The Grey Area: New Year, New You?

Two weeks into the new year…. the majority of Americans have already broken their new year’s resolutions… whatever they were… eat better, workout more, watch our anger… whatever it is. We’ve probably already gone against the vow we made to ourselves at the stroke of midnight several weeks ago… but does the back sliding mean the quest for betterment should end until 11 1/2 months from now?

I didn’t really make any major life changing resolutions.. been there, done that! But I have told myself to just be better, do better… work harder, go to sleep earlier… be more aggressive…blah blah blah. The older I get, the more life changes I try to make, long term changes…less gimmicky, superstitious stuff, I don’t need… but there are some tips I’ve read along the way that help you not only keep resolutions…but help make a positive change, no matter the season!

The first is to be realistic… I’ve had a trainer tell me before to basically eat water and air and green leafy stuff…see, that’s NOT going to work for me! Eat right…count calories and sugar and sodium, okay! No sodas…cut back on bread, no desserts.. all that is cool! But to basically quit food cold turkey… never going to happen. As a matter of fact, I’m not even going to try. So being realistic with the goal is #1! You know yourself… not saying don’t push yourself to the limit…but don’t set the goal so high that’s it’s nearly impossible to attain. That’s not encouraging and definitely won’t allow you to stay on track….

Second is to stick to it… experts say it only takes 21 days for something to become a habit…and 6 months to become a lifestyle… so give yourself a solid three weeks to try and reach that goal before throwing in the towel! If you fall off the wagon… you don’t have to wait for the 1st of the year to try again… how about…Monday? There are 52 of those in a year!

Reward Yourself! Yes, some of us are still like kindergartners, needing a sticker or smiley face to feel accomplished. I know I am! But good behavior should be rewarded, especially if it’s something you’ve been working hard on! So, tell yourself if you stick to the plan you can have a reward…whether it’s a scoop of ice cream, a mani/pedi, day off or whatever…. don’t forget to pat yourself on the back when you’ve made yourself proud!

Share your goals! Sharing is important! Sometimes you need a little nudge in the right direction.. Maybe a friend reminding you that you said you were going to quit complaining about your boss, nagging your husband about the dishes or stop shoving pizza in your face because you couldn’t fit any old pants! Maybe you can even find an accountability partner, again, not just for resolutions…but for lifestyle changes!

Don’t beat yourself up! We can be our own worst enemy and critic. A mistake or misstep or just plain old laziness is okay, sometimes…. If you fall off the wagon, get back on it! It’s that’s simple! Guilt won’t make you do anything but eat more lol… Scold yourself briefly and move on!

The next day is a new chance to get it right!!!!

You have 366 days (we get an extra because of leap year) to start over… every day at the stroke of midnight we have the opportunity to make a resolution! If it helps, keep the goals daily instead of annually!

The grey area for me is always the resolution, falling off, starting over and sticking with it! I decided to work out more… but meh.. I really hate running. I like zumba but there isn’t one in my area… I don’t drink soda often but then there’s those really sleep days I need a boost…. I can always find an excuse to do the opposite of what I said I’d do…. I usually say I’ll do it tomorrow… I’ll start over tomorrow… lol so the short term goal thing isn’t too helpful for me! I didn’t make any outrageous promise to myself this year. Just to be better all around. Watch my attitude, stay positive, Eat something green daily and pray for everything (which I pretty much do anyway) lol  It’s annoying to have my friends remind me I said I wasn’t going to speak negativity, to have them tell me I said never let me as big as blah blah blah but sometimes… you need to have that voice in your head when you are choosing between the Talenti and the low fat greek yogurt!

Cheers to all of you and your new beginnings whether they be yearly, monthly, weekly …. or hourly! Good luck!

-Carrie B.