By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

bettering one's self in 2020

Sticking with resolutions is difficult, but not impossible

Jan 19, 2020 | 12:57 PM

Make no bones about it — New Year’s resolutions are difficult to fulfill, especially when they pertain to our personal wellness.

However, if you’re up to snuff on what the latest trends are and what’s healthy to be doing in the year 2020, you may have an added chance at success, according to the experts.

Autumn Dyck, a registered dietitian at Pure Red Deer, says there’s a big swing right now away from using the word diet.

“You’re going to start hearing more words like wellness, lifestyle choices, and intuitive eating or mindful eating. As dietitians, we want to advocate for people to be mindful of their choices,” says Dyck, speaking from the Red Deer Healthy Living Expo.

“If people are looking to get off of a diet and do more lifestyle changes, but they’re being sold a non-diet approach with weight loss, that’s really not an intuitive eating approach to nutrition because there are still restrictions or rules associated.”

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Constraining the types of foods one consumes is not real life, Dyck says, adding that it’s possible (and even recommended) to eat a wide variety of foods while becoming healthier.

“We are all made genetically different, so people can feel like a failure or guilty about starting a diet and then get into a vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting or diet culture,” she says.

Dyck believes eating and cooking more as a family can also create healthier eating habits.

With mindful eating comes the need to exercise, and one Red Deer company is hoping to change the game.

Jennette Rude with FitCache, a mobile geocaching app which launched last week, says there are more options for physical fitness in 2020 than ever before.

“I love the outdoors, and I’m a mom of two kids, so it’s hard to fit in workouts,” she admits. “So you open the app, and there’s a map with red pins, and they’re at every playground. That way, you can get a good workout in while your kids play, and it lets you explore your city in a safe way.”

Rude says if you’re not succeeding with your resolution at the level you’d hoped, don’t lose faith.

“If you fall behind, it’s important to not get discouraged and quit, but also you should make sure you find something you like,” she says. “Set a goal, go to a place you love or something you can fit in easily or do with your family.”

FitCache features workout pins on every continent, including at the South Pole, and in Zambia, New Zealand, Italy and Edmonton — though most are in Red Deer.

As for finding mental wellness and stability, which is equally if not more important, there are many resources in Red Deer and central Alberta, including the Canadian Mental Health Association, Suicide Information and Education Services, Family Services of Central Alberta, and the Primary Care Network, to name a few.