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It’s that time again. The beginning of a new year inspires many to make a new goal. You might be thinking, “Yes, sounds good!” or possibly “No way! Resolutions don’t work.” Either way, it’s no surprise that most resolutions fall short, in fact 91% of people don’t keep their resolutions. Why?
- People choose goals they think they should, rather than those they truly want. Example: Joining the Whole 30 challenge because that’s what everyone at work is doing, even though toast is your favorite food.
- We make our goals too big. Achieving them seems impossible and we give up. Example: Lose 30 pounds this winter.
It follows then, if you want to be part of the nine percent that keeps resolutions, you might:
- Reflect on what you truly care about. Just because everyone else is focusing on diet doesn’t mean that you should. And if you do want to make a nutrition resolution, meet with a dietitian who can guide you with reasonable and attainable advice.
- Make your resolution something that can be done daily, and so small that it’s easy. You can’t lose 30 pounds in a day but you can eat a cup of fruit for breakfast every day. Resolutions should be small habits that support larger goals.
Most importantly, make it fun!
If the thought of your resolution makes you nervous or full of dread (no toast for a month?!) you must stop right there.
As we reflect on possible resolutions, they should stir feelings of:
CONTENTMENT – LEARNING – ENGAGEMENT – CONNECTION – STRENGTH – CALMNESS – ENERGY
If your resolutions leave you feeling any of these emotions, I promise you are not focused on the right things:
DEPRIVED – OBSESSED – TIRED – LAZY – WEAK – UNDISCIPLINED – LIKE A FAILURE
Our New Year's Resolutions
Our team of dietitians often helps others make effective goals, so we asked a few of them to share their resolutions to see how they do it for themselves.
I’m stealing my resolution this year from a friend. She recently mentioned her daily meditation practice and I was inspired! I’ve had a hard time meditating with any regularity in the past, so I’ve planned to set a reminder on my phone. Hoping for a more focused and calm 2022!
My theme for 2022 is “Listen twice, speak once.” It is no secret that I am an impatient, fast-paced person, which sometimes means I miss important information and details in conversations I have with family, friends, clients, and coworkers. One positive thing that I have been forced to realize in the oddness of 2020 and 2021 is that I need to slow my roll and listen more. The benefits are like gold!
I love reading but have found that I am wildly inconsistent with it. Some weeks I’ll knock out entire books while other times it may take two months for me to finish reading a book. My resolution is to keep a book next to my bed and read that every night before going to sleep. I’m not going to give myself a minimum amount of time to read, and I guarantee it’ll be extremely variable, but as long as I read at least a page then I’m happy with it!
My resolution is to get outside to exercise at least once per week. While I exercise at least five days per week indoors and walk my dogs every morning (at a very slow pace, so not exercise), I usually get more exercise and feel more energized when I exercise outdoors.
I was raised on the importance of setting goals, but I don’t believe January 1 is a superior time to set them. Whether it’s January, April, or November, there is no time like the present! One goal I’ve been and will continue working on is understanding complete is better than perfect. Whether it’s a text message, workout, or other project, my tendency is to overthink and try to perfect it. I’ve found if I focus on knocking out the task and then moving on, I reply to more texts, do more workouts, and complete more projects. Cheers to completing more, perfecting less, and improving along the way!
For more tips on how to improve your resolutions, check out this blog from Dietitian Heather. As always, you can contact our team directly with questions or to set up an appointment by emailing dietitian@harmonsgrocery.com.