It's about that time of year again when people start conversations by asking, "Do you have any New Year's Resolutions?"
To this, you will probably say with total confidence that, indeed, you do. And this year will be different. This year you will stick to them. This year will be your year. You'll lose 20 pounds, run a marathon, cut off your toxic exes, the whole sha-bang.
Or maybe you'll say that, actually, you don't believe in New Year's Resolutions because they don't work. In this case, you wouldn't be entirely wrong. As it turns out, 80% of people give up on their New Year's goals by February, and only 8% actually keep their resolutions all year. But get this: It's not the resolutions that don't work. I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but it's actually you. More specifically, it's your approach, and I'm guilty of it too.
Most resolutions fail because they are too vague. Among the most common resolutions that fail is, "I want to get fit this year." Okay, but how will you do that? Maybe you have a vague idea of that as well, but how effective is your journey going to be if you know what the destination looks like but no direction?
So, how do you make resolutions you can keep? Be specific. For example, you are a victim of gaining the "Quarantine 15(lbs.)", and you want to lose 20 pounds by 2022.
Vague: Lose 20 pounds by December. Specific: Lose a pound every two weeks.
Vague: Change your diet and routine. Specific: Cut out soda and go on 30 minute walks.
To further illustrate this point, here are my 21 specific lifestyle resolutions for 2021 (and beyond) to live a healthier life.
1. Drink at least 64 oz of water a day.
2. Limit alcohol consumption to less than 2x per month.
3. Meditate or do breathing exercises (5-20 minutes) every day.
4. Go on 10 minute walk after meals.
5. Do at least 30 min of walking a day.
6. Do 20 push-ups a day.
7. Do 2 minutes of planking a day.
8. Do yoga 2 days a week (at least 30 minutes).
9. Work out at least 4 times a week (at least 30 min).
10. Do weekly hair and face masks every Sunday.
11. Floss twice daily (seriously, just do it).
12. Take my vitamins every day
13. Take a bubble bath at least once a month.
14. Reduce leisurely screen time (phone/tv) to less than 2 hours a day.
15. Finish one book per week (4 per month).
16. Stop ordering delivery. Please.
17. Take cold showers once a week.
18. Drink green tea with raw local honey once a day
19. Sign up for jiu jitsu, go 1-2 times a week.
20. Draw, paint or write 2 times a week
21. Keep all of my plants alive.
Hopefully these helped.
Happy New Year! I hope 2021 is everything that 2020 was not. Now go make so resolutions you can actually keep.
