Missy No need to wait until January 2nd to start all those healthy New Year’s Resolutions of walking every day, getting 8 hours of sleep or meal planning all those lunches. And if we are being completely honest, the statistics show that less than 9% of people said they felt like they accomplished their new year’s resolutions.
How depressing!
So why don’t you buck the norm and start in December? Wait! Don’t stop reading yet. I promise, there is value here.
What do we know about reaching our goals? We have to take actions consistently. So we can take action on getting healthy and practice now … it will be easy breezy by the time January 1st comes around and you won’t feel so hopeless.
Alright, maybe not breezy.
Here are some suggestions, tackle all or just one. For 30 days take action and come out the other side READY to make big changes for 2019.
Commit
First things first. Decide on what you want to accomplish and COMMIT. Not maybe or I’ll try my best. Decide on what you want to get a handle on for the next 30 days.
But first, start out small
Its important on this first jump into a new healthy life, we start out with small goals. Whatever your goal is, trying cutting it in half. Your goal may be, I want to run every day. Great goal! How about 2 days a week to start.
We tend to have all the energy and motivation, in the beginning, then life happens. You didn’t sleep because you stayed up late binging on the newest Netflix obsession and couldn’t wake up for your 5 am workout. Then we give up because can’t reach those ambitious goals. By accomplishing small goals, you can celebrate it and this will motivate you to keep going.
Write it down
If your new habit is food related, write it down. You don’t necessarily have to do portion control/calories. Just know awareness proceeds change. Being mindful enables you to make better decisions. If it is something around fitness, being able to see yourself progress will give you the motivation to keep going. If you happen to get sideline, it will also encourage to push forward.
Consider writing what, where, and why you are eating. How you felt after a workout or why you didn’t work out. What kept you from getting to bed on time. All of these are metrics to help you see the bigger picture on what’s going on. By writing these notes down, you are forced to explore your decision making. Then when confronted with the same senario, you will have the tools to understand and make better choices.
Support
Multiple studies have proven that those who have social support in pursuing their goals had long-term success. Support helps when we start to feel discouraged. Often, social supports inspires us to get back on track if we have gotten off course. And the best part, they are there to cheer us on with our successes and offer alternatives to solutions you weren’t aware of.
This could be meetups, facebook groups, friends, co-workers, family. You can hire a personal trainer or someone like me, a health coach!
Be Mentally Ready
Plan to mess up. Understand it will happen multiple time. It’s okay. We are not in the perfection game, we are in the consistency game. You must compassion for yourself, get up and get going again.
Plan for the challenges you will encounter. Do you love the snooze button on your phone? Can’t get up because it’s cozy and warm in your bed. Tired after a long day of work? These are natural “barriers” from keeping you from goals.
Plan for it. Set up these habits so it’s one less thing to overcome. Set your workout clothes the night before, have a gym bag ready in your car. On Sunday morning, write a menu out for the week or go on Pinterest for inspiration so you can meal plan. What works for you, do it.
Be prepared to mess up. We all do. Its called ‘being normal’. The thing to remember is don’t use it as an excuse to give up. Or worst, label yourself as unable to accomplish the goal. You need to believe in yourself fully, you can do this! No kinda. No, we will see. You need that Rudy belief in yourself. That Rock’s Creed mentality. You got this.
Last, but super IMPORTANT.
Why? Why?? WHY?!
Why do you want this? Why is it important you get 8 hours of sleep each night? Then ask why to that answer. Keep following up your answers with for 2 or 3 more times.
You want to eat a homemade meal at least 3 days a week. Why? It will help with my weight management. How? You consume more calories eating out than you do at home. Why is that important to you? I have been trying to lose these last 10lbs and it’s been hard. I think this will help. Plus I will save money.
This is going to be key when at the end of a long day, you have your spin cycle class. You are tired. You dealt with snappy clients. Traffic is the worst. You just want to get home, enjoy a glass of wine and watch The Office. This is when you have to connect, call, shout out why you committed to 30 days of SoulCycle once a week.
Just remember, if your why is about what other people want or how they will judge you. That is never going to fly. This is called extrinsic motivation. It has its place. For example, people show up to work for the paycheck. That is effective.
You want to lose weight for people’s approval. It is effective at first, but will not hold you through when it starts to get hard.
So what are you going to commit to?
Here are some idea jumpers if you are not yet clear.
Food!
I mean that’s the first thing I think of when imagining the holiday season. Just a little note. Don’t use the word diet, please. That is foreshadowing failure. If you want to stick to anything. It needs to be flexible. It needs to be sustainable. Remember, small goals. Eat 2 full of veggies servings at every meal. Or only one serving of carbs for each meal. Or no process foods Monday – Thursday. Pick one thing, do it consistently.
Move!
This is my favorite and for me the easiest. The kitchen is where you lose weight, but moving is where you feel gooooood. Yes, moving via running, walking, dancing, biking, will help maintain your weight. In some studies, it shows by exceeding the 10,000 step goal, helps reduce belly fat. It also improves your mood, reduces chocolate & sugar cravings, helps avoid osteoporosis & osteoarthritis.
So what do you want to focus on, aim for 10,000 steps per day? Take that SoulCycle/Zumba/boot camp class each week? Run a mile for 3 days each week? Remember, start small. Don’t view it as all or nothing.
Strength Train!
Yes. I made this separate from Move. Cardio is great. For all examples above. But for those of you who want to LOOK different, not just lose water weight, consider strength training. First of all, this can easily be done at home. You don’t need a gym, you don’t have to battle the elements and you can easily watch your favorite Netflix show while crushing it.
The more lean body mass you have, the harder your body has to work to maintain it. So you burn more calories, even after the workout. It helps with better posture (illusion of being leaner when standing taller), protects your knees, elevates your mood, and shapely peach bum.
Sleep!
I struggle with this as well. Some days I get 8 hours, others 5 hours. I am not consistent and definitely feel the difference in my workout and productivity when I don’t get it. Here is a great article on how to be more consistent with your zzz’s.
Stress Management!
Is it possible during the holidays? Last year, we went to Hawaii for the holidays. Yes. It was possible. At home, it gets pretty nutty because we set expectations. So I realized it was a mindset into my commits. Here are the Mayo Clinics recommendations on how to cope with stress during the holidays.
Love to know which one you are going to focus on. Other recommendations are to meditate regularly, journal your gratitude daily, help those in need during the holiday season (i like this one), take that self-care moment when you need it and DON”T FEEL GUILTY, and lastly… enjoy those things that bring you joy. No Shame if it is those Hallmark Christmas holiday movie.
The first step is always the hardest.
Commit to what you want to do, plan for the first step and go from there. The holidays are full of commitments and expectations. In order for you to show up, you need to take car of you as well. This is the season of love, don’t forget yourself. There is a reason why you want to take steps to a healthier you. Just do it. There are no downsides!
