Forty-five percent of Americans will kick off their 2017 New Year’s resolutions January 1st. The top three New Year’s resolutions year after year are to lose weight, get healthier and be more organized. Without a plan and strategy to achieve your resolution, this is merely a statement and outcome goal that doesn’t lend itself to behavior change.
 
Creating new healthy habits take time, commitment, planning and action. To help you overcome obstacles, achieve and sustain your resolution, follow these 5 tips for New Year’s resolution success.  

1. Be kind to yourself.  Your self-talk matters. The past is unchangeable and you have each present moment to make a healthy choice that leads to a healthier future. Stick to your plan and allow for flexibility. Focus on what is working in your life and keep it positive.
2. Create a clear vision.  What do you want to feel and look like in one year? Picture yourself as you already are what that is, and write it down as if it were already happening. No more quick fixes! This time we are playing for keeps.
3. Create three-month goals.  Break down that vision into an achievable three-month marker.  Three months is short enough that you stay motivated and far enough out that you can make, see and feel progress toward your vision.
4. Set several achievable S.M.A.R.T. goals. The acronym is S-Specific, M-Measurable, A-Achievable, R-Relevant and T-Time-bound. Make goals each week that have the right amount of challenge. If you make them so easy that you have no sense of accomplishment, then you may not be motivated to continue. If you make them too challenging, then you never achieve them and that doesn’t work either. Progress will keep you engaged.
5. Allow for missteps when they come. And they will come. One setback does not blow your entire resolution. Life is not an all or nothing approach and is not about perfection. The plan and strategy to overcome missteps is to simply get back on track, focus on your motivators and what you value most, and be kind to yourself.

 
Start with what you are willing to do and take the path of least resistance. You got this! Inch by inch it’s a cinch—pun intended! Happy New Year!
 
©Kathryn Scoblick
www.healthinspires.com

Health Inspires.

Not everybody practices the rituals of the Lenten season.  Lent is observed by catholics and many Christians, and is a time to reflect and make positive changes in their life for the better; through prayer, fasting and charity.  Lent means "spring" or "new birth."   


It is so often that we “give up” something for the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday, and then we go back to the same routine.

Many people during the spring season engage in the same behaviors as those observing Lent, or vice versa.  Many of us make springtime goals to be better, more organized, nicer to to our families, lose some weight, start an exercise program, stop drinking coffee, no more wine, no bread...essentially “give something up”.  The desire to make yourself better and practice more control of your choices is good.  Writing down the necessary action steps for success and having your response prepared when obstacles occur; even better.  

Create a new habit:
I have been writing about habits and behavior change since 2008, and believe that habits dictate most of what we do.  Growing up with a father that touted repeatedly “30 days to make or break a habit”, sinks in over time.  Change requires willingness to change, self discipline and simple, achievable steps.  We tend to take extreme paths that are not sustainable.  We fast, cleanse, and diet in preparation of summer, or after the holidays.  The energy, time and money it takes us to get our brains wrapped around starting a “new program”, starting, achieving the goal and then somehow coming full circle is the definition of insanity.  You may have heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

Doing things repeatedly the same time everyday helps create a habit.  If you typically grab a diet soda in the afternoon, replace that with green tea.  If you are not drinking enough water, then find a time that you will add 8 oz. to your day, if you are drinking too much coffee, then drink one less each day this week and go from there.  If you have been enjoying a high calorie snack in the afternoons, replace that with a healthier choice, like an apple. You might discover these actions are more your habit or routine rather than your true desire to have whatever it is. Use Lent or spring as the time to create those new habits that will last a lifetime.   

Change one thing at a time, be specific with your goal, make it measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound.  That is a S.M.A.R.T goal.  It is formed in the positive frame of what you will do, not what you won’t do; i.e., not what you are “giving up”.  Here are some of examples of S.M.A.R.T goals:

1. I will choose fresh fruit or a vegetable, for my afternoon snack M-F, if I am hungry
2. I will drink 1, 8 oz. glass of water every morning before I leave for work
3. I will go for a 15 minute walk M-TH after dinner, (or a 30 minute walk at my child’s baseball practice M and W)
4. I will order a green salad with grilled salmon or grilled chicken at every business lunch 
5. I will do 20 pushups, 20 squats and 100 situps every morning before I leave for work (or when my kids get on the school bus)

Delay immediate gratification:
I agree it is way more exciting to see 5+ pounds come off in one week!  It is not way more exciting to hear about the toll that takes on your physical body, body chemistry and organs…yo-yo dieting is not helpful.  It is harmful; both physically and mentally.  Changing one thing at a time may take more time for results, but the results will show up.  The benefits of your achievement go far beyond the physical.  

The “I can’t have that” extreme diet plan takes the fun out of dining with friends and not allowing yourself to enjoy one glass of wine or one piece of bread with your healthy meal.  One piece of bread or one glass of wine, paints a picture of moderation.  One of anything, and only sometimes (depending what it is), is the right practice.  It is a good approach for all of us; (one cup of coffee (not 3), one glass of wine (not two or three), 6 baby carrots (not chips-except at Friday lunch, for example).  Life is about choices.  We cannot have everything all of the time, and we certainly should enjoy the good times, and practice moderation, and moderation in moderation at times.  

So, if you are planning for your spring renewal, whether through Lent or in your regular spring ritual, play for life this time.  Take baby steps and make it sustainable.  Ultimately, the picture is bigger than your summer body.  It is truly about your health and wellness....and of course, your summer body;), that lasts through the seasons!  

See more of my blogs on this topic for encouragement.  Ready for change?  Dive in!
http://www.healthinspires.com/3/post/2013/08/what-makes-a-person-believe-they-can_______.html
http://www.healthinspires.com/3/post/2013/11/top-12-super-foods-super-easy-super-nutritious-super-transportable-and-super-kid-and-adult-friendly.html


Health Inspires.

You know how it goes if you have ever tried to lose weight. 
You might have that one unsuccessful day when you fall off the wagon...

How did you speak to yourself when that happened? 
Was it kind?  

If you have experienced that one unsuccessful day, then you might also be familiar with the weight coming off…Yea!!!...and then back on…Boo!!  
After all of that hard work?!  How did you speak to yourself then? 
Was it kind? 

Why is it that we find it easier to be kind and supportive to others more than to ourselves? 

As you kick off your weight loss News Years Resolution like thousands of others, I would ask that you consider your first News Years Resolution to be “I will be kind to myself”. Then implement these 5 tips for success, being kind to yourself every step of the way.  

Most of us already know what it means to eat healthier. Eating more fruits and veggies; less fats and sugars.  Actually doing it, and doing it consistently, is an entirely different story.  What could be missing is a little accountability, support and coaching to help you achieve.   

Old habits die hard.
Creating new healthy habits take time and yes, commitment.  Taking the time to create them will evolve into a lifetime of healthy habits.  Although the following tips apply to overall wellness, and I firmly believe you can achieve overall wellness, these are specific to your weight loss goal for your sustainable weight loss.  However, I encourage you to use them broadly for a healthy mind, body and spirit.  It is all tied together anyway!

1. Be kind to yourself.  This includes positive self talk and even your surrounding environment.  Consider and give yourself credit for what is working in your life.  Think about it.
   
2. Create a vision of what you want to feel like and look like in one year.  Yes one year.  This game is called your life and we are playing for keeps.  No more quick fixes allowed.  
   
3. Create 3 month goals that tie to your vision of weight loss (health and wellness).
   
4. Set several achievable S.M.A.R.T. goals (S-Specific, M- Measurable, A-Action Based and Achievable, R-Relevant, T-Time-bound) each week.  I want to reiterate achievable.  Tweak your goals until you know they are both challenging and achievable. (see examples below).
   
5. Allow for missteps when they come, and they will come. Focus on your motivators and what you value most.  Have strategies in place for when you have a setback to get back on track fast. It is not about perfection.  It is about persistence and achievement.  

Examples of S.M.A.R.T Goals:  

• I will walk 3 days next week on Monday (after work), Thursday (after work) and Saturday (morning) for 30 minutes.
• I will plan for 3 healthy meals and create a shopping list for my husband before he goes to the grocery store on Saturday.  I will prep the food for those meals on Sunday so I am ready for the week. 
• I will drink 4 cups of water from my blue cup each day M-F at work. 

Most importantly, whether you are trying to lose weight or not, be kind to yourself. 
Say it out loud: Be Kind to Myself.  

Happy New Year from Health Inspires!