Ring in the New Decade With Practice You Can Keep

Up until about four years ago, I was huge on setting New Year’s Resolutions. They always looked like some form of this:

Workout 5 days per week
Limit sugar to weekends
Run a half marathon
Meditate for 30 minutes each morning
Get to goal weight

Look familiar? It’s said that only 9.2% of Americans follow through on their resolutions. Admittedly, I didn’t make it into the follow through group. So what’s the deal? First, if we look at the word resolution, it comes from the word resolve, which means that we’re assuming that there’s a problem that needs to be fixed. In the grand scheme of things, the fact that you might not be working out five days per week or at your goal weight, is not a true issue that needs to be resolved. By thinking that these are major problems or failures, when we decide to work on them, there is a risk of too much pressure and therefore a loss of fun and excitement in actually following through. I invite you swap out the term resolution for goals and intentions, that are supported by new practices that will enhance your life during this new decade. To break out of this 9.2% failure rate, there are three main ingredients in the recipe to sticking with your delicious new plan, whatever that plan may be:

Stay connected to your WHY
Let’s say you want to lose weight. Why? Is it because you’ll feel more comfortable and confident in your clothing and appearance? You’ll have more energy to get through the day? You won’t have to worry about serious illnesses that plague today’s society, which by the way, are induced through unhealthy, stressful and sedentary lifestyles that have become standard in the American way. Write out your goals. And with each one, accompany it to it’s why. Write them somewhere you’ll see them daily: a mirror, the background on your phone, on your fridge. Now imagine and feel the feeling that you will experience once you’ve reached that goal. Sit with how great that feeling is. Your WHY makes it all the more real, and attainable. When your why- and the intention behind it- is strong enough, you won’t give up.

If you want to see change, change the things you do
It’s easy to sit down for 10 minutes, jot down the things we want (or sometimes what we think we want!), and hope they manifest. But it takes a little more than that. We need to make changes in our day to day lives in order to create space for these new habits and practices to stick. Typically our excuse is that we don’t have time. But hopefully by now we all know that we can make time for anything we choose to devote our time to. You may feel obligated to your boss, your partner, your family or friends, but it is ultimately up to you to prioritize. This doesn’t mean quitting your job or not seeing your friends! Rather ask yourself how can you rearrange your schedule so that you have time and space for the lifestyle and practices you want to create. Maybe you love yoga but rarely make it. Can you go to sleep earlier so you can hit an early class, or make it on your lunch break? It’s time to get creative in shifting our old daily practices that haven’t served us for those that make us manifesting machines.

Love the hell out of it
Remember being forced to eat your veggies as a kid? I do. And I never did it. I might have even thrown them at my dad and gotten in lots of trouble! That being said, we’ll never stick to things we don’t enjoy. I didn’t start loving veggies until I learned how mouth-wateringly delicious they were when prepared in simple yet up-leveled methods like roasting, spice pairing and accompanying with complimentary oils and flavors. Once I started seeing how easy it was to make these, it became a daily habit. My body was more energetic, I leaned out and saw my gut issues go away. I now love vegetables and look forward to them everyday!

Make sure that whatever your goal is for this year, you love what it is you do that gets you there. If it’s a bootcamp class, barre, training for a triathlon, love the process. Maybe it’s bringing back a favorite hobby or talent you had as a kid, or making new friends, or even being better at keeping your word. Enroll some friends to join you and laugh along the way. Remember when you can make anything fun, you can do anything! Ralph Waldo Emerson wasn’t lying when he reflected that it’s about the journey, not the destination.

Natalie Holbrook
Health & Wellness Coach
Website: natalieholbrookwellness.com
IG: @natalieholbrookwellness