New Year’s is over! 2017 is on and you’ve got your resolutions in order. If you’re like me, those guys are all over the place -on your phone, computer and diary (high 5 to all you old school, pen and paper folks). It’s definitely an exciting time. Ripe with hope and an expectation for betterment. This is the most significant time to CHANGE it up and reinvent every aspect of our lives. Resolutions are basically The Annual Overhauls we desperately need to live it up and be the best versions of ourselves!
Yay! But, its time for facts:
50% of the world set resolutions at New Year’s. 88% fail!
Whoa! That’s a staggering majority of people who fail! I’m not making this up, a 2007 study from the University of Bristol showed that 88 per cent of those who set New Year resolutions fail even though 52 per cent of participants were confident of success when they started. YIKES!!! What? Why??? They were even confident they would crush it (like me and you). Unfortunately, most people give up within the first month and only those who can stick with it beyond February see real change and a difference over the year.
Before you start sweating and calling up your psychic, let’s see if these simple fixes can’t get you through February and beyond. I’m committed to you looking good naked. Let’s tackle the common hurdles!
Common Mistake #1: Biting off more than you can chew :Did you get excited and pen down a hundred resolutions? I love that you want to improve every single area of your life… However, this is the fastest track to getting overwhelmed and giving up. If you tried to lose weight by deciding to exercise for 2 hours + play some sports+ drink all the green smoothies + go for a walk + train for a marathon + get your 6 pack on + (add in any and all of your list) EVERY DAY… You’ll probably be running away screaming “Its WAYYY too much!! I can’t do it!!” That list sounds impossible because it is! Enter Overwhelm. Now your brain has started rationalizing your old habits, convincing you to stay where you are. Sure, you probably feel crappy about not getting the body of your dreams but you can always eat/drink your sorrows away, right? NO!
Try This Instead: Chew More!! Cut away all those insane resolutions and give yourself space to breathe! Ever noticed what happens when you eat slowly and chew your food 32 times per bite? You slow down, eat more mindfully, and you ONLY focus on one thing – your food. Apply that to your goals, baby! Take a few bites (1-3 goals MAX) and chew, chew, chew till you’ve got it broken down into teeny-tiny doable tasks on a daily basis. It’s so much easier to work into your schedule that overwhelm doesn’t stand a chance. You’re in it for the long term. So chew like you mean it!
Common Mistake #2: Repeat Resolutions: Compare your current list of goals with that of last year’s and the year before that. How many items are common? I get it, you’ve been trying to battle the same old demons for years but that’s working against you. These old foes have frustration and dread built in because you’ve told yourself you can’t succeed at this. Every time you’ve failed at “Losing Weight” has made that frustration more aggravated, so now just seeing the words makes you nauseous. Naturally, a goal that makes you sick is NOT one you will crush. You can’t make yourself feel bad enough to GO GET IT. Sorry!
Try this Instead: Feel Good Goals: Take out the logic for a second and think with your soul, your emotions and your intuition. What would you like to include more of in your daily life? Would you like to be happier? Do you want to feel more alive? What gets you all charged up and excited? Write down those things and see how many of those you can incorporate in your daily, weekly and monthly schedule. Think of the entire year. Would you like to be more connected to your loved ones? Schedule time to call them each week. If you take that happy time, you’re more likely to make healthier choices (like walking while speaking to said loved ones). Shift the focus to being DELIRIOUSLY happy and watch the magic unfold!
Common Mistake #3: Expecting Overnight Success: This one is super cute cuz WE ALL DO IT (me included)- we get so charged up to MAKE A CHANGE that we go looney toons making everything different! Except, that high is short lived (blame it on the O-o-o-o-Overwhelm) and after the crash we doubt our own abilities/sanity. It feels like DOOM! Cliché Time- Nobody is successful overnight. Read it twice and cut yourself some slack for crying out loud.
Try This Instead: Get Support: Recognize it’s about habit formation. Small, consistent steps. When you know your motivation is bound to flag every now and then, you can prepare. Get yourself a buddy (or two), a trainer or a coach, someone who can keep you accountable and keep you on track and consistent. As you progress, celebrate the small wins regularly. Give yourself credit for how far you’ve come. You’re gonna own this year! I can just feel it!
Wishing you all the best and a SMASHING 2017!!
Aakriti xoxo
Bio:
Aakriti Kundu helps women who are tired of stressing about what to eat, what they weigh, and how they live up to society’s impossible beauty standards. By working through food obsession and body shame, she coaches women of all ages to feel fantastic in their bodies by giving them the confidence to feel amazing in their clothes, eat guilt free, and shake the booty they were born with! Aakriti is an acclaimed professional contemporary and jazz dancer, a highly sought after yoga teacher and a health coach. When she’s not sharing her revolutionary, feel-good-fitness ideas at www.aakritikundu.com , she can be found petting any and all dogs she can find, baking good-for-you goodies, eating chocolate, and watching funny TV shows. Head over to grab the free Guide to Overcome Cravings and stay on top of your healthy resolutions at www.aakritikundu.com.
ᐧ