"New Year, new me" said every single person this past weekend. I appreciate the idea of New Year's resolutions: new beginnings, second chances, and I love the motivation that New Years brings. I love that people are wanting to better themselves and better their lives but honestly, I think New Year's resolutions are a bunch of crap, and here's why.
Gyms are practically empty by the time March rolls around. Yes, New Years motivates people to get their butt to the gym, but for how long? Instead of focusing on the body you want to have by spring break, focus on the body you have right now. Be thankful for legs that work and arms that bend and a heart that beats. You need to learn to love the skin you're in before you even begin to try and change it. Healthy body = heal thy body, and you aren't going to heal your body by going on crazy diets and doing insane workouts for the first few months of the year, you're going to burn yourself out and scare yourself away from the gym forever. Our bodies crave consistency, so don't throw yours a curveball by going to the gym every single day of the week when you didn't before. Take it slow, Rome wasn't built in a day, after all.
Just because you swear to only slap the bag twice this year, doesn't make you a new person.
Honestly, no resolution makes you "new", only better, and I think that's half the reason why people give up on these things. They expect to be this brand new person if they follow a workout plan and only drink green shit, only to find themselves disappointed when they look in the mirror and realize they're still, well, themselves. Our bodies and our lives don't come with upgrades. We aren't going to have a better body sent to us in the mail and be able to throw the old one away. Understanding that a "new you" is merely a better version of your present self will change the way you take on this new year and many more to come. Striving to slap the bag a little less this year isn't going to create a new you, but rather a better you (and you'll have better tomorrow morning too, c'mon we've all been there).
I think we should learn to take a step back before we take a step forward. Before you decide who you want to be in six months, think about who you already are. Before you set your sights on where you should be, realize how far life has already brought you. Which leads me to the biggest reason why I think New Years resolutions shouldn't be as hyped up and life changing as they're made out to be...
Every day should come with its resolutions.
It's September 23rd, and you want to start hitting the gym more often and you want to eat better and maybe you realize that trying to be a little more patient wouldn't hurt, so you go for it. You hit the gym, you eat more greens, and you take a few more deep breaths. But then the results aren't showing up as quickly as you'd like them to and you're really starting to miss pizza and someone cut you off on the highway this morning and maybe you shouted something you shouldn't have, so you quit and you say "It'll be my New Year's resolution". Stop making January 1st the only day you can make resolutions. If you want a bubble butt in the middle of March, start squatting. If you have an itch to start running in August, lace up. If you want to start being more organized in November, planners are sold all year round. Treat everyday like New Years, because improvements can start the minute you wake up, no matter what day of the year it is.
So cheers. To a new year, and a better you. I'll slap the bag to that.
