New Years and Healthy Intentions
Hi Health Family!
Sorry for my long absence, but I am back at the beat with some exciting January blog posts designed to help you jump start your way into a healthier 2022!
Today, I want to talk about setting intentions instead of resolutions.
Science and psychology can tell us that we rarely keep our New Years Resolutions. I read an article recently that said nearly 80% of us who make New Years resolutions have failed by the end of January. That means only 20% of us have what it takes to actually commit to something and succeed, right? I think not!
When we set New Years Resolutions, I believe that we're setting ourselves up for failure.
Resolutions by definition are a firm decision to do or not do something, and they don't allow for a lot of psychological flexibility. New Years Resolutions also tend to be big and vague. I want to "Pay off debt," or "Lose Weight," or "Get Fit." Well, those are great ideas, but they're hardly actionable.
My suggestion is that you set an intention and establish goals instead of adopting some big New Year's Resolution that will inevitably fall by the wayside too quickly.
How do you even set an intention? Intentions can be very small and specific or they can be large and broad like resolutions. If your intention is to be healthier, then let your intention be something like this, "Today, and every day this year, I will make healthier choices for my body."
Well, that sounds lovely, but how do you actually follow up? My next and best suggestion is to create short-term, easily attainable goals that can help propel you forward with results. If your intention is "Today, and every day this year, I will make healthier choices for my body," then perhaps your goals for the rest of the month of January could have any or all of the following goals:
"Eliminate fast food from my diet on the weekend."
"I will turn off screens and start preparing for bed at 10pm."
"I will meal prep and cook at least three of my lunches to take to work with me."
Small, specific goals like this are much easier way to achieve the larger intentions. By codifying your intentions with small, easy to manage and track goals like these, you are infinitely more likely to meet the desired effect of a New Years Resolution!
Finally, get a cute journal or book and write down your intentions and goals. Get a calendar and give yourself foil stars when you achieve a goal. It may sound silly, but it can be surprisingly helpful! When you have filled up a month with all of your goals and your intentions, you'll be inspired to keep moving forward!
I would love to hear some of your intentions and goals. Feel free to share them here or on Facebook.
Yours in health,
Dr. William