Take an Assessment
A New Year’s Resolution frequently includes something about health. Perhaps more exercise, eating healthier, or meditating more.
Before committing to a resolution and jumping in with two feet, take some time to assess where you are now. Think about the following questions. Take some time to really think about them and even write down the things that surface for you:
What do you instinctively know that will help you get healthy?
Animals know what they need. Often a dog will eat grass when their stomach is upset. A cat might hide because it needs less stimulation.
People know what they need as well. Perhaps it is sleep. (How many people do you know talk about how little sleep they need but it is clear that they would function better with a few more hours?)
Maybe it is more fruits and vegetables in the diet and less processed foods or sugar.
Exercise might be the thing that would improve health the most.
If several things have surfaced for you that you know would improve your health, do not take them all on at once. Decide which one would be easiest to implement and start there. Also, start small. If sleep feels like the missing key, start by going to bed 15 minutes earlier for a week. Continue to increase the amount of sleep by 15 minutes a week until you feel like you are well rested and wake up in the morning without an alarm clock.
If eating on a regular schedule feels important, pick a meal that is easy for you. Perhaps making a breakfast that is easy to grab and eat would be what works. Maybe it is taking a break at work, away from the desk, and consuming a lunch that contains vegetables and a protein in the cafeteria.
What have you tried?
Take a look at what you have tried in the past. Why did something work or not work? Could a simple tweak make it more successful?
Maybe breakfast hasn’t worked in the past because it was too complicated. Possibly sausage and eggs take too much preparation when you are trying to get dressed, get a kid or two out the door, and have a tendency to hit the snooze button too many times.
Before giving up on an idea that seems right, look at it from a different perspective. Perhaps a container of oats that just needs water might be a better option.
What are you willing to do?
If you are not willing to do something, then you are setting yourself up for failure. If you hate to run, making a resolution to run 3 miles a day is not going to go well for you.
Take the time to consider what you are willing to do and why. If you are not willing to do something, why not?
Do not let society or your friends push you into something that you are not willing to commit to. Just because your friends are training to run a marathon, does not mean that you should. Do something that feels right to you and is a change that you are excited about.
2020 is going to be an amazing year!
Start it off right by taking the time to set the tone that feels right to you!
