I know what you're probably thinking! New Year's resolutions are a bunch of Hooey! Most of us loathe the idea of a New Year's resolution with fervor! We make a quasi- commitment to do something, or to not do something. And then we fall off within a few weeks by giving in to temptation, or by injuring ourselves with an unrealistic exercise routine, or we completely forget about our resolution all together. We revert back to our old routines and lifestyles, abandoning said resolutions until the holidays roll around again. Does this sound about right to you? Yeah, me too!
A longitudinal study was done on New Year's resolutions. They found that 77% of people were able to maintain their resolutions for a week, but only 19% kept them up for two years. In my cynicism over their legitimacy, I have completely rejected the idea of setting a New Year's resolution for several years now. My attitude being, why can't we just set a goal at any time to do whatever it is that we want to do? Right? Well... this year I'm thinking a little differently.
While, technically, I can start a new routine, commitment, or healthy habit whenever I want to, why not make it a New Year's resolution? This year, it seems kind of fun for me to challenge myself in this way. What do I want to achieve in the New Year? And instead of making it too broad, diffuse, or unrealistic, I can set a smaller, achievable resolution to gain traction and momentum to take me into my next goal.
Losing weight is the most common resolution people make because, like myself and others, we really need to lose weight! So, we set this goal thinking, "Easy enough." But here's the thing! Diets don't really work! Losing weight requires several lifestyle changes. We're talking about dietary changes, portion control, increased movement and exercise, hormone balancing, stress management, sleep improvement, emotional assessment, and more, in order for sustainable weight loss to be achieved. Looking at it from this perspective allowed me to break this goal into bite sized (pun intended) pieces. So I am starting with a small, totally doable resolution that will get the ball rolling for me towards weight loss.
In preparation, I have been thinking about this for several weeks. I've been assessing my diet and looking at all of my guilty culinary pleasures. And while I do like sweets, and my portions do need to be controlled, and I need to eat less of the oh- so- delicious, but highly processed plant based meats and cheeses, my biggest challenge is my love affair with crunchy, salty things. And my biggest obsession- Chips! Any and all chips, except those salt and vinegar ones which I think are totally Gross! Ok, this is where I'm going to start.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present my New Year's resolution! I resolve to abstain from chips for the next six months. Why six months, you ask? Because I'm keeping my resolution realistic, uncomplicated, and attainable. Notice that I didn't say easy. Because not eating chips is
going to suck! But, I'm confident that I can choose something healthier than chips until June. Then I can reassess, and either extend my resolution, or focus on a new goal. Now, I'm not saying that this is the only thing I'm going to be doing to lose weight in 2025. I'm saying that my resolution is a small habit that I'm changing in order to achieve success that I can build on. This is my new challenge that I have to say I'm kind of excited about!
So, are you thinking about a New Year's resolution? What is one thing that you would like to change for 2025? Can you narrow it down into an achievable goal? I bet you can, And I'd love to hear what you've got in mind! Please leave a comment at the bottom, I'd love to hear from you!
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