What is your why?

Do you start each new year with a resolution? When the calendar flips to January 1st do you usually pack away the chocolate, sugar, wine , xyz (insert your item here) for 30 days or perhaps swear it off for good, only to slip up half way through the month, lose motivation, or not see the benefits or results “fast enough”? What’s your process of coming up with a resolution? These may seem like a lot of questions but “Why?” is something I ask my clients when we sit down to discuss health goals and how to move toward attaining them in a long term sustainable way.

With only about 9% of people saying they felt successful in achieving their New Year’s resolution, there is something to be said about digging a bit deeper when making a choice to change something in your health. Why are making these resolutions? Perhaps you don’t make resolutions but still want to make a change, have tried in the past but just couldn’t make the change stick.

So here we are almost at the end of January of a new year and I’m here to check in with you. How are your resolutions going? Have you turned them into a habit and don’t have to think about it anymore? If so – you are on your way – keep it up! If not, now is not the time to throw in the towel and revert to your old ways.

There is a time and place for everything. The holidays, celebrations, night’s out and get together’s, trying new restaurants, visitors from out of town. This list could go on and on. All of these scenarios could be a reason you DON’T start the change you’ve been wanting to make it your life. Let me let you in on a little secret:

There is no perfect time to start.

Perhaps you started by setting a resolution and have tripped or given up. There is always a social gathering or a birthday to celebrate, don’t let these get in the way of you starting your journey to better health.

Changing health habits can happen AT ANY TIME of the year.

Just because we are knocking on the door of February doesn’t mean you can’t start today (no not tomorrow, today!) If you started 2018 with a resolution and it’s fallen by the way side, it’s time to pick it back up and start again. It doesn’t matter that it’s a Wednesday and you have a dinner meeting tomorrow, you can still make changes that positively affect your health.

Set an intention not a resolution. 

Resolutions can have a lofty air to them and give a sense of all or nothing. Somehow if it’s not happening 100% of time then you aren’t succeeding. That’s why I like to use the word intention. Intention by definition is to set a plan of what comes next. What is your intent for the chosen health goal – again why are you wanting to make this change? If you dig a bit deeper and really access the why as you strive to reach the goal it will be easier to attain. And when something does come up, a hiccup if you will, you know what the next step is because you are in control of what is happening.

Be realistic 

All too often I see the search for the next big thing, diet, superfood, magic ‘x’ cure-all, (food, supplement, etc.) that will help you to achieve x, y or z. And all too often, in our crazy fast, information at our fingertips, things need to happen right away world, we get sucked into the fact that if “it” (x,y,z) hasn’t happened by a certain date then “we’re out” because we don’t have the time to waste. Changing eating habits take time, losing weight takes time, bringing down your cholesterol level by choosing real food instead of medicine takes time, healing your gut takes time. Give your body the time to heal and change. Habits also take time to change (if you want them to be sustainable) and you will see the effects – they may be small but if you pay attention you will see them.

Start where you are.

Start with where you are and what you know – if you are already hydrating yourself properly but still over consuming soft drinks – start there. Instead of cutting the soda out one day to the next, make the transition easier by slowly phasing the drinks out. Choose to only drink them every other day, once every three days, only on weekends, etc. until you notice that you don’t need to have a soft drink and bubbly water with lemon/lime or herbal tea is just as good and honors your body more.

Start with small changes and see where it takes you. If you are looking for accountability and support in reaching your health goals and discovering the deeper why and how I am meeting with clients currently in person and via Skype/Facetime – let’s explore what the possibilities are in reaching your health goals in 2018!