You take it day by day
Each year, we start off by coming up with New Year’s resolutions after failing to sustain the list of resolutions we came up with the previous year. Optimism would be very high during this time and we tend to set resolutions that may be unrealistic. We definitely need to have faith that we can conquer our health hurdles. Setting up too many expectations and putting so much trust in ourselves alone, however, will eventually overwhelm us, thus leading to an unsuccessful attempt at fulfilling the good intentions we have on our list.
As you welcome the new year, why don’t you set your mind and heart into making your resolutions happen by being more realistic? Here are some ways on how to go about coming up with health resolutions that will not overwhelm you in the coming year.
Reflect. Assess which aspects of your health and lifestyle must be improved. Is it physical (weight, appearance, skin, strength, stamina, etc.)? Is it a medical condition (blood glucose, blood pressure, sleep problems, etc.)? Could it be the mental and emotional aspect (trauma, stress, relationships)? Perhaps it is spiritual (hopelessness, unbelief, desperation, unforgiveness, bad habits, and lack of self-control).
Prioritize. You have a long list of things you want to improve in your health and life in general. We all do. List them all down if you must but do not make the same mistake of tackling all of them in one go at the start of the year. You are bound to fail. Among your list, choose one or two that need to be urgently addressed. It must be the one that you can realistically have the capability to work on, as well as one that you are wholeheartedly willing to do. For many, it is to lose weight. Others may be more complicated such as restoring a broken relationship. While some may simply just want to get more sleep in the coming year.
Be intentional. Once you begin your New Year’s resolution, be mindful and intentional in sticking to your plan. For instance, if your goal is to lose weight, instead of going on a restrictive diet that will leave you undernourished and deprived, start by making fresh produce readily available during meal times or stop buying unhealthy snacks. You may not be able to go cold turkey and totally avoid unhealthy food. As you eat more life-giving food like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, nuts and seeds, you will eventually get used to having these as staples in your diet. In turn, your cravings for unhealthy food choices will be reduced. As your eating pattern becomes better, weight loss will follow. It will be more sustainable than crash dieting.
Embrace discomfort. The old adage “no pain, no gain’ holds true even in modern times. If your goal is to be strong and fit, then embrace a little or a bit more of discomfort when you have to exercise. Even if you don’t feel like it, take 10 to 15 minutes of time to walk in place or walk outside in between online meetings. If you want to improve your mood and concentration, decrease your time in social media or K-drama at night. Sacrifice an hour of browsing your news feed to sleep earlier. Come to terms with having to sacrifice something in order to achieve your health goals.
When you aim for perfection in making your resolutions happen, the moment you make a mistake, you end up feeling frustrated and eventually hopeless.
Focus on progress. It is almost impossible not to experience any setback. In is inevitable in most cases and this is where the problem lies. When you aim for perfection in making your resolutions happen, the moment you make a mistake, you end up feeling frustrated and eventually hopeless. You then begin to feel like your efforts were all lost and you switch back to your unhealthy habits. Be more forgiving to yourself. Acknowledge that you made a mistake but look at how far you have progressed. Perhaps you ate an entire dessert after weeks of clean eating and you feel disappointed. Then don’t allow yourself to continue eating more treats. You have had your treat and it’s time to get back on track. Eat more veggies on your next meal and move around to burn the excess calories. Just don’t allow yourself to get back to zero. Look at progression and not perfection.
Make your new year’s resolutions happen by being realistic, mindful, and intentional. Take it one step at a time and prioritize things. Be kinder to yourself by focusing on progress and not perfection. At the end of the year, you will be surprised to see how far you have come in terms of your wellbeing.
Have a happy healthy new year!