Chase Health Instead of Resolutions
Welcome to a new year!
Time for those pesky resolutions to enter the group chat again. Fun to make and easy to break, resolutions can be a vehicle for inspiring change or an anchor of failure.
Honestly, I’m not a fan of pushing failure.
I had a friend once that gave up smoking, joined a gym, and gave up sugar and fast food. At the same time. She made it a month. Her enthusiasm faded into stress, and the stress ended most of her resolutions. Did she fail? Nope. This was a totally unreasonable amount of goals. Quitting smoking alone can occupy your willpower and body for months. But did she feel like she failed? Unfortunately, yes.
So I have some tips for you to make health your goal, not resolutions.
Be realistic. If you want more movement, walk more a few days a week instead of 10k steps daily.
Want to eat better? Add instead of subtract. Adding vegetables to a few meals instead of worrying about eating less works so much better. Your body will thank you for both the nutrients and the lack of stressing about your food.
Want to workout? Pay for it. Your willpower to keep going to the gym might falter, but you’re going to want to get your money’s worth. I’m not talking about Planet Fitness. That gym counts on being low cost so you’re not afraid to take a month off. Pay for a personal trainer who you know is excited to watch you walk into the gym. Or buy an expensive membership to that yoga or pilates studio, and use it.
Turn off your screens two hours before bed. Sure, you might rather spend your life savings on personal trainers and add 8 servings of carrots to your week before giving up your phone before bed. But getting rid of that blue screen before sleeping might just change your ability to sleep better, and help you with that nagging feeling that you might just feel less anxious if you stopped all the scrolling. Studies are clear: blue light before bed hurts sleep. Consider reading from a Kindle that has no blue light, and replacing your bedroom bulbs with red or amber light. Pick up a coloring book or other creative hobby.
Try journaling. Unconventional journaling counts, such as a talking out loud to yourself or using a notes app. Ask yourself what bothered you during the day, or what your favorite moment was. Just be a little more present in your life.
Be kind to yourself. Say something nice to yourself daily. You’ll be surprised at how much better you feel.
Health is in consistency, not perfection. Staying mostly consistent over long periods of time makes healthy choices sustainable and attainable. So ditch the resolutions and let’s try small manageable steps that make us enjoy your lives and bodies a little more!
