Good, Better, BEST resolutions....
Step off the scale now and no one will get hurt. Focusing just on weight loss can lead to cycles of losing and regaining weight, lower self-esteem, and a preoccupation with food and body image.
You’ll do much better if you have goals that don’t have to do with weight, but with health. While a New Year’s resolution is a great way to get in touch with what’s really important to you, and how you want to change, most diets just don’t work.
A focus on weight loss tends to result in a quick-fix approach to a permanent challenge. Instead, I prescribe focusing on finding your overall health results in lifestyle changes that will last and offer you a long, happy healthy life.
Sound too good to be true?
The irony is, if you make your resolutions about wellness, rather than weight, you will get the best of both worlds: You’ll feel better, get healthier and yes, lose weight.
Read below for my “Good, Better, Best” easy practices to get you to whatever your New Year’s goals are. I think you’ll be surprised…
GOOD: Resolve to change a daily behavior
Let your goals be achievable and based on things you can actually do, rather than weight-loss results. It could be eating a healthy breakfast every morning, or eating fish twice a week, or making sure you sit down when you eat.
If you’re totally inactive, it may be walking a mile daily, within a month.
If you’re already pretty active, it might be training to run a 5k race.
Or, it could be a more flexible goal, like being active every day.
You might resolve to eat a vegetable at every meal of the day. Eating more vegetables, along with drinking plenty of water and walking daily, has been shown to be a pretty powerful combo when it comes to weight-loss success. But that’s not your concern right now.
Before you get there, your goal is to create a healthy habit you can sustain. Same goes for exercise: Your goal is to create a habit that will improve the health of your body and mind.
You won’t have to rely on the scale to know if you’ve been successful, either. If you have an egg at breakfast, a salad at lunch and protein with a green vegetable at dinner, you’ve won. Took a 20-minute walk during your lunch break? Pat yourself on the back.
BETTER: Combine your behavioral changes with Measurable goals
If you have health issues, this is a good place to start. Even folks who have weight problems are better off targeting hypertension or high cholesterol than weight loss. If your blood pressure and blood sugar are OK, you can focus on other health-related goals.
For example, if you like to walk, start with 30 mins per day, seven days a week. Then, start timing your walks, track the number of steps taken and keep a daily log. Most mobile phones have an app these days that can help you track. Another tip, if you think you’ll have a hard time keeping to your goal, find a walking partner.
If you are a beginner: To start, walk for 10-15 minutes each day, first thing in the morning. Then reach 30 minutes per session by four weeks.
Another example, if you like to bike, sign up for a long-distance event, like a 50-miler, in the spring or summer. That will give you several months to train -- and to adjust your diet to achieve success. Now you have an achievable, measurable goal to aim for as you turn daily behaviors into lifestyle habits.
Keep track of your progress, with measurable goals….
BEST: Make your resolutions about wellness
Too many people just go straight to a weight-loss diet without looking at their habits that are causing them to overeat. It might be stress, or how you handle your emotions, or lack of exercise. Getting more exercise, for example, may cause changes in your brain that make it easier to resist high-calorie food temptations. Sleep is another aspect of a healthy lifestyle that plays a big role in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. In this case, this person would benefit from New Year’s resolutions such as, targeting sleep, stress management, meditation and exercise.
Like most truly revolutionary New Year’s resolutions, making a true lifestyle change is going to take some work, but by taking the proper steps and focusing on your overall health, you can do it!
Keep in mind not to force yourself to do exercises you don't enjoy - If you don’t enjoy the exercise you are doing then chances are, it’s not something that is benefiting you.
Take it steady - It’s important that you get your fitness and health routines worked into your daily life. Rather than put lots of pressure on yourself to go from 0 to 100 in a day, build up to your eating and fitness routines step by step.
Start with truly being honest with yourself and taking a quiet moment to reflect on what your weaknesses are. Then, lovingly, make a list of them and know that you can start chipping away at them, and the results will be a healthier, happier, you!
We all have weaknesses…. mine is finding the time to do that “self-care” we talked about last week. By the way, if you missed last week’s newsletter, it was a good one! Access it HERE.
If you need some inspriration, take Adele. She revealed to a fan who spotted her on a recent trip that she’s lost 100 pounds. Her trainer, Camila Goodis, confirmed that she has indeed lost over 100 pounds. How, by changing her lifestyle.
What lifestyle changes did Adele make?
“Giving up processed food, sugar, soda and get into an exercise routine, like cardio and strength training.”
These lifestyle changes will change people’s body! What are your weaknesses?
A Take-Home Message
Remember, taking the first step is the most important! By using the Good, Better, Best suggestions above, you will be able to start chipping away at your goals, and the results will be a healthier, happier you!
Once you lovingly reflect on your true weaknesses, make a list of them, you will be able to start with your most important obstacles.
If, after spending some quiet time and reflecting on your health challenges, you are still lost and don’t know where to start; make an appointment with our office, and we can help you make a plan.
THE most important thing in life, is how you feel about YOURSELF!!!!
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