Shockingly, the new year is coming upon us real fast. With the summer months quickly flying by, it may have been challenging to keep up with your New Year’s resolutions. Consistency is necessary to form a habit and in the bustle of a new year, it can be easy to fall off the wagon for a few days, snowballing to a sense that you have “ruined” your year already.
But do not let yourself get in your own way. Commitment to bettering yourself is a daily activity. There will be ebbs and flows but they are part of the process. A resolution should not be a goal for perfection each day, rather a promise to do a little each day for yourself. Following are some tips to sustain some of the most common New Year’s resolutions throughout the whole year.
Healthy Eating
One of the most common resolutions is to fix their diet or lose weight. These things are often a very big undertaking and it is easy to get discouraged. At the beginning of a new year, it is important to remember that truly getting healthy is a lifestyle change, not a temporary change.
Rather than settling on the big goals of just eating healthy or losing X number of pounds, start smaller. For instance, incorporate 1 new fruit or vegetable into your daily meals. Look for healthy recipes for dinners twice a week. Gradually cut out unhealthy things in your diet one by one and add in new favorite snacks. Logging your meals will also help you recognize patterns in your eating and help you find creative ways to change them.
When it comes to healthy eating, dieting, and weightless, you have to be honest and realistic. Putting yourself through hell by starving yourself and avoiding foods just because they are labeled as “unhealthy” is not going to do you any good. The longer you push yourself to completely cut out certain food groups, the harder you will fall. At some point you will reach your breaking point and binge which will leave you feeling worse mentally and physically.
“Instead, focus on being healthy from the inside out. Eat well, and exercise regularly. And remember that you can be sexy and look and feel fabulous and not be thin.”
Elaine Magee, MPH, Rd, Web MD
If you mess up a week or two, start again the following week instead of giving up entirely. Persistence is the biggest key to seeing results. The sense of accomplishment you get from achieving your smaller goals will help motivate you along the way to your larger ones.
Journaling
One of the more mindful, mental health resolutions, journaling is a great way to check-in with yourself and stay organized. Whether you get a blank notebook and start bullet journaling or buy a planner to work with, you can find ways to stay on track. The best way to motivate yourself to use a journal or planner on a daily basis is to find a layout that works for you. For example, if you want a space to track mood and journal your thoughts an inviting layout with places to mark both would be best. Or, if you’re a student and need the use of a planner, having a place to keep a daily schedule and assignments would be most convenient. Other ways of keeping the daily routine up include picking the same time every day to write in your journal or planner.
Workout More
Committing yourself to work out more can be daunting. One may not feel comfortable at the gym or know where to start. Fortunately, the pandemic has given us a plethora of online exercising resources. Virtual HIIT or yoga classes are easy ways to incorporate burning calories into your work from home schedule. There are plenty of beginner classes on youtube as well as a variety of paid subscriptions.
Regardless of skill level, starting slowly is the best way to start. A good stretching routine is essential to prime your muscles to warm you up and prevent injury. Starting with low weights or simple poses is important for indoor workouts. Starting running can either begin with jogging short distances or interval runs of walking and running. Following these steps to start your new routine will help you stay positive and progress gradually, instead of getting discouraged too soon.
The main thing to keep in mind is that you are working out to maintain your health, not because you want to look thin. Try to detach the notion of having ripped abs and a small waist to working out. Physical fitness should be fun, relaxing, and burden-free.
Get Organized
Staying more organized throughout the year is something we could all benefit from. Getting into a good routine can make your life leaps and bounds easier. However, forming the habits necessary for a new routine can prove difficult. Firstly, don’t make your new normal feel like a chore. Find ways to incentivize yourself. For example, if you do well with putting clothes away or doing laundry for two weeks, get a new top. Make your bed every day for x amount of days and reward yourself with an at-home spa night or sleep in a little extra one weekend. Secondly, make sure your routine makes your life easier and happier. If you hate laundry, do it early so you don’t end up having to do it after a long day of work. If there’s something you love doing don’t push it out of your day, be sure to make time for it.
Learn a New Skill
“It helps you get new and knowledge-based perspectives on the world around you. It helps you gain new experiences, trains your brain to handle a wide range of challenges, and keeps your neural pathways active.”
Albin Morgan, vault.com
The best way to do this is really practice. Though it sounds cliche it is the only way to truly become proficient at something. Practice, however, does not need to be boring! If you’re learning a new language, find fun ways to engage with the culture as well. Practice your French by making a French dinner and learn the recipe in the language. If you’re learning something related to music, try the theme song to your favorite show. Online forums are a great way to find a community of those passionate about the skill you are trying to learn as well.
We have all tried having New Year’s resolution which more often than not do not work out. And the main culprit is often this mentality we have that just because something didn’t work out the first time, it won’t the second time either. So what if you were not able to eat a balanced, nutritious meal four times in the first week of January? You still have 51 more weeks to retry and do better.
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