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December 10, 2019Easter Safety, in an Eggshell + Natural Easter Egg Dyes
December 10, 2019For the month of January we will be doing a series on New Year’s Resolutions and, more importantly, how to keep them. So many people inadvertently sabotage their good intentions every year by making a few common mistakes.
This is kind of our overarching theme for this series. My dad always says, “Be proactive, not reactive.” By making intentional decisions daily, we can begin to improve our habits. Go to bed every night knowing that you intentionally did something to better yourself. Your body, your health, your kids – they will all benefit from your little, healthy changes. Studies have shown that a child’s food and eating habits continue into adulthood, and that the largest influence on their habits is YOU! While taste preferences and genetic predisposition effect this to some extent, if your little one sees you making conscious, healthy but still fun, lifestyle choices, they are more likely to eventually make these choices themselves.1
What you do today will directly impact their lifestyle. So maybe for the sake of this series we can change that quote to “Do something today that your family will thank you for.” 🙂
Every week in January, I’ll share two tips on how to really stick to your New Year’s Resolutions.
#1)
Don’t make your goals too broad. Remember, it’s a journey – not a destination:
In the past when I wanted to start making better diet choices, I would take a drastic approach. I would cut everything except chicken & vegetables from my diet, only to last about 5 days before I ate everything in sight. (surprise!) This approach DOES NOT WORK.
The key here is to make small changes. For example, cut one bad thing per month. Make it fun.
Additional categories are added sugars, gluten, or dairy. Personalize it! The little changes really add up.
You’re human and you’ll inevitably slip up a little, but use it to strengthen your goals, not ruin them. Learn from it, and move on.
#2)
Make measurable, quantifiable goals:
Maybe you want to lose 10 pounds. Maybe you want to go to the gym more. Maybe you want to eat out less. Whatever it is, make sure you can track your progress or actually see or count how you are doing.
For me, nothing is more UNmotivating than forgetting to time myself on my run. If weight loss is your goal, weigh yourself at the start of, and consistently throughout, your weight loss journey. If fitness or strength is your goal, time your runs and record your repetitions at the gym. Write it down! I have a sample of what I do below.
If you can’t TRACK it, then COUNT it. Weekly say, “I want to cook and eat X number of meals at home this week,” or “I want to only eat out this many times.” Then plan for it (more advice about that on next week’s post). Giving your self a minimum or a maximum value is a great way to hold yourself accountable. But remember rule #1 and don’t cause more harm than good.
Make sure to check back for more tips next Monday!
Happy Resolutions!!:)
– Randi
