Shifting Your Mindset Around New Years Resolutions
It’s New Year’s Eve, and you know what that means! Everyone will be staying up until midnight, watching the ball drop, and vowing to themselves that this is a “new year new them.” No matter how tired you are in the morning from staying up late and maybe having one too many glasses of sparkling wine, you WILL go to the gym tomorrow because it’s January 1. You’ve made it your mission this year to lose weight and eat better. The first couple of weeks are going great, you feel good and you’re really starting to get in a routine. Then you miss a day at the gym, and one day turns into two. You start beating yourself up and instead of going back to your workout routine you call it quits. Sound about right?
Okay, okay let me stop you there. When it comes to making New Year’s resolutions it’s important to keep these goals realistic, but most importantly we have to shift our mindset around the way we view them. At the core of every goal there must be an intentional “why.” Once we find our why, it is so much easier to accomplish these goals from a place of love, not a place of punishment or being critical of ourselves. For example, when I’m working with clients, I always encourage them to find the why behind their food choices. If I’m being honest, a lot of clients come to me with weight loss as their number one goal. However, we work together to shift that mindset and reword this sentence. I would be lying if I said it was an easy task. It takes digging and other activities of self-love to come to a place of acceptance and showing yourself some grace. When it comes to goals that involve food choices and physical activity, I think it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not black and white. We are each individuals with different needs that vary daily. What works for your best friend might not work for you, and vice versa. Assuming that someones way of living (workouts and food choices) will work for hundreds of others is just flat out ignorant in my opinion. It sets others up for failure.
Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now. I really got a little more heated writing that than I realized I was going to! Let’s focus on the positive; how can we set rewarding and realistic goals? I encourage you to write down your goals and then reword them. Think of your why, and make it intentional. I’ll walk you through some examples below!
Original Resolution
“I want to lose 10 pounds this year before my wedding.”
Reworded Resolution
“I want to focus on loving myself and making choices from a place of love for my body rather than a place of resentment. I’m about to start the best adventure of my life and I want to feel my best physically and emotionally!”
Original Resolution
“Workout 5 days a week”
Reworded Resolution
“Incorporate more physical activity in my life because it makes my body feel good. Some days this might look like spin, some days it may look like yoga in my living room or a walk outside. I’ll honor my body and listen to its needs.”
Original Resolution “Eat clean most days and have a cheat meal on the weekend”
Reworded Resolution
“Try to incorporate more fresh, whole foods into my diet when I can. Realizing that no foods are “cheat” foods, all foods fit. I’ll listen to my body and try to fuel it with things that make me feel my best.”
How are you rewording your resolutions this year to keep them positive and emotionally rewarding?! Let me know!