Three Steps To Make a New Year’s Resolution That Sticks
Kate Irwin • January 6, 2020
Focus on the Journey
January is a great time of year to take a deeper look at the different aspects of your life and decide what you would like to improve as well as assessing what has been working for you previously. A very common resolution this time of year revolves around weight loss and nutrition.
In order to create a new year’s resolution, or any goal, that is successful there are three main steps to follow.
1) Be realistic and ensure your timeline matches both your body’s ability to decrease fat and your schedule
(vacations, celebrations, and busy times at work will all have an effect on weight loss). It’s important to take into account what you have in your calendar for the following months. If you don’t give yourself enough time to realistically hit your goals it will lead to increased frustration and stress.
2) Give yourself some grace.
Nutrition should never be black and white, good and bad, or all or nothing. For instance, if you throw in the towel after one less than ideal meal in a week, it means you are forgetting you were on track for 20 out of 21 meals which is a huge success. If you can shift your mindset from perfection to trying your best and not punishing yourself when you fall off track, you will better be able to move past it and continue along the journey. On the other hand if you allow one less ideal meal to snowball to a weekend of over eating, you are significantly decreasing your probability of success.
3) Lastly whether your goal is weight loss or muscle gain it is important to shift the focus a little bit from not only avoiding less ideal foods but also to increasing more ideal foods in your diet.
While decreasing your body fat or increasing muscle mass will both improve your overall health, they aren’t the be all and end all for a healthy individual. Focusing on goals such as increasing your water and vegetable intake, consuming more lean proteins, and increasing your daily fibre will provide you with success you can build upon day after day.
No matter the time of year, when you make nutrition goals it is important to not only focus on the goal but also on the process. By focusing on the journey and enjoying the fact that you are supplying your body with nutritious food you are more likely to continue on.
Even if you decide now isn’t the time to tackle weight loss or muscle gain, try adding in one healthy habit a day. Small changes add up and can get your closer and closer to your big goals!
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