Can you believe it is already August? More than half the year is over and for some of us, our resolution to get healthy, eat better, sleep more, play hard, relax, take a class or whatever inspired us at Christmas time, has waned. August, however, provides us with a redo if you will. School is starting and whether you have kids that go back or not, the notion of a “fresh page” is comforting. August gives us a calming sense that we can start over and everything that has happened previously is in the past. We all start things with good intentions. Noone says “I am going to gain weight in the New Year” or “I am going to stop exercising”. Our intentions are to be better or do better than we did last year. We can make that happen if we use the information we have gathered from our experiences.
One of the biggest barriers that we encounter lies within our mindset. We have to change our mindset if we want to make changes. We can take the things we have learned in the previous 8 months and apply them to the rest of the year. You can restart at any time! That is the beauty of things. There is never a failure. Its about looking at things positively instead of falling back on those negative self talk tapes that we allow to creep back in. Human nature is to focus on our failings, instead of all of the things we did right. Success lies in changing those tapes.
How do we start to make the necessary changes that will lead to long term success? Be SMART about it. A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic or Relevant and Time-bound. Resolutions in and of themselves are too vague and allow a lot of wiggle room with nothing concrete behind it. For instance, a New Years Resolution can be “I want to lose 5 lbs”. There is no mention of when this goal should be accomplished, no plan to establish how I will meet the goal and no idea if this is an even realistic goal. A SMART goal would look something like this: I will walk 30 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday after work to lose weight. In addition to having a specific plan, be sure to take into the barriers you might face. Arrange childcare ahead of time, put dinner in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot, lay out your clothes, preload your favorite music. Ask for help where needed and be okay saying “no” to things that might impede on your plan. Lacking a solid plan can and usually leads to frustration and the original goal not being met. There is a circle there. Did you see it?
How is this relevant to me, to you and to IP, you ask? Well, I have been 60% committed to IP since my father passed away. I have let things get the better of me. I still have those pesky 8 lbs and I am not happy. I have decided that it is ok if I go back to living as my dad wouldn’t want me unhappy. He loved me no matter my size. I need to love me no matter my size. Today, I made a SMART plan for TODAY. I will “eat my sheet” which included meal prep, supplements and a BCAA packet. I will walk for 30 minutes 3 days per week in my neighborhood when I get home from work. My clothes are out, including my sneakers, my audio book ready to go and my spirit in the right place. It takes 3 weeks to make a habit so what better day to start than TODAY?
See you next time!!