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Do you ever find that when starting a task you commit to, it is either stopped midway or hasn’t begun at all?
Why do you think this might happen? It seems around the holidays, or even just before them, we make many commitments to ourselves and even others. These commitments are well intentioned but seem to not be followed through. What stops us? Fear, lack of time, laziness?
How many times have you made New Year’s Resolutions, and might have stated, “this year I will definitely lose weight and join a gym, after the holidays”… And every year, the same resolution comes up and every year, after the holidays, something more important gets the priority, and down goes your New Year’s Resolution. Feeling guilty and like a failure is what is left for you to deal with.
I believe making New Year’s Resolutions, sets us all up for failure. The resolution in the first place is usually unrealistic and the timing of the resolution is probably not the best for you.
I suggest coming up with small realistic goals before the holidays and continuing after. This is important so that you can commit to something and follow through with it.
For example, if you really want to build muscle,strength, and get into shape overall, then I would set a small short-term goal of say buying 5-8 lbs weights (10-15 lbs or higher for experienced and men) and learning how to use them at home for various exercises. You can either look up some exercises on-line or hire a trainer to show you how to exercise properly. Commit to 1 or 2 days per week to exercising at home. When more experienced and motivated, you can join a gym.
Or, if you want to really lose weight, and not just say you want to, then I suggest starting with a small short-term goal, as well, such as getting rid of the junk food in the house. If you can’t seem to throw it away, then either give to a friend or neighbor, donate it, or eat it all in a few days, and tell yourself that this junk, is not nourishing my body, and for the next few weeks, I am planning to really nourish my body.
I would also include as a goal having a good support system to help you through with achieving your goals. This would include a partner/spouse, a good friend, neighbor, sibling, or even a health coach. Supporting you might look like making sure you get rid of the junk food or even clutter in your house, and supporting you to not bring it back into your house no matter what. So, working on the underlying cause of why you might bring clutter or junk food into your home is key.
Learning new ways of coping under stress will be very helpful to you, so you don’t crave unhealthy foods often. Learning breathing techniques, taking yoga classes or meditation classes will all be helpful to reduce stress, especially during holiday time.
This holiday season, you owe it to yourself to take care of yourself in the best way you can. Remember to jot down in a journal 1 or 2 small short term goals. Once you have achieved those goals, then you can add another one, and so on. Being responsible and held accountable for yourself will open up doors for you in ways you could never imagine. I challenge you to finally make the commitment to conquering your fears and achieving your goals. I have no doubt you can do it! Enjoy the process. You will be so glad you did. 🙂