We are a few weeks into the new year, which means it’s the perfect time to talk about how to keep your New Year resolutions.
Statistics often say that this is the time we start giving up on our resolutions. Given it’s early 2021 and we are still in the middle of a pandemic, you can cut yourself some slack. But I wanted to share with you my top 3 tips for following through with them and achieving your health goals.
Read on below or watch the video.
Tip #1: Just do the things
Ok, I realize I might lose you right here but please hear me out!
This tip sounds super simple but it is NOT easy. That being said, if you want to eat healthier, all you have to do is eat healthier. If you want to exercise more, just exercise more.
Repetition is the key to success. When you see others that have kept their New Year resolutions or achieved their health goals, they are likely not any better or smarter or luckier than you. They likely just stuck to doing the things.
This is especially important for you health coaches, nutritionists and entrepreneurs in the health space. If you want your clients to get results, you must get the results yourself and embody this for your clients. Again, you get there by doing the things.
If you find yourself struggling in this area, I’ve got coaching programs to support you on this journey.
Tips #2: Focus on the experience
Declare it with me: as of today, I am no longer controlling or obsessing over the details of my New Year resolutions and health goals. Doing so never leads to good results and usually backfires. By the way, this applies to any area of your life 😉
We humans are motivated by pleasure, joy and happiness. That is what we are ultimately seeking. Sure, you still see scare tactics being used all the time but how do those really make you feel? I bet it makes you feel scared and crappy about yourself.
My second tip is to focus on the GOOD feelings. Have fun as you play around with your resolutions and weave them into your life. It’s all in the journey and not in the destination. So you might as well enjoy the ride!
Tip #3: Integrate the habits using this process
Finally, aim to integrate your New Year resolutions into your lifestyle. This is key.
Often, it’s not the habits themselves that are difficult to follow-through on. It’s navigating every day life and dodging the curve balls that come your way.
When a curve ball comes your way and your emotions start getting the best of you, practice this 5-step process to ensure you keep moving towards achieving your health goals.
Step one: acknowledge the situation
It all begins by acknowledging the situation. What happened to throw your mindset off-track?
Repeat it in your mind. Ok, this happened… these were the details… this is how I felt… this was the outcome.
Start by doing this in a quiet and safe space.
Step two: take a deep breath
It may not be easy to stop and acknowledge what happened. You may feel flustered, reactive and overly emotional.
In this case, take a long and deep breath. Focus on grounding yourself.
Continue this process until you feel more connected and back in the present moment.
Step three: feel the emotion
This may very well be THE most important step in this process.
Fully feel the emotion. Feel where it is in your body… is it in your chest? In your heart? In the pit of your stomach? Follow it wherever it goes.
This step is so important because this is where people get uncomfortable with the emotion and go numb themselves. They go grab that chocolate bar, binge-watch a show on Netflix or use their substance of choice. Once your master getting comfortable with negative emotions and take your power back, you’ll be UNSTOPPABLE!
Step four: relax and release
As you begin to feel more comfortable in your emotion, shift to relaxing and releasing any tension. We tend to grip our emotions tightly and tried to push them down.
This may be difficult at first. Go back to your breathing if you have to.
Step five: let it dissipate
Lastly, let it dissipate. Let it go.
In a well-functioning human, emotions are very short-lived. We hold onto them for so many reasons, often because we suppress them and push them down further into our body. Then, we encounter it again, it feels even worst because it amplifies an existing old wound.
You may go through this process, feel better but only have it creep back again. That is fine, just repeat the process. You’ll notice that, in some cases, this process takes a really long time or flies by quickly. That is totally normal!
So these are my top 3 tips on how to keep your New Year resolutions.
- Just do the things
- Focus on the experience
- Integrate using my 5-step process
What are your favourite tips for keeping your New Year resolutions? What has worked for you?
M.
