It’s getting to the end of the year and the beginning of a new one. And so begins the TV commercials and morning shows that will start talking about your New Year’s resolution.
Experts have shown that 80% of people fail to meet their resolutions.
That’s a pretty depressing statistic.
Similarly, many people who go on diets eventually gain back the weight.
I decided a long time ago not to make New Year’s resolutions or go on diets. Instead, I’m working on daily intentions to help me change my lifestyle.
Creating new and healthy habits is now easy. A lot is going on within our brain that we have to overcome to create new neural pathways and change behavior.
If you’re looking for a great book about habits, I highly recommend The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.
I read the book a few years ago, and it changed the way I approach making a change.
What I work on is creating simple changes each day that build over time.
Here’s my weekly schedule.
(Okay, before I go too far. I know that the word “schedule” might freak some people out, but I hope you stick with me.)
Monday: Meditate, write before work
Tuesday: Run, meditate before work
Wednesday: Meditate, write before work
Thursday: Run, meditate before work
Friday: Meditate, write before work
Saturday: Write and then meditate
Sunday: Run and then meditate
That’s it.
I like to keep things simple and to go on autopilot so that I don’t have to make lots of decisions early in the morning before work. The more energy I need to spend on building up an exercise, or what I’m going to meditate on, the less time I’ll have for it.
I have my exercise and meditations all picked out in advance. My running clothes are put out the night before; the meditation is all set, so I have to hit play on my phone to listen to the 19 minutes.
By building a light (and flexible) schedule, I can set a daily intention. I start my day with positivity, and that helps me through my day.
If something comes up and I can’t work in writing or meditation as planned, I'll do it later that day, or I can skip it. I try not to miss many days because meditation and running help me.
Over time I am slowly adding in other intentions: eating healthy, getting up from my desk at work, and walking every hour, and drinking more water.
I’m looking to make life-long changes and don’t want to follow a fad diet or exercise craze. I want to do something that’s going to work for me over the rest of my life. With that in mind, I believe that small building blocks of positive actions eventually create life-long habits that are sustainable and helpful.
If you’re looking to start small, a simple experiment could be:
10-15 minute walk and short meditation or yoga (15-20 minutes).
If mobility is a challenge, there are lots of videos on YouTube for doing yoga in a chair.
I challenge you to think differently and find activities that will work for you. If 10-15 minutes is too long, make it 5. But whatever you decide, build the activity into your daily schedule and keep yourself accountable (with positive reinforcement for success, not punishment for missing a day).
What are your daily self-care routines?
Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.