New Year is often the best time to create new habits, start new projects, challenge yourself or have new goals. If you’re anything like me, you would have written on a white canvas, details of all the things you hope to achieve for 2023. The intentions are always very good as you make resolves not to go back to your old ways and be reborn. I often get started very swiftly, very excited and positive until we get to mid-January, and I begin to question and doubt myself, will this work, ooh I’m tired and then all the bad habits start finding their way back. Not again………
So this year, let’s do this together, I want to inspire you and share my top 5 tips to staying on track with your New Year Resolutions
- Always remember your WHY
- Plan ahead
- Envision the pitfall and be prepared on how you will overcome it
- Start small
- Count your WINS and document it
Always remember your WHY
Personally, the first thing I do when trying to start something new is to tackle it MENTALLY. I search my conscience and ask myself certain questions like: Why do I want to do this? What will happen if I encounter challenges along the way? How can I stay motivated on this new journey and most importantly, why did I fail in my last attempt (if it’s something I have tried to do before)? A lot of the work must be conquered mentally before you win physically. As the saying goes, the greatest battle is the one with oneself. Pep talking with my inner self to establish the task ahead and buffering myself mentally on what lays ahead is key to winning. This helps me stay focused especially at the initial stage of starting something new. Also I find that rehearsing different scenarios before I get started helps. For example, if I plan to work out tomorrow morning, I start envisioning myself squatting or fist bumping the day before, that then gives me the energy to accomplish it. Funny right?
Plan ahead
Whether you’re planning to lose weight, quit smoking, run the marathon, save for a house, become debt free, live your best life, it’s important to lay the cards on the table and make a PLAN. You need to be crystal clear on the GOAL and how you intend to achieve it. No cheating, don’t be shy to admit to yourself your shortcomings, remember we’re starting afresh. For example if the GOAL is to lose weight, then you need to be clear on what in your daily habits is preventing you from achieving this; Plan your meal ahead of time, clear out your cupboard of bad food, plan your shopping list before you head to the store, stick to your shopping list, incorporate physical activities to your daily routine (make sure its activities you enjoy) DO NOT register with a Gym if you don’t enjoy going to the gym but if you love music for example, then play your favourite songs and keep dancing until you break a sweat.
Envision the pitfall and be prepared on how you will overcome it
Being positive and winning is amazing but being realistic about the pitfalls is a good quality to have on this new journey. Acknowledging that you’re not going to wake up every day feeling like walking or running 5k and being honest to yourself is important. But the key here is to own those feelings then motivate yourself to try no matter how small. So if you are craving sweets or chocolates while you're trying to eat healthy, give yourself a little healthy sweet snack but remember for a reward, you need too do the work.
Start small
Baby steps!!! Can I say that again, please take baby steps on your new journey? Remember the adage that Rome wasn’t built in a day LOL. Small steps move you in the right direction, just dancing for 5-10 minutes in your first week or walking for 10mins is a good start. Don’t try to do it all at once, for me, I start with one thing and once I’m happy with my pace, then I incorporate another. For example, don’t try to cut down on your calorie intake the same week you’re starting your workout. You will get tired easily and give up before you get use to the muscle pain and hunger. Let’s tackle the exercise routine first, get use to the muscle pain and then move to watching what we eat. You will find that without even giving it much thought, you would have already started cutting back on your food already.
Count your WINS and document it
Finally, celebrate your WINS. A win is a win no matter how little. The fact you started is a WIN, you completed your daily task, document it, how it made you feel and celebrate yourself. Don’t wait for the scales to tell you that you lost 1kg, just enjoy the new journey. When I started working out again in 2022, I will always praise myself at the end of every workout. I wasn’t seeing the weight drop but I noticed my bowl movement improved and I felt happier in the mornings especially as I would shower and get dressed for the day something I wasn’t doing since the Pandemic. So lets celebrate every achievement no matter how small. I hope to see you winning this year, GO SMASH those GOALS sis.