Well it’s the new year and good to be back. How many of you are still keeping up the new year’s resolutions? I would guess a few people are shaking heads. Don’t panic, its not too late!
January 1 is no different than any other day on your calendar. You can make a change today or any day just as easily but you need to ask yourself a few questions.
Firstly – why do you want to do this resolution? Forget how for a minute, just concentrate on why. Why do you want to lose 10kgs? Be specific. How will you feel if you lose the weight? What will you do when you have lost the weight? How will your friends look at you at this new weight?
This is a very important step that many people skip and that’s why the resolutions fail by January 2nd. Get as many reasons as possible.
Another important point is don’t confuse the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ if your goal is to lose 10kgs. Sometimes we jump to the question of how we’ll do it and our goal suddenly becomes I will run 5km every morning. This becomes confusing for your body to process. Its hard to get up at 6am in the morning to go for a 5km run when we don’t really want to become a champion 5km runner, we really want to lose 10 kg.
Stay focused on the reason why you want the end goal. Then start doing small things that are consistent with your goal. Have a water instead of a soft drink sometimes, get up and change the channel instead of using the TV controller, or pick a day when you will walk the kids to school instead of driving two minutes around the block.
Have a look at the government campaign out at the moment called ‘Swap It’. Their campaign is all about this great concept. Be a swapper not a whopper. I might have added that last line myself, but they should have. The main thing is be realistic but do something.
Remember this: “the smallest deed beats the grandest intention”. So if you have this wonderful goal in your mind about how you will win the next body-shaping title or marathon and that’s all you have done so far, then the person who has gone out and walked to the letter box and back has progressed further than you towards their goal. In fact even the person who has just written out their goal has made more progress.
Do something today! And really focus on how good you feel after making a positive choice. There are a lot of links with obesity and bad health to depression. So use this opportunity to feel good and acknowledge it.
Every time you conjure those positive feelings you get from making healthy choices, no matter how small, you burn in a bit deeper the drive to do them next time. Think about it, if you really want to achieve a goal, you make a decision and it helps you toward that goal and it makes you feel better at the same time! How hard is it going to be to make that decision again next time?
So if you’re thinking you’re a big thing, Start with the small things and you’re on your way. Happy 2012.
