It’s January 13, 2021 almost half way through January, and time to check in on our New Year’s Resolutions! Are you keeping yours 13 days into the New Year? My New Year’s Resolutions for 2021 are the same ones I have every year. To get and keep my house more organized (I can hear my family and friends laughing) and to eat healthier. We’ll deal with my housekeeping later. I have a “plan,” for eating healthier, but since I’m not real good at sticking with plans I won’t reveal my plan until I’ve had some success with it. I will say, though, that I am keeping a written journal of everything I eat, how much I exercise and everything else I do for the day. I can’t remember what I did five minutes ago, let alone remember what I ate five days ago.
I’m really trying this year with being healthier. But I’m a weak and willpower-less individual, so I have to find a way to make this easy so I don’t give up so fast like I usually do. My husband and I are both heart patients. My husband has a mild case of prostate cancer. We both need to eat better. But those health conditions have always been issues when I didn’t stick to my resolution of eating healthier. So what’s different this year? I’m getting FAT! I weighed less than I do now when I checked into the hospital to give birth to my 8 pound baby.
I’ve always been slender with a nice flat stomach. I know putting on weight comes with age, but the fact is that I never really exercised like I should have been – I was just lucky with my weight. Then, about seven years ago, months before I got to wear my beautiful “mother of the bride” dress, the fat just appeared. And it stayed. And it’s still here.
Putting vanity aside, I’m not medically obese or anything like that. In fact, my Body Mass Index is right where it should be and my doctors are fine with my weight. But I’m not fine with it. It’s uncomfortable and my clothes don‘t fit. I’m afraid that when I go into the swimming pool with my grandchildren, they might mistake me for an inflatable pool toy.
There are many lists and suggestions out there on how to keep your New Year’s Resolution, but they all have certain tips in common. Since I’m a simple girl, I’ll start with these three tips from Carrie H. Kennedy, PhD., ABPP:
- Make your resolution realistic
- Set an overarching goal and then set achievable and measurable steps to achieve the goal
- Make your resolution measureable
In an article in Psychology Today Magazine, David P. Feldman shared an interview he did with psychologist Judith Beck Ph.D. According to Dr. Beck, we fall into traps in thinking about our goals (now I feel better about my lack of willpower). Four common traps are:
- We set resolutions that overwhelm us
- We don’t anticipate obstacles
- We engage in all or nothing thinking
- When we get off track, we beat ourselves up
February is Heart Month, which is another reason to eat healthier and stick to it. So what are your suggestions for sticking to your New Year’s Resolutions? Please let me know – obviously I need help! Thank you in advance and have a Grand Day!
More Little Helpers!
If you’d like to break down the tips to success even more, check out these ten tips from Lifehack and notice the tips in common.
Make resolutions that reflect your values
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/lab-real-world/202101/more-resolution-connect-your-values
Five resolutions we should all make
Sex and pleasure for a happy new year