Forget Resolutions & Instead Focus on a Non-Negotiable

I was asked the day before New Year’s Eve what my resolution was. My response, “I don’t have one”.

There a few reasons. First, it just puts pressure on someone. They go all in for a couple of weeks, perhaps a month or two and then the resolution slowly fades. What happens then? The person ends up being disappointed in themselves, for what they see as a failure. People give up on resolutions and I am certainly not judging. It’s more common than not. For those of you who are regular gym goers, you see the same thing every year. The gym is packed in January and slowly, week by week it goes back to the normal volume. I get it. It doesn’t mean the person didn’t try. The intention was there, but life happens, people get busy and old habits kick in.

Let’s focus on habit for a minute. If you are in my Fit & Fab group or follow my Facebook page, you will see that I have focussed on this a lot over the past couple of weeks. What if we just tweaked our habits? If you have a rock sold non-negotiable “healthy” habit, resolutions are never needed.

Hey, you could resolve to learn something new, take up a hobby etc. In this case I’m referring to the perpetual resolution that most make every year to prioritize their health and yes, get in better shape.

I put up a post the other day about guilt and the holidays. You should never feel guilty for enjoying the holidays or any occasion for that matter. You only have one life and those times should focus on living and spending time with family and friends, not stressing over food. Have your treat and move on.

Your first weeks following any occasion should not be used as a punishment. Guilting yourself or overdoing exercise to counter what you ate or drank. That is not healthy physically or mentally.

My advice is to have a non-negotiable habit. This could be getting out for a walk after dinner, taking the stairs at work, being properly hydrated, eating your vegetables. You get where I’m going. You would be amazed at the power of one non-negotiable habit. Why? Because when you come out on the other side of any event, knowing that you held true to one non-negotiable will have profound effects on both your physical and mental health.

My non-negotiable is movement. Any kind. My holiday season is always crazy, but I make sure I at least move every day. This doesn’t mean that I hit the gym hard every day, it just means I have moved. Maybe I went for a brisk walk or got in a quick HIIT workout because I only had 20 minutes that day. By keeping that habit consistent, I never feel like I’m starting from point zero when the holidays are over.

Believe it or not, it is easier to stay on track then it is to get back on track. Of course, I enjoyed holiday treats and dinners, but keeping that one habit consistent was powerful.

When you create that one habit, you can build on it. So instead of feeling overwhelmed and yes, guilt ridden (stop that) every Jan 1st, you go in feeling better.

My challenge to you this year, is to pick ONE THING. Instead of “resolving” to do 20 things, pick your one that you will stick with all year.

Start today. Pick your one main thing. Work it into your daily routine. It could be getting your lunch ready to take to work the next day, drinking your water, getting in 2 or 3 workouts, getting more sleep etc.

Give yourself a couple of weeks. Then pick secondary habits and slowly add them in. This is called habit stacking. If you take this approach slowly, not only will you not be overwhelmed, you will make each a part of your daily or weekly life. Before you know it, Spring is here and you have created lasting effective habits. You cannot achieve a goal if you don’t create a solid foundation.

Of course, I operate differently in January than I do in December. I start stacking back in more of my other habits (all of those that I couldn’t get to in December) but the difference is, I don’t see it as a daunting task.

All or nothing never works and it usually ends up in disappointment and people just give up. I lived like that at one time and it was overwhelming.

If I had to pick one resolution, it is to spread this message to as many people as possible.

Let’s focus on habits and balance. Not eat, then deprive & punish.

A balanced life is a happy and healthy life.

I’ve worked with over 2000 women and I can tell you that a balanced approach creates momentum. Get one habit down, then move to the next. That is when the magic happens.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2023.