Supporting New Habits and Resolutions
The New Year brings New Year’s Resolutions. Have you ever found yourself making a resolution that you are quite excited about and motivated to carry out, but then come to find yourself a few weeks or months later slowly falling away from this resolution? We want to help you build a strategy that will help you continue your new resolution or habit.
Let’s dive into some tips!
Make a Challenging, Yet Attainable Goal
Let’s take building movement into your weekly routine as an example. If you are someone that does not go to the gym at all, making it a goal to go to the gym every single day will certainly be challenging but likely not attainable. Instead, think about what is realistic for you and your life and work schedule - maybe it is going to the gym three times per week or adding in 3 - 10 minute walks daily.
Have an Accountability Partner or Tool
Let’s use the same example as above. How can you shape your environment to favor you going to the gym on the days you planned to do so? Maybe it is having a calendar with an exact plan or paying for a membership or having a friend you will work out with.
Habit Stack
The process of habit stacking pairs together the new habit needed to reach your resolution with a habit you already do day in and day out. Let’s take the resolution example of increasing the amount of time you cook meals at home / decreasing the amount you are dining out at a restaurant. In order to do this, you will need to be prepared with meal and snack ideas and a grocery list corresponding. The habit stacking may be as follows - “As soon as I finish work on Friday, I will complete my grocery list and plan for meals and snacks next week.”
Focus on the Process
It’s exciting to reach a new goal, but we learn much more from the things we do each day to meet those goals. If we don’t focus on the daily changes we are making, we can get to the goal and quickly revert back to what we were doing prior.
Kick Willpower to the Curb
We often hear that we must just have enough self control and willpower in order to do “x” thing. Certainly these things can be powerful, but they are not long term strategies that will lead us to success. Rather, we can focus on creating an environment that will support us and our goals. For example, we can use both examples from above here. You may find that you are going to the gym the days you made a goal to and are cooking much more, but then you feel you want to throw everything to the wayside after seeing unrealistic expectations on social media. What can we do here? We can change the social media environment we are taking in and unfollow the accounts that are making us feel less than successful or negative towards ourselves.
Expect setbacks, growth, and success. Take it one day at a time - you got this.
Winter Salad
Ingredients:
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 bunch dinosaur kale, chopped
- 4 cups arugula
- 1 can garbanzo beans, roasted
- 2 delicate squash, diced & roasted
- 1/2 cup pepitas
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Champagne Mustard Vinaigrette Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup champagne vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp garlic power
- Salt and pepper
Optional Toppings: Air fried tofu, shredded chicken breast, salmon, canned salmon, etc.
Directions:
- Place kale, arugula, garbanzo beans, delicate squash, pepitas, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and feta cheese in a large bowl. Toss together.
- Combine champagne vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, juice of 1 lemon, maple syrup, garlic powder, and salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Drizzle dressing over salad. Toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!
