Z. Johnson
Ohh hello 2020!! Another year has arrived and as usual, we are all ready to start with a fresh new mindset, new goals and intentions. With all that, comes the new year health resolutions. As January kicks in, I’m sure, like me, you get all your thoughts together on what you want to achieve in terms of lifestyle and fitness. That is certainly commendable if you have this habit of including your wellbeing in new year resolutions. But, how many times have you tried to stick to a goal throughout the year, past the first 90 days, and often fail? This happens to many people. Hope you’re not one of them. However, if you are finally decided to turn your fitness goals into lifestyle and not just new year health resolutions, keep on reading…
New year health resolutions common mindset
Whether it is you want to lose weight, build more muscle, burn fat, or just improve your overall wellbeing, there’s always the tendency to start out the year setting the intention. However, for some reason, it happens that you may start out with a workout plan, you see some slight results, and then, out of nowhere, your motivation falls back. Besides that,the usual routine comes into place, maybe some unexpected event or plan happens and you lose the consistency you had when the year just started. Why is this a pattern with most people?
Well, believe it or not, new year health resolutions, more often than not, are just that… “new year health resolutions”. That’s usually the mindset of “starting over”, wanting to make things perfect, or even doing resolutions because it’s the norm everybody follows. This often leads to failure. You’ve got to be intentional, but also, develop a positive, realistic mindset around your resolutions. Apart from that, focus on seeing your health and fitness goals as a lifestyle long term change.
Shifting the new year health resolutions mindset
Think about it… Do you want to just lose weight starting 2020, because of the holidays indulgence, or do you want to focus on having a better quality of life overall? How we set the new year health resolutions is key to help us become successful. Now, I’m not saying that it’s wrong to want to lose weight, but there’s gotta be a strong motivation and a WHY behind setting those goals. If your WHY is not clear and your resolutions are just not strong enough, you’ll be set up for failure. Let’s start shifting that mindset towards finding the real reason why we are setting new health goals. Here are some of my best tips to crush your new year health resolutions and lead them to long term achievements.
Be specific:
This is by far, the most important aspect of setting intentions. New year health resolutions will work as long as you are specific. The main reason why people fail at their new year health resolutions is because they are too vague. Getting toned is important, yes.. But, what specifically do you want to achieve with that? Same thing goes with losing weight. Setting the intention of just losing weight is vague. Be body aware and go for a specific goal of say 5 or 10 lbs by a certain timeframe. Once you do that, then set the habits you need to develop to achieve that. For instance, start drinking 10 glasses of water each day, instead of just “drink more water every day”.
Set realistic, achievable goals:
Another thing is to be realistic. It’s easy to say you want to lose 10 lbs in one week. But, hey, let’s be real, is that even realistic and healthy? Being objective and realistic will not only help you to get those goals but also avoid falling into unhealthy habits. It’s common for many people to fall into “fad diets”. During new year, many commercials promise quick fix results for following strange diet changes. Beware of the famous cleanses, detoxes, eliminating food groups or going for extended hours of fasting…!
Be positive about your new year health resolutions:
It may sound a little cliché to you… But did you know that having a positive mindset goes a long way when working on your new year health resolutions? It makes that thin line between setting a health resolution and getting a fitness long term journey. Staying positive helps you to stay motivated. Being positive makes a great deal in keeping you committed to a goal. Having that positive mindset will help you turn a skill into a long term habit.
Start with baby steps and improve along the way:
No rush here! Everything that’s worth working for takes it’s time.. Starting with baby steps not only sets a steady tone in health habits, but also helps you gain confidence and stay realistic. If you only use to eat 2 fruits per day, increase to 3 fruits and so on. If you started working out twice a week, increase to three times and then improve along the way. There’s always a place to start and a way to improve. But be progressive and go at your own pace.
Think about a marathon, not a sprint:
Developing healthy habits takes time. Especially, when you’ve had a lifetime of struggling with unhealthy trends. If you’ve never worked out before, then you need to start going at it till you develop that confidence and you are used to it. Remember, shifting the mindset towards doing things for the long term is the key to turn those new health resolutions into a reality. Something that helps a lot is to visualize check: where do you see yourself in 5 years, in your wellness and fit journey?
Get your nutrition right:
Wellbeing starts with proper nutrition. Make sure you include a healthy balanced nutrition. In my blog about eating right, I give out some more specific guides on the foods you should be eating more often. Focus on quality whole foods. Don’t forget your servings of protein, both animal and plant based. Also, choose quality carbs, especially those good sources of fiber. And, focus on getting healthy fats. Of course, staying hydrated is also key! Your body needs that water for your daily activities and to function right. If you need more specific assistance, or if you’re still struggling to get started with your nutrition needs, I got you!
Get active anytime you can!
Being active is essential. I will suggest you start with activities you love doing the most. I love being at the gym. Some people like outdoor sports. You can sign up for that class. Start yoga. Or hit the gym to do strength training. Going to the gym gives you that flexibility of doing different activities, but you get the point. Whatever you choose to do, just get at it!
Start a journal with your new year health resolutions:
Starting a journal is very effective when it comes to new health resolutions. It’s important that you track your daily activity and those goals. You don’t have to wait to see big visible results to succeed. Actually, something as simple as sleeping better, or even eating one more serving of vegetables goes a long way. And yes! Those results add up! If you are too lazy to always write things down, do like me. I keep photos of my fitness journey. Pictures are a clear proof of how effective is your lifestyle. Take a few of them now and then, and compare. You’ll be surprised of what you can find!
Set a schedule:
Having a schedule helps you to commit. More than seeing it as an obligation, like going to that workout routine, it will help you define a habit. Eventually, once you follow that schedule, you will fit it into your lifestyle. Anyways, that’s the idea right? Just as with your job, find a schedule that works for you. Look for a time that feels right and comfortable to you. If you prefer a morning workout, go for it. If you are more like an afternoon person, after your work shift, it will also do wonders! Same thing goes with meal prepping. There are adjustments you can include in your healthy lifestyle to make things work.
Find balance:
Familiar with the “life-work balance” slogan? Well, when it comes to healthy lifestyle habits, there’s also a need for balance. I highly recommend you include time for different activities. Find that relaxing space of time to do meal prep. Choose a workout style that fits your schedule, add some meditation, go for recreation, take that hike or trip to the beach during the weekend.
Always try something new:
Adding something new always helps to switch things up! Besides that, it avoids you from getting bored and losing motivation. A good way to stay motivated is to add something you’ve never tried before. That could be a new skill like running outdoors, instead of always running on a treadmill. As well, when eating balanced meals, choose different preparations. Get creative and always add those new healthy ingredients. Spice up things!
In short…
Mindset makes a great deal when going from just new year health resolutions to long term lifestyle changes. Begin with the right attitude, stay positive, be realistic. Set intentions thinking on your real why and motivation behind them. Remember that habits take time to develop, but you can do different routines along the journey to help you stay focused and consistent. Forget about shortcuts or quick fixes, get to quality lasting healthy changes! Let me know what are some of your thoughts below in the comments. Sharing is caring also!
Happy new health 2020!
