This chilly Sunday morning is the first Sunday of a new year - a year full of possibilities. Whether you begin each new year with a few goals in mind or purposefully enter the year with none whatsoever, that’s more than alright. In 2022 and the many great years to come, the outlook we each don matters.
For many, January marks a time to get back to the gym, eat healthier, and overall gain a sense of control - especially after the holiday season, where indulgences are at seemingly every turn. See, the beauty of this time each year is the ubiquitous recommitment to wellness and self-care. And yet, too often, we make an effort to change aspects of our lives we aren’t content with, with an attitude of “all or nothing.” Take, for example, the spike in gym memberships that happen each January. Like clockwork, this surge happens, but it doesn’t have to. Treadmills, weight rooms, and Pilates classes are suddenly jam-packed, only to revert to their usual numbers in weeks.
Say you want to get stronger. Though often misconstrued, the difficulty of getting stronger, leaner, fill-in-the-blank your new year’s resolution isn’t suddenly killing yourself in the gym because the calendar reads January 1st. Not at ALL! Instead, consistency is tricky but the key to making our resolutions a reality. For that reason, it’s as simple as giving ourselves the time and space to make our new practice habits while not getting discouraged when the going gets tough…because it will.
When (inevitably) doubts start to creep in that your goals aren’t that important or you’ll never accomplish them, you’ve got to remember what made you want to change something in the first place! Maybe you hate working in a mess, so getting more organized was your priority. Perhaps you want to get back to reading like you used to. Remind yourself of why stories touch you in the first place. Or maybe your goal is related to your fitness. Define ‘health’ for yourself and think of what your life will (not would) look like once you reach your goals. In truth, it’s all about consciously shifting our perspectives from predicting failure to predicting gradual, though eventual success.
Most of all, this time of year shouldn’t be a time of punishment or self-loathing. When you realize that you can wholly value where you’re at in this present moment and want to change aspects of your life, you’ll see just how powerful it is to choose how you approach the curveballs of life. The day when we can control every facet of our lives is - I hate to say - never coming. Still, what we can control is how we consciously move forward. There’s no moving backward here.
Not to mention, if you’re reading this, to begin with, I don’t believe I’m making too many assumptions when I say that you likely love food and are interested in your health as well. Let’s not forget that change doesn’t have to be excruciating - it will certainly be uncomfortable but not torturous. That is, know that you don’t have to eat heads of lettuce and grit your teeth, telling yourself, “I LOVE this,” while dying a bit inside. If you do, I can guarantee that the changes you’ve made don’t stick because I’m not down for a life of bland food, and I don’t think you are, either.
Make small adjustments. Be patient with yourself. Above all else, recognize that YOU are worth this discomfort. But actually, most of all? Eat the peanut butter (or whatever your equivalent is ;)
Like food, life isn’t meant to be lived, not relished alone - so live life and eat good food with those you love this new year!
This year’s going to be a good one; I know it!
Here’s to health,
Sofia Vivas
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