At the start of a new year, we’re surrounded by people constantly talking about their resolutions. On the television, commercial after commercial advertises the new and improved weight-loss diet or miracle surgery, and we hear Oprah talking about how her weight loss gave her a “fuller life”. Browsing through social media, we see people tweeting about how they “started their year off right” with a run or a trip to the gym, and going on and on about how this is the year where they finally get fit and lose that weight. Most people could probably make a fortune off of relatives talking about how they’re giving up sweets or this food and that. Starting on their journey to shed some pounds or get abs, you’ll come across people who shame you for reaching for a cookie or not getting on a treadmill.
Let me be clear— there is absolutely nothing wrong with a resolution to get healthy and spend some more time on your physical fitness. But at this time of the year, when diet talk is around every corner, there are also people who would benefit from others being at least a little sensitive about what they say. If you aren’t a licensed dietician, or at the very least, an actual doctor, it isn’t your place to comment on another person’s food choices or physical activity level. It’s not your place to tell someone that you think they should diet or run. If a photo that says, “Put down the cookie and get on the treadmill” is something that keeps you healthily (key word- healthily) motivated, then great! Keep it on your phone. Your Facebook friends and Instagram followers don’t need to see it. If you’ve already told people about your workout routine and low-carb low-fat diet, then let it rest. They ask, you update them. They don’t, you don’t.
In a world where diet culture and flat, toned stomachs are glorified to the highest degree, there are people who will do whatever they can to reach impossible standards. Now especially, when the “right” way to start off your year is with weight loss, people struggling with and trying to recover from eating disorders face one of the hardest times of the year to stay in a healthy mindset. It doesn’t help that this is right after a very food-centric holiday season.
You never know who around you is struggling—and chances are, there are more people who are than you think. While people have every right to do what they want in the pursuit of health and self-esteem, there are a few things that should be remembered. First and foremost, please do everything in your power to keep to your new regime in a healthy mindset. Don’t say “cheat days” or “bad food” or the like. Everything in moderation. Second, don’t beat a dead horse. Everyone already knows about your resolution. Great, good luck, but please don’t go on about how you’re a “health goddess” or specify how far you ran, how many calories you burned, what you did and didn’t eat. Lastly, don’t take it upon yourself to tell someone else what they should do about their bodies. Don’t shame them for having a slice of pizza and don’t put yourself on a high horse for your salad. For all you know, eating that pizza may be the hardest thing they’ve done recently. Don’t tell them that they should go to the gym instead of sitting around. Maybe they’ve been advised by professionals to avoid exercise until they’re ready to approach it from a healthy standpoint.
New Year’s Resolutions are something that will always be the talk of the first few weeks of January, and we aren’t ever going to make a bulletproof box for people who are struggling to hide in during this time of the year. I’m not saying we have to. I just think that the best way to start off your year isn’t with a run or a vow to not eat any dessert foods. It’s with doing your part, however small, to offer support to people and be a source of emotional positivity and understanding.
