January is the time of New Year’s resolutions. I look at all of these promises we make to ourselves with a mixture of delight and dread. On one hand it is exciting to think of a better future, more constructive habits or a better body. On the other hand, there is what I call the resolution fallout and subsequent depression. You know, that time, usually around January twentieth when you realize that you’ve officially given up on your resolution and you start to beat yourself up for a lack of discipline and commitment.
Here are three suggestions to make this year different:
1. Implement the “New Game” Rule. Are you one of those people that works on the win/lose principle? You either win the game so you are perfect – no indulgences and plenty of exercise. Or you make one small mistake – that one donut in the morning and you lose. The rest of the day becomes a free-for- all eating frenzy. If you participate in this sort of thinking, than it is time to change your game. No one is perfect all the time or ever will be. Enjoy your indulgences and then let them go. After that first donut slip-up in the morning, give yourself permission to start a “new game”. And in the new game you’ll adhere to the “no more donuts” rule. Just remember not to be too hard on yourself. Life is a game, one that is meant to be started over and over again, hundreds if not thousands of times per day.
2. Be Clear on your Why. We often make promises to ourselves without exactly knowing why we are making the promises. For example, you could decide to work out three times a week. Then in the morning when your alarm goes off, you roll over and turn it off. You say to yourself, “I’ll just work out tomorrow morning.” Perhaps it would be easier to drag yourself out of bed if you decided why you want to work out. For example, you want to be strong and healthy for life and avoid the heart trouble that runs in your family.
The next time your alarm rings, you may be more likely to get out of bed if you think of becoming the strong and healthy person that you’d like to be. Oh and don’t forget to write your Why down, and put it somewhere that is visible every day.
3. Break your Resolution into Simple Steps. Let’s say your resolution is: I want to eat healthy consistently. That can seem like a nebulous and overwhelming goal if you don’t break it into steps. To reduce the overwhelm, break your large goal of eating healthy into tangible small goals that you can accomplish each day or each week.
To get you started, we’ve created 21 days of nutrition and balance tips. It takes twenty-one days to create a new habit. Now is a perfect time to use the next twenty-one days to create healthy habits for you. All you have to do is click here to subscribe and you’ll receive your first tip immediately. Don’t worry, each tip is exceedingly simple. But remember, a little goes a long way. In twenty-one days you’ll be thinking and eating much healthier.
