By now, you’re already days deep into 2018 and your New Year’s resolutions are on point. Right? Well, if you’re anything like me you may have answered that question with this (the :-/ emoji).
I have been known to start off the new year with the best of intentions, only to find myself disappointed (at myself) for not sticking to what I resolved.
Enter the “life resolution”. Instead of making a new plan each year I have set the life-long goal of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This may sound vague, yet for me, a healthy lifestyle is (un)defined in many ways: physical, emotional, spiritual. I then choose to focus on smaller goals throughout the year that will keep me on track. And the beauty is that those goals keep changing and evolving.
Whatever your intention, these tips can help you balance your way through the year ahead:
1. Food is Fuel. Eat Accordingly.
I recently saw a commercial for Kellogg’s on TV and it really spoke to my heart.
“Food is not a resolution. Food is fuel for our resolutions!”
Do you eat to fuel your body? Think about this. A calorie is literally a unit of energy. So, what food will give you energy (I’m not talking about caffeinated energy)? What food will make you feel like you have no energy? Connect to those feelings, and eat accordingly.
2. Exercise Isn’t Defined. Define Your Own.
In this post here, I talk about how exercise doesn’t have to be complicated and I still stand by it. So, rather than repeat myself…
3. Moments Are Fleeting. Turn Off.
I also talk a lot about cutting the noise, like in this post here. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from having an 18-month-old, it’s that you blink and suddenly your newborn is a toddler. We all know that time flies, but are you having fun in the moment? Here are my favorite ways to savor:
- Put the phones away during dinner.
- Call a friend instead of texting them (especially on their birthday!).
- Take a mental picture instead of a physical one.
4. Small Steps Are Meant to Be Taken. Take Them.
Can you relate to this? Sometimes when I get overwhelmed I freeze so instead of moving forward, I don’t move at all. I’ve learned that in these times I need to use baby steps. Glance toward the goal but don’t keep your gaze there. Think about the very first step that will get you closer to your intention. As tiny as it might (and should) be, you will be moving.