By now, the second week of January, you are probably at one of 4 places. 1.) You are struggling to start working toward at least one New Year’s resolution, 2.) You are struggling to keep going towards that New Year’s resolution, 3.) You didn’t even bother to make any resolutions because you don’t believe that you could achieve them, or 4.) You are still full of enthusiasm and working hard to make some changes in your life.
Don’t get me wrong; change is good, especially change for the good. A LOT of people make resolutions every year; mostly right after January 1st. There are a lot of reasons for making them, and a lot of reasons that they fail. Some reasons are perfectly justifiable, like a long term injury or illness. Most resolutions that are made right after the New Year seem destined to fail for many reasons. Let’s explore why and then you can decide if you even need to make some changes in your life, and, if you do decide that now is the right time, how to go about it so that you can stay on track and feel good about it.
Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Are Destined To Fail
The beginning of a new year means, for many, a chance to make a fresh start. With 365 days, most any goal seems possible.
However, when goals are set during a low point, such as being hung over, depressed about feeling out of shape or overweight, during an emotional or financial crisis, or due to pressure from others, clear reasoning goes out the window.
For some people, their resolution almost seems like a form of self-punishment. For others, they have been coerced into doing something they really don’t want to do, either by someone who believes that they know what is best for that person, or someone who wants another person to share in their miserable New Year’s resolution (the whole “misery loves company” sort of thing). This could be any kind of resolution. Whether we are talking about losing weight, getting more fit, making more money, starting and/or completing a project, or simply being more organized. Resolutions may be big or small.
So, what happens is this: Someone, you or someone else, has an idea about something that they would like to change. Usually, good intentions are enough to get started; but they are not what is going to make sure that you achieve your goal. Once things start to get difficult or uncomfortable, motivation wanes and excuses abound.
Get Started With a Pencil and Paper (Or Computer If That Works For You)
Before you make any changes, or spend any money, sit down and think about what it is that you would like to change. Write that down. Next, think about the circumstances around why this particular idea for a change came up; was it something that happened to you, such as not having enough energy to do the things you want to do, or maybe your doctor told you that you need to make some changes to your diet and lifestyle. Or maybe something happened to someone you know. Write that down.
Now, think about what it is that you would actually like to achieve—even if you don’t know how to do it. (Make sure that the goal is actually your own. If it’s not, understand that you will not succeed if you do not own it. You need to have a very honest discussion with the person who made the goal for you.) It can be very helpful to write down ideas as they come into your head. For instance, let’s say you want to spend more time with your family. Write that down. Now be a little more specific. What areas would you like to concentrate on; make a list. Would you like to see them in the morning before school or work? Would you like to have supper together as a family? Would you like to have more time together just having fun? Whatever the case may, be write them all down. Next, prioritize the list.
At this point, it is time to take all these things you have written down, and start making a plan. Once you have the end goal in mind and solid reasons behind why you need to start now, it is time to brainstorm ways to actually make it a reality. When you have a goal that is going to require you to make some major changes, like eating more healthy meals and getting more exercise, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Large goals need to be broken down into smaller, more attainable goals. If you are having a hard time with where to start, you can talk to other people who have experience in that area. Otherwise, I recommend you start where you are most likely to succeed. No one makes lasting changes overnight. When you have the right reasons for doing something, you have to have a good attitude about it, and stick at it long enough to make the changes become habit. Set small attainable goals with a date to work towards. Keep this up until the goal is reached. If it is a lifestyle change, know that you it will take much less effort to keep up the change than it did to get there.
Where Will I Find Extra Time?
Let’s talk about making time. This is where almost all resolutions finally die. We tend to pack as much as possible into our day. Some things are very high on the importance list, while others are just time fillers. Women are especially bad about making sure their schedule is jam-packed.
Not only are the things on your daily schedule important to consider, but how you manage your time doing those things is equally important. We all have a different pace at which we prefer to operate. Being able to speed up that pace can be one great place to gain some time. Combining tasks is another place. Time management is an often overlooked place to gain more time while becoming more efficient. Combine trips like taking out the trash on your way to the mailbox; or make stops on your way to or from work, like stopping at the dry cleaner instead of making a special trip just for one thing. Sometimes, when I am running late at work (making supper nearly impossible), I will call a restaurant with a to-go order so that it is ready for me to pick up on my way home, keeping my wait time minimal. You can get really creative with this concept.
So now, those things on your daily to-do list…here is where it can start to feel a little uncomfortable. Make a list of things that you do on a typical day. You can have a separate list for weekend days. It is time to decide if things can be moved around or eliminated altogether. Wait, wait! Before your head explodes and you quit reading this, hear me out. Here is a simple example of freeing up a large chunk of time. Instead of spending most of one weekend day doing laundry, try to do one load of laundry a night. Start the washer as soon as you get home, and then you are free to start supper. Before you sit down to the table, fill the sink with hot soapy water, and put the pots and pans in there to soak while you are eating. After supper, put the wet clothes in the dryer, then you can load the dishwasher and clean up the kitchen.
I don’t want to forget to tell you that it is very important that you let all of your family and friends that you see regularly know about your goals. Tell them how important this is to you, and that you will need their support. They will have a lot of influence over you and your goal’s outcome. It is very easy to get derailed by our loved ones. Try to get their support. You can also assign chores to others. Suppose your goal was to have family meals together AND have more fun time with your kids. If your kids are old enough, you can have them pick out a movie or a game and get things setup while you are finishing up the laundry or the dishes. You can also ask your spouse or older child to look after the laundry or put away the leftover food.
If your goal is to get fit, get healthier, and/or lose weight, the best place to start is to decide what you like. If your answer is to be a coach potato and eat junk food, then I suggest you start with creating more activity within the structure of your day; that means walking more. Stop taking the shortest route to get to where you are going. Park a little farther away from your destination, if necessary. If you can, walk one flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator. When those walks get easier, pick up the pace a little. And another flight of stairs. Just 30 minutes of “exercise” a day is enough to provide health benefits. You don’t even have to have the 30 minutes consecutively; try 3 ten minute walks.
Free up time in the evening with these suggestions. One day a week, in the morning, fill a crockpot with your favorite meat and vegetables, add some stock, and set it on medium heat. It will cook all by itself and stay hot for when you are ready to eat. Also, plan one night a week to just eat leftovers. If you need a little extra food for the meal, try adding a box of soup that you just heat and eat. If you are not feeding children, you can very quickly put together a healthy meal replacement smoothie. I don’t like powdered protein supplements because they are highly processed, and that is what you want to stay away from. You will find a delicious recipe at the end of this article for a carrot cake smoothie; my husband loves it!
The last two things I want to mention will really help you to stay motivated towards achieving your goal. I recommend that you use little visual reminders strategically placed around to keep you thinking about what you want to be doing. When I had a gym membership, I used to tell myself that I couldn’t go home until I worked out. It was especially important on the days that I didn’t feel like it. If, once I got to the gym and started to do my preplanned workout, if I still didn’t feel like being there, I did something simple like riding the stationary bike for 30 minutes. Also, I would make sure that I put my gym bag in plain sight when I got in my car to leave work. Sticky notes are also a helpful way to leave notes for yourself.
And lastly, have an alternate plan for when things just don’t work out the way you wanted them to. Be flexible, and if necessary, be creative. If over the course of the week, your schedule gets shot to bits, get back on schedule the next week. Life isn’t perfect, and neither are we. Schedules change, things happen. But we are resilient enough to continue to pursue what is really important. It is also important to know that sometimes, what you think is the most important changes, in which case you need to reevaluate everything. And that’s okay, too. Life should always be about moving forward, even if your direction changes, move towards what is good and healthy.
Carrot Cake Smoothie
Ingredients
1 frozen banana
2 small organic carrots
2 Tbsp organic chia seeds
¼ cup organic rolled oats
Splash of preferred milk
2 Tbsp organic yogurt
Pinch of shredded coconut
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 pecan or walnut halves
Optional Ingredients
1 tsp maca powder
1-2 medjool dates
Preparation
- Blend all of the ingredients minus the coconut, pecans & 1 Tbsp vanilla yogurt, until smooth.
- Pour into a jar and top with remaining tablespoon of yogurt and sprinkle with cinnamon, shredded coconut and pecans. Enjoy!
Notes:
Maca is a superfood rich in nutrients and know to boost energy levels and balance hormones.
This smoothie is great for breakfast. Premix dry ingredients the night before to save time in the morning.
Dates are a nutritious way to add sweetness to this tasty smoothie. Make sure to remove the pit!
Add additional milk (I like to use coconut milk) to create the perfect consistency for you.
Instead of topping with pecan halves, try stirring in finely chopped pecans after blending.
