The year is underway and many people have taken this opportunity to start anew. The gyms are packed, Whole Foods' business is booming, protein shakes are on the rise, and workout clothes are flying off of the shelves. People everywhere have been captioning their photos as "new year, new me" and have the gym membership card on their key ring to prove it. But is the "new year, new you" mentality actually hindering you from being able to make the change that you really want?
Around Christmas time you'll often hear people say: "My diet starts on the first," as they're putting two more pigs in a blanket on their plate and sipping their soda. Or they'll sit on the couch and say, "Next year, I'm going to work out more," when there's still ample time left in the current one to start now. Why do we feel like we should wait until the new year to become who we want to be? Why can't we just start today?
The excuse of the holiday is to justify being able to stuff your face with the best festive foods and feel very little regret over them. It's not a bad plan. Maybe starting after the holidays is the best option. You can get all the over-eating out of your system and start fresh once it's done. However, once you make it your resolution to be better or to get into shape, that's when you are setting yourself up for failure.
How many people actually remember what their resolution was for the last December 31st while they're declaring what their new ones are going to be? How many people remember what that resolution was on April 8th, only a few months after they made it? It's the term "resolution" that's getting us down and we don't even realize it.
Avid gym goers look at this time of year and roll their eyes saying, "Just wait until February. All the resolutioners will be gone then and we can have our gym back." It's true. Resolutions aren't really held past March and even that's pushing it. People know this in the back of their minds and think of them as temporary while they truly want a permanent result.
Do you want to be fit? Do you want to eat healthier? That's fine, but don't just think that the power of the new year will keep you going, because that fire burns out real quick. The best way to keep your resolutions alive is to stop calling them resolutions and start calling them goals.
You're not going to be able to cut out all chips and totally nix cheese from your diet like you claimed that you would at the start of the year. Also, don't think that getting a gym membership is what is going to make you lose weight, because it won't. September will roll around and you'll be stuck guilt paying for a membership that you've used six times since you lost your new year steam. However, if you set up a routine and balance your meals, then you're more likely to be able to keep it up longer.
One thing that completely hinders people is that they feel that once they stop their resolution, that's it! They're done and they can't start it up again. If you start thinking of it as a goal then you can start again whenever, changing your ideas of what you can and can't do because now you know yourself.
We all deserve to be who we want to be and we all can achieve it. All that it takes is the right frame of mind and the proper tools to get there. The new year has started, but the new you can happen at any time. Go for it!
