As I was meeting with one of my clients the other day, he mentioned that he wanted to lose 25 pounds by an upcoming date in February, which was about 4 weeks away. I asked what the significance of the date in February was and he stated that it was when he had a trip planned. During our conversation, I asked about ways that he had attempted weight loss in the past and he listed a variety of programs and fad diets that produced significant weight loss results. The issue was that none of them provided long-term sustainable results.
My challenge to you this New Year is that you think about your resolutions that you made for yourself and probably have already broken some of them and ditch them altogether. They are probably as unrealistic as my client’s upcoming weight loss goal. Instead, think about what has worked for you in the past for long-term health and remember those benefits. Maybe you forgot that years ago you used to get up 15 minutes earlier so that you could eat a good breakfast, pack your lunch, or get a few minutes of fresh air by walking the dogs before work. Think about the energy you got from any of these activities and try it again. This time make sure to take note of how you feel after doing this. We are always really good at noticing how yucky we feel after we have eaten a particularly unhealthy meal or been a couch potato for an extended period of time but not as good at noticing how great our body feels when we practice healthy behaviors on a regular basis.
In 2015, make your resolution be real and don’t set yourself up for failure by setting goals that you cannot maintain for the long-term.
photo credit: BazaarBizarreSF via photopin cc
