Welcome 2020.
With the thought of the perfect vision 2020 implies, it seems it should be clear how to proceed on our healthy lifestyle journey. Instead the year starts with contradiction for me. It is my most favorite and yet my least favorite time of the year.
The start of a new year is a natural time to open our minds, turn on motivation and give us a needed jump start toward attaining our goals. At the same time, we are inundated with diets, gimmicks, and promises of extreme weight loss. The glossy ads and flashy videos of people who have had success and now look fantastic, have us expecting to quickly have similar results. Anyone going with the slow and steady approach may feel like they are doing it all wrong and that they should jump on the fad diet bandwagon.
The reality is, those fast results through extreme diet or fitness are usually short term. It is hard to maintain new, extreme eating habits and once the initial motivation wears off, the weight starts to creep back to where it was or even higher. Your way of making slow, steady, healthy changes may have seemed wrong when you didn’t get instant results, but it gives you a fighting chance to stay with the plan, not only through January, but all through the year.
A common January theme for churches is to do 21 days of prayer and fasting. The point is to take away something you lean on for comfort such as soda, alcohol, caffeine, social media, etc. so that you lean into your spiritual journey and grow in your faith. I struggle with this concept because I work hard to keep balance in life, eating and movement for my family and my clients. I don’t believe in deprivation or diet mentalities. Explaining this to my kids I encouraged them to add in something positive, such as eat more fruits and vegetables rather than giving something up like chocolate. We will also work in a kid’s devotional book each day.
I understand that it’s not the same, but the end goal of growing in our faith will be met. I commit to some form of faith building daily. I read the bible, listen to a sermon, or read a devotional. I may not technically be doing it right, but I don’t feel like I am doing it wrong.
Doing things right means that our actions fit in our life in a way that our ultimate goal becomes achievable and maintainable; whether that goal deals with our faith, health, career or any other goal. You might not be doing things the way that everyone else seems to be doing them, but your way may work as well. Imagine how much emotional energy could be saved if we allowed ourselves to settle into what works for us and not worry about everyone else!
I want you to walk away from this podcast encouraged to go into 2020 your own way and to do what works best for you and you only. You can use my Monday morning live chat and Friday morning podcast to book end your week with a positive message. Use that time to refocus on your goals and keep health at the top of your priority list.
Journal Questions:
1. Choose a word of the year rather than a resolution. By choosing a word you can continue to come back to it and refocus on it. With a resolution, if you fall off the wagon you can feel like you have failed and give up entirely.
2. Choose an attainable Food, Fitness and Behavior goal (examples in parentheses)
- Food – I will pack my lunch 4 days a week
- Fitness – I will aim for 10,000 steps on my pedometer daily
- Behavior – I will add in 16 more ounces of water in my day by drinking this before my coffee
Resources:
www.healthaccountabilitycoach.com
www.facebook.com/houselifest
