Today, I was sent a quote: “So many people worry about what they will eat between Christmas and New Years, when really we should worry about what we eat between New Years and Christmas”!
I thought this was brilliant. Yes, we obsess about Holiday weight gain then relax the other 11 months of the year; creating a constant cycle of weight gain and sluggishness growing year after year. If we flipped our focus to live 11 months in optimal health then the Holidays are much more manageable and a lot less scary because we have such a strong foundation of health.
Here it is, shortly after New Years Day. The Holidays are a (hopefully) beautiful memory, and for some full of debauchery laden with sugar, fat and alcohol. Now’s the time we are sick and tired (literally) of foods which are fun in the moment and leave us feeling bloated, tired, lethargic and depleted…
What if, rather than set a resolution which you know might kick start you then fizzle in a few days or weeks, you consider what you might try for 11 months? Something which can really “stick” and make a difference in not just your life, but create a ripple effect for others in your life. When we look to our resolutions, how many of us know in the back of our mind it’s a resolution you will “try” to do for the rest of January and then we “hope” out of sheer luck that we keep it going?
The idea is to wrap our head around something we can change for the year, for our overall wellbeing, and possibly our life. Too often the only time we tend to do this is when something catastrophic happens and we are pushed nearly to the edge. Why wait? Why not make this year different, make this year’s theme “stick”?
Think big picture and create a plan titled “2013 Personal Wellness Plan”:
For instance:
January: work out 90 minutes a week and eat 2 colors of vegetables every day
Do one nice random act of kindness a day
Inspire one person a week
February: Do all the above and add another 15 minutes to my workouts and 1 more color of vegetable
ADD: try to eat fish 1 time a week
Workout with a personal trainer at Body Firm 2x a week (smile)
March: Do all the above and add another 15 minutes to my workouts.
ADD: cut out red meat to no more than 2x a month
Take a multi vitamin each day along with omega 3 DHA every day
And so on~ creating a plan each month which supports the overall picture…wellness and feeling younger by December of 2013.
If you look at a full year plan as though it is your wellness fitness plan and break it down a month at a time, even a week at a time, you start to create a foundation which is long term, life changing and a stepping stone to a healthier year…possibly the best year of your life and setting up an even better year this time in 2014!
Have fun with this and share your intentions with others!