Heading into the New Year provides a fab opportunity for each of us to review our lifestyles and identify changes we’d like to make as well as practices we’d like to continue in our day-to-day living.
A bit of unsolicited advice here: Resist. Resist. Resist that tendency to turn your life upside down on January 1. When I think about making changes – whether for myself or a client – I think about where we’re at RIGHT NOW. How can we make changes that will support our goals without overwhelm? And then, I think about Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music. No joke, I really do! Where do we start when making lifestyle changes? At the very beginning, of course, just as the song directs:
Let’s start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read you begin with A-B-C
When you sing you begin with do-re-mi
Making lifestyle changes is equally simple: assess where you are, set goals, execute. BOOM! In this world where immediate gratification is the expectation, of course, our tendency is to go from 0 – 60 in three seconds. Or, to go from visiting the gym once every six months to working out for an hour every day. You get the point.
How about if for 2018 we keep our efforts uncomplicated:
- Drink more water
- Eat more vegetables
- Move more
Put some parameters around what more means to you. Work with the healthcare professionals in your life to make sure the goals you set are appropriate for your current situation. Don’t go it alone: Find an accountability partner who will support you as you make lifestyle changes.
If you’ve ever been a member of a gym, you know the first two weeks of January find most fitness centers filled with people working out to meet their high expectations for the year. February will most likely have a very different look and feel at these fitness centers. Why? Adrenalin is gone; lifestyle changes can be difficult to stick to if you go it alone, particularly if you’re not seeing immediate results.
The solution is to find a cheerleader in an accountability partner who will:
keep you moving forward even when you don’t want to.
remind you of the story of the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady can be more effective than putting the pedal to the metal and burning out.
help you celebrate each and every small victory on the way to achieving big results.
Don’t have someone to fill the accountability partner role? Connect with me to see if we’re a good fit to work together.
Cheers to 2018 and to your health!
