Did you make any resolutions this year? Time to check in and see how they are going.
We make promises to ourselves and sometimes, actually most of the time, don’t follow through. The best intentions are soon met with resistance, and then we return to old patterns and familiar habits.
Making changes is difficult. If it was easy, then we would always have what we want and be who we think we want to be.
Most of the people I talk to want to get fit and lose weight. It’s not easy to maintain a healthy weight anymore, and it has a lot to do with the kinds of food that surround us every day. Even grabbing a seemingly harmless cup of coffee isn’t helping, because most coffees come with syrups and whipped cream and are high in calories.
We are addicted to sugar, and we are also addicted to things that are full of fat. It’s a tough habit to break.
Exercising harder doesn’t help either. Make sure that you walk as much as possible, but going to the gym for hours on end isn’t necessary. If you are eating too many calories there is no way that any amount of exercise will burn them off. The body is too efficient for it to work that way.
Success in changing lifestyle habits will only happen when the reason to change is strong enough. An upcoming wedding, a vacation, or a school reunion are good motivators to want to look our best. But why do we care more about what other people are going to see when they look at us than we care about how we see ourselves?
Don’t wait for a health scare or a special occasion to be your best self. Do it because you deserve to be the best you can be.
A good way to start is with something you can stick with. Successes build on each other. By developing a walking habit or taking the stairs instead of the escalator, these small changes can help get you more active. Once you are moving around more, the body begins to work like it should. Waste is taken care of properly, the lymph system can pump more efficiently, and oxygen will circulate through your blood and give you energy. All of these little things contribute to a sense of well-being.
Once you begin to feel better, you will want to do more. Then you can think about adding a few trips to the gym or going swimming or maybe getting involved in a team sport. Whatever you enjoy doing, that is what you should do. Any movement is better than none.
Add more water to your menu too. Whether drinking a few more glasses a day or eating water-rich foods, like fruits and non-starchy vegetables, you can lubricate the body and again help with its overall ability to function. Don’t force yourself to eat things that you don’t like, but if you can include an orange or apple or cucumber into your day it adds up and can make a big difference.
When we make resolutions we tend to go all out and give ourselves impossible tasks to accomplish. Then when we break the promise, we feel bad about it. Set yourself up for success instead of failure. Recognize that small changes get you moving in the right direction, and then the big goals won’t seem so far away.
Be kind to yourself. After all, you have to spend the rest of your life with you.