Do you often set lofty health goals in the new year?
What if this year, you worked on setting small goals that are achievable?
I know this is not necessarily the quick fix you may be looking for, but do those quick fixes really work? Or do they just make things harder in the long run? Plus, it is exhausting going back and forth between restricting, dieting, and “falling off the wagon” (by the way did I mention that is one of my least favorite phrases!).
The truth is, most of us set high hopes with good intentions. But, did you know that close to 100% of those that set a new year’s resolution give up within the first 2 months? This is no coincidence – we are setting ourselves up for failure! But, it does NOT have to be that hard. If you are setting goals that are too steep in a short amount of time, especially without a clear cut plan on how to get there, it is only going to lead to frustration and eventually you’ll end up back to square one.
As a mama, it’s all too natural to feel like you can and should do it all. This is a feeling that may not necessarily go completely away, but it can be decreased with a little practice and gentle reminders. 🙂 A reminder that you’re human and you can only do so much. You have to PRIORITIZE what is most important to you. If you don’t, you will get burnt out and that doesn’t help anyone.
Progress, not perfection is 100% my motto. Anything worth doing will be a process, but that’s totally okay. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing. If you exercise 4 days a week one week and then none the following, that doesn’t mean you give up and just continue that trend of not exercising. You start again 2 days the next week if you can’t do 4.
Just starting somewhere is the most important step to making progress and getting your energy back.
And what mama couldn’t use a bit (or a LOT) more energy?
You didn’t fall off the bandwagon. In fact, just throw the bandwagon out the window. Do it!
So now I want you to ask yourself – do you have an extra 15 minutes in the morning when the kids are still sleeping? Use that time to do some gentle yoga, rather than watching the news (that personally always brings me down!) or browsing social media mindlessly. Are you more of a night owl and can use that small chunk of time to pre-cut your produce, thaw out your proteins, and get things ready to go for the next day so you’re not scrambling and opt for high calorie convenience foods? Think hard about the small chunks of time you have, and use those wisely to prioritize YOU.
What is one small health change you can start TODAY to jumpstart your 2019? Share in the comments!
