It's resolution time, right?
8% of people who make new years resolutions will actually succeed in achieving them. What?! You mean to tell me 92% of people will fail at their goals this year? Well, not quite. I think it matters what you are choosing as your resolution. Over the years I have heard people say they want to lose X amount of weight, or fit into the pair of jeans they are still holding on to from when they were 19 (right because we all should be the same size we were when we were a teenager). I never really questioned these goals, I just said I would do my best and with determination and hard work we can achieve those goals. Well, 5 years into my personal training career and now I usually try to get people to let to of the aforementioned goals. Don't get me wrong here, I think weight loss is an excellent goal-if it is the second goal you have. I think we need to focus first on increased strength, mobility, having more energy, etc. If the weight loss comes off then great! But it shouldn't be the definition of health, because, well it just isn't. You can be what society calls overweight and be more healthy than the person beside you who fits into the "ideal" body shape. 97% of women will have an "I hate my body moment" at least once a day...and I know a lot of women out there who have that "ideal" body so what that says to me is having that perfect body doesn't make you instantly happy in life. This year we saw the rise of body positivity in models like Ashley Graham and I truly hope 2017 is filled with women and men loving their bodies and not apologizing for the tummy roll or the indulgences they have from time to time.
Speaking of indulgences, this Christmas I ate my body weight in won ton soup and Ferrero Rocher chocolates, but I let it go and I'm on to the next day and the next chapter in my life. Sure, I could have analyzed myself in the mirror, grabbing chunks of fat and telling myself I am fat or ugly, but what the hell is the point in that? I eat food, most of the time it is real food, some of the time it is chocolates, or my latest treat is a wonderful specialty coffee from a charming local coffee shop. We are creatures that get the incredible trait of being able to eat a variety of foods, we are social eaters, we feel passion for cooking in addition to eating, so why would I limit myself to the bare bones of the giant food pie if my body can experience a multitude of things? Guilt has no place in my kitchen and I really think it should have less of a place in yours as well. Move your body because it is good for you and because it feels good to do so, nourish your body with good foods and the occasional treat, and for heavens sake nourish your SOUL each day!
In case you were wondering what some of my new years goals are, keep reading, if not skip to the end for one last thing :)
1) Do something active each day, besides riding my horse. Riding is time consuming and it is definitely an excellent core and strength workout, but I want to do a little more. I want to listen to my body and see what it wants to do for activity that day. Perhaps it is practicing yoga, going for a snow shoeing adventure, riding my bike, or working out.
2) Try vegetarian or vegan eating for at least 3 months. This is a tough one, I have gone back and forth on this countless times throughout my lifetime and the reasons remain the same...I don't enjoy the idea of eating meat when I know the environmental impacts of doing so, I know I couldn't kill an animal to eat it (I can barely kill a mouse), and I know I can meet my nutrition requirements through whole plant foods. To be honest the main reason why I currently eat the little meat that I do is because it is familiar to cook that way. I grew up eating meat so all of my go to meals are ones that I learned when I was younger and they are easy. I need to get better at exploring my options for vegetarian cooking.
3) Continue learning Spanish. I want to expand my mind as much as possible and learning a language is rewarding and incredibly fun!
4) Make it to one horse show this season! Big goals!!!
5) Spend more quality time with those I love. I hope to grow new friendships, build on old ones, and maybe, just maybe fall in love--HA! That would be great but not really counting on it being an attainable goal.
6) The last goal is difficult to measure, I just want to feel more at peace. I would say I want to be happier, but life isn't about feeling one feeling all the time. It is ok to feel saddness, joy, love, fear, bliss, and anger, those are all emotions that are necessary in life, it is how we deal with those individual emotions that makes us feel an overall sense of peace. How am I going to measure this? How would I achieve more peace? Well I have been analyzing the things in my life that take away my peace...the main one is social media. I find myself, like so many others, filling the time with endless scrolls through facebook or instagram. I feel like if I don't check it I am going to miss something important, but realistically I feel much better when I just check it once or twice a day. Technology distracts me from being in my own space, from being at peace, and from growing my ability to be still. So in order to be more at peace I am promising myself that I am going to do my best to let go of the endless check ins on facebook and instagram.
Make your resolutions, write them down, tell friends about them, work hard to achieve them, but make them more than just the physical goals, set mental health and kindness goals to make the world a better place. Happy New Year!
