5 Tips to Keep your Momentum Through the New Year

We all look to start the New Year strong. Our fire is lit and we're ready to go! This year we're finally going to eat healthier, work out every day, and keep the extra weight off. Then February comes, and we're losing that fire fast. It's easy to get lost in the chaos, especially as we become busy. The workouts are pushed off, the eating slides back, and the goal is given up on. Let's make this year different, and let's stick with our goals- we can do it!

Get Crystal Clear on your Personal Goal

A lot of people set the goals without a clear understanding why. We want to lose X amount of pounds, eat "healthier, and so on. What does losing the weight mean for you? Are your clothes going to fit better? Are you going to feel more confident? What does eating healthier look like to you and why does this help you? These are all things to think about to understand what we're really looking for. It connects deeper purpose to why we're working towards our goal. Find your deeper why to help keep you on track. Write it down. Remember it and keep it at the forefront of your brain.

Make Goals Attainable and Realistic

So this one has gotten me many times. I like to set my sights high, and I have high expectations for myself. Unfortunately, I've forgotten to factor in all the other things in life. Going from working out inconsistently maybe 2 days a week to plunging in and expecting to workout 6-7 days a week probably isn't realistic. Not to say it isn't attainable at some point, but probably not a good starting point for the initial goal. Set the goal as working out 3 days consistently a week. Instead of going from only one or two meals cooked at home each week and diving into all 7, set the goal as cooking a healthy meal at home 3 nights a week. Reminder goals are supposed to be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely). Set a time to check in and set new goals as you're crushing the current ones.

Be Patient and Have Realistic Expectations

So this one is hard. We want to get to our goal as quickly as possible. This still ties to making goals realistic and attainable. Have realistic expectations. Don't expect to lose 30 pounds in a month or eat super clean right away. Expecting these of yourself is going to set yourself up to be let down and can lead to throwing in the towel sooner because we feel like we "failed". It's baby steps that move the needle and consistency. Small changes lead to bigger changes. Start there and build your way up. This takes TIME- don't expect everything to be different in a month. By doing this, it's going to help you stick with it because you're not going to be fighting disappointment on top of being busy, working on habit change, and everything else on your mile long to do list.

Accountability

Sometimes holding ourselves accountable can be difficult, especially when we haven't developed and placed a priority on taking care of ourself. There are various ways you can have accountability in your life, whether it's yourself, your spouse or friends who check in with you because they know your goals, a workout buddy, or a personal trainer. I do recommend, especially in the beginning, having someone as your accountability person besides yourself- mainly because habit change is difficult on it's own and people can struggle initially with self accountability. If your only option is self accountability (many of us may be in this boat)- WRITE IT DOWN. Schedule it. This will help you build consistency with yourself and stick to it.

Evaluate/Reflect

This step can be skipped or avoided because of time. I encourage you not to skip it, and it can be simple. When you maybe miss a week or a couple of workouts or don't eat as you expected, take a few minutes and look at why as well as what can you do differently. Not to be hard on yourself but to figure out how to adjust for the future. Although there are times that not much can be done due to the circumstances, most of the time we can figure out something to do differently the next time around to keep us on track. Did you give up on cooking dinner because you couldn't think of anything? Make a plan next time- yes it may take planning ahead but you will be prepared and less likely to back out of cooking because you were stuck on what to make. Missed your workout because you cut the timing too close. Plan more time around events and predict obstacles (traffic, meeting runs over, etc). Reflection is key to figuring out how to do it better the next time!

Get clear on your why. Give yourself time to reach your goals and make healthy changes. Don't try to change it all at once. Be patient as you do make changes. Be realistic. Reflect on not just what is working but what may not be working. These will all help you to keep on keeping on throughout the year and help you Sparkle Up! I want to hear what you're aiming for this upcoming year and see how we can help keep you on the right track!