How to Hold to Your New Year’s Resolution of Staying in Shape

Ok, this question could only exist being informed by people’s inability to hold on to their resolutions. Three ideas come to mind for me when posed with the above question:

1) Find the tools and resources to help break old habits and instill new ones

Make sure you have everything you need to support yourself as you implement the behaviors needed to accomplish your goals.  

Whether you have to clear time in the schedule or purchase some product or throw out your TV’s  (just kidding or not) etc…. In some ways, we have become accustom (maybe even addicted) to our behaviors. As we implement changes, whether it’s with a New Year diet, a New Year yoga practice, or any other kind of New Year’s resolution fitness plan or wellness plan, we might have to deal with withdrawal symptoms. Everyone knows how very challenging withdrawal symptoms can be, which is why the above question was posed. Well no, there is no away around withdrawal symptoms. You gotta deal with it. Yet there are different ways of dealing with it. I recommend moderation in the sense you don’t overwhelm yourself. Give yourself an adequate timeframe to implement your resolutions.  To learn more about my thoughts on how to develop a lifestyle of wellness, check out my article from last week: Fitness Beyond the Holidays.

2) If possible have a supportive community

This will be your biggest asset. Whether it’s the folks at your yoga studio, or a close group of friends, your family or even an online community like our challenge groups and our private online teacher training groups etc.

Community can help you be accountable simply by you witnessing others showing up. But mostly, it is very supportive of the resolutions you are making; and they, too, are appreciating and wrestling with similar issues as yourself. Community also gives you a chance to be supportive, which is not only incredibly fulfilling but also uniquely useful in supporting your own objective.

3) Look clearly at the new year’s resolution pertaining to your health. What do you see?

Are they dominated by your wisdom or your vanity? Are you trying to change yourself or care for yourself?

No need to change yourself because there is nothing wrong with you. You wouldn’t want to start the new year promoting some idea that there is something wrong with you. Most likely, you’d want to start the new year’s resolution health goals off just the opposite, by being positive and self accepting. Lastly, all this resolution stuff becomes toxic if it is not accompanied with compassion and acceptance. You will come across difficulties, but how you handle those difficulties has the biggest affect on your success. Remember, ultimately I’m sure somewhere deeply embedded in your resolutions is the desire to strengthen the benevolent and eradicate the malevolent so be aware of the place your mind is dwelling because in that you have the key.  New Year’s resolution health!