Let me ask you a question… in the first week of January, what do you usually see that dwindles by the end of the month? It’s not snow, I can tell you that. You’d notice it at the gym on January 1st… tons of people are fired up with their new year’s resolutions. It gets so crowded that people form lines to use machines. As a fitness & nutrition coach, it’s actually really good to see. People are working on themselves, so of course it’s something to be pleased with! What’s not so great is the next part… A few weeks pass and things return to normal. People stop going to the gym. People give up on their goals. It happens every year without fail… I’ve seen it over and over again. Unfortunately it’s become so predictable in our society that people have a name for the day this is most likely to happen: International Quitter’s Day: Worldwide End to New Year Resolutions According to global data accumulated from > 95 million athletes, this day took place on Sunday, January 14, 2024. So … are you still hanging in there? Because while everyone’s talking about Quitter’s Day… I’m telling you (my Best of You members) to FORGET THE DATA!!! You do not have to be one of these statistics!!! If you feel like you’re faltering, I’ve got you covered. Here are three of my top strategies to stay in the zone and — you guessed it — achieve your New Year’s Resolutions: 1) Write Out Your Success Story. Whenever you have ~30 minutes to yourself, grab a pen and paper and get yourself into a relaxed state where you’re not worrying about anyone or anything. Take a few deep breaths, then ask yourself this: What would it look like if you were already at your goal weight? What would it feel like? How would you live out each day? Imagine a specific scene that really shows off your transformation… Accepting an award in a sleeveless dress… Running into a long-lost acquaintance who can’t hide their shock at how you look… Or being at a beach with loved ones and feeling completely content with your life and health. Hone in on any details that come to mind and write out as many senses as you can (smell, touch, sight, sound, feel). Stay away from anything in future or hypothetical tense (saying “I would” implies you haven’t gotten to your goal yet). Write definitively with things like “I am” or “I am doing“. The goal of this exercise is to get your brain thinking it’s experiencing these things in real time, a.k.a visualizing. Some people say it activates the creative powers of the subconscious mind, motivating it to work harder to keep you on point 24/7, even in ways you’re not aware of or when you’re sleeping. It should feel good to do this exercise, so if you’ve been down on yourself it’s a great way create a whole mind shift. 2) Plan Tiny Changes for Remarkable Impact. If you’re doing a whole health transformation, there’s a LOT to work on: our active mindset, our subconscious, our exercise habits, our eating… So if you want something life-changing, say losing >30 pounds this year, break it into tiny tasks that you can accomplish on a daily basis. Examples: Do these sound familiar ? ;) Good micro-goals are S.M.A.R.T. : They’re Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. You should be able to write them in a daily checklist, track them, and each individual one should contribute to your overall goals. In our example, wanting to lose 35 pounds would be ‘what’ you want to accomplish later, but these micro-goals explain ‘how’ you will get there. They are your clear path forward right now, in the moment. 3) Celebrate the Small Wins. I don’t think this will be a surprise, but most people are wired for immediate gratification due to evolution. We tend to want good things now, not later. Some might say this works against us… that’s why it’s so hard to do good things in the long-term like eating for our health. But you know, we can also use positive reinforcement to our advantage. Here’s how: Did you do something good today? Reward yourself. Celebrate the small wins. Do it ! I can think of a ton of ways, like giving myself a pedicure, watching a movie guilt-free, etc. The only caveat is your reward can’t undermine your goal. For example, it wouldn’t make sense to reward yourself with junk food after eating healthy all day. So , there we have it! If you ever feel yourself wandering off your goals, you can fall back on these proven methods to reorient yourself. Quitting Day is officially cancelled!!! Oh and I should mention . Lots of people mess up their resolutions by this point and never get back on it. If you have… it’s STILL not Quitting Day for you! Our health journeys are a process. The story doesn’t end just because you messed up. Actually, knowing you ‘messed up’ can be a FANTASTIC sign that you’ve already done the learning. Now you just have to keep putting your knowledge into action. At the end you’re going to be much farther ahead than if you did nothing at all. Together, we’re going to show Quitting Day that it has NOTHING on us in the Best of You community💪.
