It’s January, which means many of us are fighting to keep our new year’s resolutions, like vowing to not touch junk food, exercise more often or eat more fruits and vegetables. The struggle is real, especially at school where clubs you’re a part of host events where cupcakes will be served or you’re up late studying and need a pick-me-up. It’s hard to quit anything cold turkey – it takes baby steps to be able to walk away from our guilty pleasures. This can make new year’s resolutions tricky, because many of us believe that, once that clock hits midnight on January first, we are a new person with a new mindset, so we won’t get back into any of those habits we had the year before. But the truth is that we are the same person, we just need to figure out how to better ourselves without cutting out everything we label as “bad” for us, but makes us happy. Things take time. A similar pattern can be seen with dieting; we eat everything we are “supposed” to for a couple of weeks, then we binge. Goals are not about stopping everything we do the moment we tell ourselves to stop – goals are about implementing the change over time; this is why it is a goal. If your goal is to eat healthier and exercise more in 2019, you are not alone. Here are three “baby steps” that will help you implement the change in your diet and exercise habits in the new year, without quitting cold turkey:
- Start by doing something at least once a week
Anything can be done once a week if you put your mind to it! By slowly incorporating gym or veggie time into your schedule, you are more likely to start doing it more than once a week. If you have that free time, there’s no reason to not start working towards your goals!
- Keep a journal to track your progress
Writing down what you eat or what workout routine you that day can really help you implement big changes. By physically seeing what you are eating or how much you are kicking butt at the gym, you are telling yourself you can, and you will. There are even a plethora of apps for Apple and Android phones where you can journal what you eat, like the Mindful Eating Journal app.
- Make it an obligation
Many people feel more motivated to exercise if they sign up for a class. If we make exercise or eating healthy an obligation, we are less likely to say “forget it.” If your goal is more to eat healthy than to exercise more, then try to implement the change by purchasing healthy snacks and meals. The Stag Spirit Shop is filled with organic, protein-packed snacks with minimal amounts of sugar. By purchasing only healthy snacks, you are more likely to eat what you have rather than spend your money on something you don’t.
If all else fails, remember that not eating healthier or exercising as much as you had hoped is not the end of the world, so don’t beat yourself up over not making progress by the end of January. What’s important is knowing what you want, and not worrying about how long the change is taking – if you can visualize it, you can implement it and you will see results.
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