It’s that time of year again.
Time to make those resolutions!
So, go ahead and make them. Focus on what you’re not doing right, or enough of, or too much of… so that you can resolve to fix that defective part of yourself in the coming year.
Now I have to ask: If you’ve been making these yearly resolutions, how are they working for you?
Well, if you’re like most people (and like me), you may have discovered that your resolutions are crashing and burning within the first month.
So, why not instead of taking stock of all that isn’t working in your life, you look back and reflect on what is?
Then resolve to do MORE of that!
They say what you focus on expands (which I happen to strongly believe), so that means if you focus on the good stuff, on where you succeeded, you may just get more good stuff and success… Sound good?
So today or tomorrow, I want to encourage you to put aside 15 minutes, or an hour, or an entire day, and look back at 2017 and create a list of the good stuff you accomplished and learned.
And to help you get started (and to selfishly help me with this exercise), I thought I’d share the top 3 things I learned in 2017 that I can use to keep me strong and fit in 2018:
1. Feeling hungry can be a good thing
This year I experimented with hunger by doing a 24-hour fast.
It was part of the year-long Precision Nutrition program that I coach and follow, and it really opened my eyes to how much eating I do when I’m not actually hungry.
Going 24 hours without food forced me to sit through the discomfort of hunger – not only the physical but also the highly emotional.
Not being able to eat made me feel like a spoiled child not getting her way… Pouting, arms crossed, feet stomping.
And when I got beyond the deprived little kid in me, I came face to face with my fear of hunger.
Something about being hungry scared me… Maybe I wouldn’t get my share, or maybe there wouldn’t be enough to go around, or maybe I was just afraid of being left out.
So I guess in order to avoid this fear and hunger altogether, I’ve tended to eat by the clock rather than by the stomach.
But through this experience, I began to change my ways.
I’m getting better at relying on actual hunger for when and how much to eat.
And I’ve even integrated intermittent fasting into my days (fasting 13 hours in a row each day) because, done in the right way, it’s a healthy thing to do.
To learn a little more about intermittent fasting and its benefits, as well as more details about my 24-hour fast, check out my blog post:
https://www.momentum-fit.ca/intermittent-fasting
2. Consistency trumps effort
If there’s one real secret to living a healthy life it’s just that: Consistency.
It became my buzzword for 2017.
So, healthy living isn’t about eating the perfect food, doing the hard workout, or going on a meditation retreat.
Instead, it’s about doing stuff EVERY DAY that makes you feel healthy.
For example, if you planned a big workout today but you had to work late, then do something else instead: Go for a walk, get up and do a 4-minute Tabata set, or run up and down the stairs a few times while doing house work.
Just make sure you move every day: Consistency.
Same thing goes for the way you eat: Choose a nutrition habit and practice it every day. For example, have some protein every meal, or eat until satisfied instead of to fullness, or eat five colorful veggies a day.
The habit itself doesn’t matter as much as your focus on getting it done daily: Consistency.
And if you’re feeling constantly stressed, create a practice of sitting and breathing for just one minute each day instead of forcing yourself to do a 30-minute mediation.
The easier and more achievable you can make it, the better: Consistency is the key.
Consistency was a key take-away from the Precision Nutrition program, and a big reason why it works.
And it’s also a lesson I learned from a friend who consistently does – are you ready? – 1000 push ups a day!
No matter where he is, he creates opportunities throughout the day to get in a few push ups here and there, and by the end of the day he’s accumulated his 1000. And this daily self-challenge – which he’s been doing for years – has allowed him to maintain an amazing level of fitness despite a career that requires travel on most weeks.
Now, 1000 push ups may not be on your radar (don’t worry, it’s not on mine either), but find something that is do-able – so do-able in fact that excuses would be ridiculous – and get it done!
3. Sometimes letting go takes more strength than hanging on
Or I could have called this lesson “Getting over myself and my fear of failure.”
This past autumn, I let go of part of my business.
Five years ago, I jumped into my business with both feet, leaving the corporate world behind, and I never regretted it.
And I was fortunate enough to see my business grow steadily each and every year.
But despite its growth, I realized I was gripping too hard. I was hanging on too tightly to what I had built, and was afraid to let go even when I knew I needed financial help.
I didn’t want to let go of any of it, because in my mind that would be admitting defeat… Or in other words, Failure.
And that didn’t seem like an option.
Until I took a hard look at what I wanted and why I began this journey in the first place.
It all started because I wanted to help others live healthier by paying attention to their bodies. And I realized that I was ignoring my own body signals… Constant tension in my shoulders, increased feelings of anxiety, and lump in the pit of my stomach that indicated I was avoiding my finances.
So, I put on my big-girl pants, and acted on what I realized was just Fear. And then I went about changing what needed to be changed.
And what I discovered was that I could find a balance between a 9-to-5 job and my coaching business that works.
I discovered strength in letting go.
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So what did you learn about yourself in 2017? What worked for you?
Write it down, so you can see it.
Now move forward into 2018 with this great stuff to propel you forward.
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Don’t forget that classes and coaching begin as of next Monday, January 8th:
Boot Camp on Monday evenings, Yoga on Thursday evenings, and personal coaching for two new clients using the 12-month Precision Nutrition program.
Here are the details:
https://www.momentum-fit.ca/classes-and-coaching-2018/
Wishing you Health and Happiness in 2018,
Debbie