2019: The Year of Realistic Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions. You know the run of the mill things like – like get in shape and eat healthy. These are a big topic of conversation this time of year and honestly, I have a little bit of a hard time with it. Let me explain. I am a fan of taking time to get real with your goals, especially at the start of a new year, but I question why so many people fall short so quickly. I think it is because we often set such general goals that it actually makes it so hard to stick to them.  Today, I am going to provide some attainable strategies and tips for actually making your goals stick. Resolution making and goal setting is all about the approach.

So, let’s make 2019 the year of realistic resolutions. Making lifestyle shifts is all about adding up the small things you can do each and every day to meet a large goal. Without the nitty gritty – we can feel lost and I do not want that.

Here we go:

Let’s start with eating healthy. My favorite topic, of course. The problem is a blanket resolution like eating healthy is so incredibly vague and hard to stick to. What does it even mean to you? What specifically about eating healthy do you want to change? Get really detailed here. My advice (cause you asked) is to pick 3 things in the category of eating healthy that you can manage – r e a l i s t i c a l l y.  

For example, replace your evening bowl of ice cream with a piece of a dark chocolate and natural peanut butter. Slowly. Perhaps you need a little something sweet (I get it), but an entire bowl of ice cream every single night isn’t quite helping you eat better.

Another one I love is make it a goal to meal prep snacks. It’s less intimidating than going full out with meal prep and allows you to ease into a habit. So often, the snacking/grazing/wandering around the kitchen habit is really what gets us down an unhealthy eating path. Be prepared with it! I love hard boiled eggs, veggies & hummus and Health Warrior Chia Bars. I actually eat a chia bar every single day as a snack and I feel great (chocolate chip cookie dough is my fave flavor btw). Also a huge fan of the Health Warrior Pumpkin Seed Protein Bars (you guessed it – dark chocolate is my fave) they are crunchy and satisfying! These are all things that you can bring along with you throughout your day with minimal effort.

How about: eating more vegetables.  It is a hard one to come by, right? How about have a side salad with ONE meal per day? That is a tangible, directed task that can contribute to your overall goal of eating more vegetables and therefore eating healthier.

See how it works? You have now gone from a general, overarching, unrealistic goal to 3 specific sub-goals that have a higher purpose. These little things make the transition to eating healthy actually realistic. The best part, you can add new goals all the time. Once you form a habit, it is a lot easier to actually take on another one. We just got to rip off the bandaid!

Let’s move on to the second resolution: getting fit. Again, super general here! Narrow in. How about: take the stairs once a day. Whether it be at work, on the subway or even at the mall. Choose one pathway to walk up. Every time you take the stairs you are working towards the bigger goal in a realistic way. This little act adds up and moves the needle along. You don’t want to be that person who goes to 5 classes the week of Jan 1 and then is nowhere to be seen until 2 weeks before your best friend’s wedding in July (we have all been there). Small steps (literally) are the way to go and make something stick.

Another can be: Try a new workout 3 times in a month. That can be in a class, an at home program or at you local gym. I think it takes a few times to see if you really can get the hang of a workout and see if you can enjoy it. For example, the first time I went to Barre I was like WTF am I even working out? It actually took me like a handful of times to see that it takes great strength to actually do the moves right! Boy, was I wrong!

Well, there you have it! I hope you find this approach to resolution setting helpful!

Happy 2019 everyone!

Thank you to Health Warrior for supporting this blog post. I am proud to work with a brand that helps me and this community champion a healthy lifestyle. If you are interested in their products – use my code SARI20 for 20% off your order.