unrealistic to begin with. The key to establishing goals for your health, career, relationships, or life overall is by prioritising sustainable habits.

So, what does this mean? It’s something you can see yourself fitting into your routine on an ongoing basis, that is realistic to achieve and able to be repeated again and again. The best part is, sustainable habits are individual to you and your life, what’s important to you and what you can actually achieve. There is no one fits all, and there shouldn’t be, because you’re you and we’re us – just the way we are meant to be! Where to start? Start small and be realistic – here’s some examples:: 

Exercise

Initial resolution: “Start a high intensity training (HIT) gym and go to 5 sessions per week” 

Final resolution: “Make time for joyful movement on most days of the week” 

So, you’ve noticed lots of HIT gyms around and want to increase your daily movement. You sign up and set a goal of attending 5 days per week. You quickly realise you aren’t able to maintain this routine and feel disappointed and/or want to quit. Sound familiar? 

Firstly, movement should be enjoyed and make your body feel strong and empowered. If it’s something that you despise, you won’t be able to sustain it and will most likely stop doing it. Let’s start by prioritising movement that you ACTUALLY enjoy, this could look different on different days and at different times in your cycle (as your energy levels fluctuate). It may be lower intensity like walking or yin-yoga, or higher intensity like a spin class or netball. The important thing is listening to your body and choosing what works best for you on that particular day. Switching the goal to, “Make time for joyful movement on most days of the week” makes it more achievable and something you can both enjoy and sustain. 

Healthy eating

Initial resolution: “Include 5 serves of vegetables every day” 

Final resolution: “Add more colour on my plate everyday” 

Picture this: you're not exactly best friends with veggies lately, and your daily green scene needs a boost. To conquer this, you set a goal to devour 5 servings of veggies per day. Whilst this may sound like a breeze initially, remember, it's all about starting off small and realistic! A revised version of this resolution might look like, “Add more colour on my plate everyday”, whether this is one more serving of vegetables or other high fibre foods like colourful fruit. The revised resolution focuses on variety, meaning more nutrients and gives you flexibility in choosing what you can manage on that particular day. Each small change makes a big impact over time. 

Talking about vegetables, here’s one of my MOST delicious recipes that I want to share with you! Say hello to my Carrot Cake Baked Oats, it tastes like dessert for breakfast and has sneaky veg and a great boost of protein! Hope you love this one just as much as I did!

Carrot Cake Baked Oats

Serves 4-6 

Ingredients: 

• 2 small carrots, grated
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup Happy Way Flavourless Protein
• 1.5 cups milk of your choice
• 2 tbsp vanilla yoghurt
• ¼ cup walnuts, crushed
• 2 tbsp honey
• ½ tsp cinnamon 
• 1 tsp baking powder

Method: 

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees fan forced. 
2. In an oven safe container, add all the ingredients except for the walnuts and mix well to combine. 
3. Crumble the walnuts on top and bake for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool. 
4. Cut into 4-6 slices and serve warm or refrigerate and serve the next day. 
5. Optional: add the coconut yoghurt topping, crushed walnuts and a drizzle of honey on top. 

Sending you all the positive energy! As always, bye for now x

Cassie 
@bodylovenutrition_