5 New Year’s Resolutions/ Gifts to Ourselves We Can (and Should) All Make.

As we say goodbye and good riddance to 2016 and welcome in a bright, new 2017 we inevitably hear talk about New Year’s resolutions.  Do YOU make them?  Or do you tell yourself there’s no point?   Which camp are you in?  Did you make a resolution to go camping?

One problem I see is that we mistake resolutions for goals.  A resolution is a gift we give to ourselves. They are really decisions we have made to set ourselves up to succeed; a promise we make to ourselves.  Resolutions are short-term steps that enable our goal.  They are not the goal itself.  (That’s a different list, lol).  It’s not to get in shape or lose 30 lbs.  Those are goals.

For example, if your main goal is to get in shape, make a New Year’s resolution that you’ll add some pushups to your daily routine, like every day before you shower.  Heck, even if you don’t hit your goal for 2017, you will still have buff arms!  But here’s a truth … small actions beget larger ones and small wins lead to bigger wins!  So chances are you keep the promises (or resolutions) to yourself and the rest will come!

Below is a list of 5 very manageable New Year’s resolutions that you can make in your life (& can change your life). These are gifts to give yourself that can set you up to succeed in your larger goals.

 

1. Add one nutritionally positive thing to your diet/eating habits a week.

By the end of the year you will have 52 new, beneficial habits and, most likely, crowded out the bad ones.  I would advise you to write them all down in advance so it’s “plug and play”, otherwise you will find yourself mid-week without a plan and give up all together.

For example:

Week 1:  Drink one extra glass of water a day (can be BEFORE dinner which will help you eat less).

Week 2:  Add a little fiber to your diet daily (can be a veggie, supplement, a fruit).  I like beans, nuts and berries.  For those who want to lose weight, fiber helps you do that because it fills your belly.

Week 3:  Add a multivitamin to your diet.

 

2. Add one physical activity to YOUR daily

This is along the lines of the one above.  Again, write it out.  This could be as simple as:

Example:

Week 1:  Do four pushups before your showers each day.

Week 2:  Add five sit-ups to the four pushups before your shower.

Week 3:  Do five leg lifts while the coffee brews.

Week 26:  Only get on social media while on the treadmill.  Some people (okay, me too) have spent more time on Facebook then they do on a treadmill or getting exercise.

For those who are sedentary due to illness, you can still play here.  It may start out as isometrics from your chair.  It’s small but it’s a start.

 

3. Practice Gratitude daily before bed.

Let’s admit it, some days can stink.  The world can seem upside down but we (my husband and I) added items of gratitude to our nightly prayers.  If the last thing you are focused on is three  things that went well or for which you are grateful, it settles the soul and changes your perspective.  Some days it was as simple as my eye sight, the kiss from my spouse or the dog’s presence beside me.  Now, I do it nightly.  ADMITTEDLY, I’ve matured into the nightly ritual without the writing but, the first year, I wrote without fail and looking back at it is awesome! Come to think of it, I may start writing again.  It is automatic for me and how I fall asleep every night.  It’s like a hug from God!

Focusing on gratitude keeps you grounded amidst the muck of life.  Making sure to remember the positive things that happen each day will make your life feel more positive.  So write it down!

 

4. ONE Day a week play the “positive game”.

Okay we all know folks who complain about nearly everything.  You get in the car with them and they complain about the guy in front of them, then it’s the light, then the traffic.  It’s nonstop.   It’s about nothing worth getting upset over!  I challenge you to practice one day a week of not saying anything negative that day.  You may need to start with just one hour.

So, even if it’s freezing and your wipers are frozen to your windshield on your positive day, say nothing negative out loud.  You will see it’s harder than you think and it’s one of the more challenging games I play with myself.  It is a game changer though and really helps.  For those of us in chronic pain, this is truly an exercise worth the effort.  No one wants to be around “Negative Nelly”.  I even had a positive saying tattooed on my arm to remind me!  That’s how committed I was to this … even on the very darkest days.

 

5. Practice Love.

The irony here is you would think we don’t have to practice this one, but there are days we are so engrossed in our phones or stuck in our “to do” lists.  Days turn into weeks and weeks into months and, well, you know what happens!

This one may mean different things to different people.  It can be anything. Examples:

1. Send a text to a friend you haven’t reached out to in a while. “Hey I’m thinking of you today.  Hope all is well.  Miss you.”
2. Offer to take your spouse/significant other/a friend to dinner.
3. Get someone flowers just because.
4. Do a chore that you wouldn’t normally do.
5. Put bags together for homeless folks.
6. Find a new opportunity to volunteer.
7. Buy your friend’s dog a toy.
8. Send your kid (or anyone) a post card via the (paper) mail.

Get a jar and make lots of idea.   Pull one out each week and fulfill it.

Now those are five fabulous ways to notch up your year and life. They will totally set you up for success!  Happy 2017!

 

Want more help? Reach out to Mama Frat for nutritional coaching…. there’s always a little over lap into help with life!

Ask Mama Frat.

 

 

 

December 30, 2016

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