New Year, New You? We Prefer New Year, TRUE You

Maybe you’ve indulged a little this holiday season. Maybe you want to make health and fitness resolutions for 2019, but you you’re worried that you’ll just fail like you have so many times before.

We’ve been there, and we’d like to help you change that mindset.

So many articles encourage you to be a “new you.” But we think the “true you” is already there, waiting for you to rediscover her.

Here’s the Bad News: New Year’s Fitness Resolutions Don’t Work

Research indicates that resolutions don’t stick, and – in fact – can make you feel even worse than you did before making them. Why?

• It’s Difficult to Change Emotionally-Driven Behaviors

First of all, behaviors aren’t that easy to change. That’s because they’re not only rooted in your personality, they’re also driven by emotional needs and learned experiences that are hard to overcome, especially if you don’t quite understand them. Until you become aware of your own triggers and make peace with yourself and with your past, you may have a hard time breaking habits that have become largely automatic.

• Avoidance Can Feel Better Than Facing Hard Truths

Avoidance is sometimes just too easy. When you avoid something unpleasant, it makes you feel better – in the short term, that is. In the long term, it’s far better to face whatever is making you anxious. Having experienced the shame of food addiction, we know how important is to face – and love – the you that’s within. Healing begins with self-reflection and self-acceptance.    

• Feel-Good Habits are the Toughest to Break

Finally, it’s hard to give something up that makes you – momentarily, at least – feel good! We’ve become so accustomed to treating ourselves with an extra glass (or two) of wine or a plate of comfort food, we’ve forgotten that food isn’t the only thing that can make us happy. It’s easier to make changes when we know we’ll be rewarded.

Empower Yourself with Realistic Goals that Honor YOU

At Cooking Healthy Academy, we believe that change takes forgiveness and reflection. We also believe that the power to heal ourselves is in our own two hands.

Once we begin to love and honor ourselves, we’re able to take a kinder look at ourselves, educate ourselves about what our body truly needs, and then do everything we can to heal ourselves.

This is easier said than done, but we can offer a few encouraging tips. First of all, It may be more helpful to find an inner purpose rather than make a do-or-die resolution. Here’s what else we recommend …

This New Year, Do What Works, Not What Doesn’t

• Celebrate Your Accomplishments

Begin the new year with a surplus, not a deficit. Consider the things you’ve already accomplished in the past. We’re betting that if you focus on gratitude and your past achievements, you’ll begin to feel more positive about the future. Don’t skip this step. It’s important to acknowledge and honor the good that’s already within yourself!

• Set Small, Reachable Goals … not Big, Scary, Unachievable Resolutions

If you say “I’m going to eat better,” and leave it at that, you’ll probably fail. If, instead, you vow to eat a salad or add a new vegetable to dinner once a week, you’ll have a better chance at sticking to that manageable lifestyle change. One little step leads to another. When you start having small successes, they add up to big changes you can be proud of.

• Add Happiness to Your Day

Think about things you enjoy that have nothing to do with food or with your weight. Do you like to knit or read books? Is your guilty pleasure watching old episodes of the Bachelor? Pick one of these simple pleasures and bundle your “goal” with your “happy place.” It may be easier to do the cardio your doctor recommends if you can pair it with your favorite tv show. Meal prepping can be a lot of fun if you listen to your favorite music or do it with a friend.

Find Your Guilt-Free Zone!  

Did you know that most people give up on their resolutions by the end of January? Did you also know that the end of January is when people are most likely to be depressed?

Why do that to yourself?

In our opinion, the biggest gift you can give to yourself is a forgiving spirit. You also want to avoid what some call the “what the hell” effect: the feeling that if you slip up once, you can throw in the towel all together. It’s far better, we think, to allow ourselves the occasional slip-up and get back on track with an attitude toward a whole, fully-lived life and future success.

Set Goals that Make Sense with Help from Cooking Healthy Academy

There’s a more balanced way to think about your health and well-being, and you can start practicing it right now. We offer a supportive community and courses that help you reset your relationship with food.

If you’d like to learn more about the life-coaching programs Maureen offers, let us know! We’d love to help you start the new year off right.