One month down and 11 to go, are you making progress towards where you want to be this year?
January is always the hardest but do it right and you might be feeling refreshed and eager enough to finish what you started!
For myself, the toughest part hasn’t been lack of motivation….it is the fact that I am being continuously bombarded with weight loss ticks, tips and programs, new workout programs and deals. I become paralyzed and find it easy to get sidetracked and forget what I should be doing.
Each TV commercial and radio spot that I hear talking about the “new you” and pimping some trendy new diet and exercise plan for only $89.99 a month drives me nuts! With this information (most of it bad) overload people are jumping on the resolution train and doing little more than spinning their wheels.
The media wants you to believe the only way to succeed with your New Year’s resolution is to completely overhaul your entire life in one month by going to the gym everyday, never eating sweets again EVER, and telling you everything you have been doing your entire life is wrong, wrong,wrong!
Will those things really make you feel better and become a “new you”?
Why kick of the new year with something so hard, give it up a month later and get down on yourself?
Why not change a few small things one at a time that will truly make you feel good? Sometimes just a baby step in the right direction is all you need.
Here is a list of things 5 that truly give me a honest good feeling about being fit and healthy and makes me feel like a “new me” every morning not just in January. These steps are free and easy!
1. Sleep
Being a preschool teacher I am used to breaking concepts and lessons down to more basic levels. If I want to teach my kids a science experiment then I need to teach them the skill of scientific observation. If I want to teach counting by 5s then they need to master counting by 1s. The same concept went for my life, if I wanted to make myself feel good, then I need to evaluate what my body NEEDED on a basic level.
When I really thought about it, I wasn’t getting enough of sleep.
It was so simple!
Try making it a point in your life to get to bed at an earlier hour, preparing your lunch and breakfast the night before to get extra time in the morning to sleep. Turn off the TV, ipod, cell phones, tablets and other electronics earlier, make your lunch and breakfast, your kids breakfast and lunch, set out your daily vitamins next to a large glass for water and the coffee contraption of your choice, the night before so there is no prep in the early hours and you can get a few extra ZZZZZZs. An extra 30 minuets of prep at night can easily turn into an extra hour of rest in the morning!
2. H 2 the O
I know, at least for me, I NEED good water intake. I know the moment that I am low on my liquids. If I haven’t reached for my water bottle enough that day the headache sets in, I feel a bit more sluggish a lot like I have a hangover.
NOT FUN!
If this continues for a few days my skin and hair will point out that I need more H2O. My skin breaks out my hair is not on its best behavior. When I talk about increasing your water consumption I’m not talking about an extra mini bottle of water a day.
I drink A LOT of water and YES I pee a good amount and so will you. So what?! An extra trip to the bathroom, a couple extra minutes out of your day is worth the clear skin, life back in my hair and a happy digestive track. I don’t mind my bathroom trips, it’s a couple minutes of quiet time. I give myself a smile in the mirror, wipe the smudge of finger paint of my face, take a deep breath, center myself and head back to my students.
3. ME TIME
Do you have time during the day to reflect?
Do you have a run to mentally sort through the events in the day or do you journal about things that you are proud of or things that bother you?
However and whenever you take some ME time, DO IT! It will be the most important thing you will do that day! Take time to reflect, what made you feel good or bad that day, what will you do differently or the same tomorrow.
This is a skill that I just started and I am still perfecting, some nights I journal, other days I mentally reflect during a workout. It’s not always the same, but it always has the same result, I feel mentally cleansed and ready to take on the next day!
4. HONESTY
Being honest with yourself can be hard but also essential! If you don’t like to get up at 4am before work for that boot camp with your girlfriend, be honest about it! If you hate it, you won’t keep it up! If you keep dragging yourself there because your gal pals go, you will be negative about it and it won’t bring you JOY. What is it really bringing you besides stress and negativity?
Don’t get me wrong though!!
You should get out there and try new things, and some of it will be HARD. Yet, there is a moment where you need to decide if it is hard because you are being challenged OR if the whole experience is just not for you. If not, then there are other activities and groups to try till you find one that fits and brings you a good feeling. Life is too short to not spend it doing something that makes your life worthwhile so find out how to get your sweat on and lift heavy things in a way that you enjoy!
5. Good Morning Beautiful
The power of positive thought is surprising! It may feel silly, but take a moment to look yourself in the morning and give yourself a positive comment.
“Go get ‘em tiger”
“Hey good looking”
“You’re going to have a great day”
It sounds silly but REALLY say it OUT LOUD. My husband caught me the other day talking to myself in the mirror, I blushed, I laughed and explained why I was talking to myself then I moved on. I had given myself a positive reinforcement, got a little giggle session in and continued on with my day. Oh yeah, learning to laugh at yourself is a fun and valuable skill!
Keep in mind that feeling great about yourself doesn’t have to take a lot of money or a lot of time in your day or be a massive goal. Sometimes the little changes or resolutions are what make the largest impact.
