Why Resolutions Are NOT the Way to Go (and what to do instead).

Did you know that when you resolve to do something, it almost sounds like you have no other choice?  It can mean solving, yes, but there’s something about it that just doesn’t sit right with me.  That’s why I never teach creating resolutions.  Instead I say to form habits that last and to start that by creating mini-goals.

Let’s look at my goal to lose 15, which I waited to start last February instead of in January.  I knew that I had let some habits slip…as we all do at certain times in our lives, and one of the problems I was having was that I didn’t feel (yet again) that a thyroid medicine I was on was helping me at all.

I decided to look into ways to change that, as well as double my actions on fitness.  I did a challenge that was actually super hard (I don’t recommend that unless you know yourself and you know you won’t get discouraged), and I stuck with it.  But I had created mini-goals first.

I knew that everyone was going to go to the gym in January…and I didn’t want to be like everyone, so I bought an in-home program that I could watch on my TV whenever I wanted.

I knew that prep work was half the battle for me.  I had to create brain-friendly, learned behaviors that did most of the work for me.  A “no-brainer” so to speak so that I did it almost automatically.  It was not easy at first.

Habits are automatic routines that already make up 40% of your daily activity, so when you create lasting habits, your brain helps you do the work.  Literally.  That was what I needed.

So how did I create lasting habits for change?

1. First, I had to get to my why. Why did I want to lose weight, tone up my body, and drop a bra band size?  I was freaking uncomfortable again.  I was “in shape”, but my right knee injury had allowed me to become slack in some of my routines, blame my knee (which yes, does hurt, but being overweight doesn’t help knees), and I had to get really honest.  Stop lying to yourself.  If you still are, keep at this until you stop.  Get clear on your why!
2. Next, I had to get specific. I wanted to lose 20 pounds at first, but I knew that was not exactly right.  I wanted to lose around 4 pounds a month, slowly, and I wanted to increase my strength which would likely cause me to see not much movement on the scale at first.  Muscle weighs more we know…I wanted a defined shape, and I wanted to be comfortable again in my clothes.
3. Pick a word, feeling or vision you want to create for the next year. Where do you see yourself in 3 months IF things don’t change?    Not what you thought.  But really.  Think about that first, and then write where you want to be.  I knew that I didn’t want to fail at my goals.  I knew I wanted to tone and I knew I wanted to created better eating habits.  I did it in less than 1 month, and then kept going.
4. I always write in the positive. I pull towards me what I want.  I do not reflect long on what did not work, or if I had a bad day.  Instead I learn from it and ask what did this teach me?  Easy?  Hell no.  I have trained my brain to do this.
5. I thought about how I did this before, and knew that when I was really sick and tired of something that I stuck to a plan…so I created that inner story of times I did things that I first thought were difficult. Where could you create that story for yourself?
6. Lastly, investing in mentor-ship helped me as well. I joined a group of people doing the same thing I was doing, and they got real about what set-backs they were having.  That really helped me.

Want to learn more about some times I had to really evaluate my life?  Here are a few more posts you will enjoy:

• The Steps I took to Change My Life
• The first plan I made after autoimmune threaten to stop my progress:  4 Weeks to Wellness
• The accountability group I created for people like me, who were ready to change their lives, but needed a little support now and again: Head|Heart|Health Club

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