My amazing associate Brigitte is taking over the blog today for some of her edits to common resolutions! Happy New Year everyone!!
Brooke
Business at B Nutritious always booms with the ringing in of the new year, (#nocomplaints) but I find that most of the new clients, as well as some existing clients come in with large-scale, broad, overwhelming resolutions, that usually don’t make it past the first quarter because they are too overreaching. So with the witching hour rapidly approaching, I wanted to help tweak some of those resolutions I hear the most, into more attainable, achievable long-term goals that will still be here come 2016. I think living a healthy lifestyle and feeling good about yourself should always be a priority, and if it takes a New Years resolution to make it happen, then I say, viva la resolutions!!
Instead of: Lose weight
Resolve to: Eat healthy
Eating healthy makes you…well…healthy! One sign that you are eating healthier would be weight loss. But focusing on the scale and the numbers can become an unhealthy obsession and as I tell all my clients…a watched scale never boils! Do not focus on the number, instead focus on eating more vegetables, protein, fiber, fruit, healthy fats and the numbers will fall into place.
Instead of: Eat more vegetables
Resolve to: Eat at least 2 cups worth of veggies at lunch and dinner
Giving yourself a specific amount and a visual way to set up a meal/plate gives you a concrete way to assess how many veggies you are actually having per meal and the ability to increase the amount, instead of a broad goal to just eat more without taking any real notice.
Instead of: Exercising everyday
Resolve to: Exercise 3 times a week
It’s too easy to attempt to overacheive with your resolutions, only to have them fail because their not realistic. Exercising 3 days a week is certainly realistic and flexible. Plan out 3 specific days at the start of each week that you will exercise for at least 30 minutes. Planning ahead of time makes the exercise part of your daily routine on those 3 days and a non-negotiable, versus saying “oh well, I can just do it tomorrow instead”. When it comes to working out, consistency is key and the “30×3” gives you and 2015 the consistency you’re looking for
Instead of: Stop drinking alcohol
Resolve to drink: 1-2 drinks, 2 nights a week
By giving yourself a concrete number of drinks to adhere to on a specific number of days per week, the change is more likely something you will 1) Do and 2) Stick to doing. Smaller, more realistic changes are easier to master at first, my clients who try to go from drinking almost every night to not drinking at all, never stick to it and wind up feeling bad about themselves. With smaller, achievable intervals, each goal is easier to accomplish and then build on.
Instead of: Get more sleep
Resolve to: Go to bed 30 minutes earlier each weeknight.
Again, giving yourself small changes with a concrete specification, like 30 minutes earlier, will make the goal more attainable then a vague statement of getting more sleep without a finite plan of how to do it. It’s all about planning!
Wishing you a Happy and Healthy 2015!!
~Brigitte
B Nutritious 