3 New Year's Resolutions to Focus On Instead of the Scale
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Guest blog by Natasha Funderbuck
We can probably all agree that we’re glad to wish 2021 farewell and turn the page on a new chapter in our lives. But, before you go setting those New Year's resolutions and making all the goals for 2021, there are some things you should keep in mind. Weight loss or health-related goals are the most common New Year’s resolutions each and every single year, but less than 25% of people who make these resolutions actually succeed in seeing them through.
So if fitness resolutions are so popular, why do they have such a low success rate? Usually, it’s because people will set their sights on a goal much too big to be achieved. They make their goal too unrealistic and make the steps too restrictive and so difficult to adhere to, that the whole process becomes overwhelming or un-enjoyable, causing people to ditch the resolution and fall back into old habits.
Instead of putting so much pressure into generic goals like losing weight or getting healthier, people who set specific goals and shift their mindset versus focusing solely on changing the number on the scale, often have more luck at sticking to and achieving their resolution.
The scale is just one indicator of our true bodyweight, and definitely not the best method of measurement when it comes to how healthy or happy we are. So this year instead of focusing on scale-related resolutions, let’s shift our thinking and focus on other “weighs” to measure our health and happiness in the new year.
Develop New Habits
There’s this saying that it takes 21 days to develop a new habit. Maybe it’s true, or maybe it depends on the person and what the habit is. A lot of times when people try adopting new habits, they have the “habit” (pardon the pun) of throwing noodles against the wall in hopes that one will stick. Instead of trying so many different things, a stick-able habit should have three characteristics:
The habit should be easy
The habit should be something you like
The habit should fit the lifestyle you’re trying to create
This year, write down your goals and take it a step further:
Why are these goals important to you?
How will your life be better once the goal is achieved?
And then - write down all the ways you can think of that might get you closer to achieving that goal.
Let’s say you really do want to be healthier in the new year. One of the ways could be making healthier food choices. A simple habit would be buying your favorite fruit and putting it in a bowl on your kitchen counter for you to see and walk by every morning. Doing this checks all three boxes:
The habit should be easy
It doesn’t require any extra work to put the fruit in a bowl and leave it on your counter. Putting the fruit in a spot where you will see it every single day will remind you to grab a piece of fruit as a healthy snack instead of opting for the cookies and chips in the pantry.
The habit should be something you like
You’re selecting your favorite fruit vs. telling yourself you have to eat Brussels sprouts to be healthier when you hate Brussels sprouts.
The habit should fit the lifestyle you’re trying to create
You’re wanting to make healthier choices, and making healthy snacks easily and readily available to you is a small step in that direction.
Keep Commitments to Yourself
Keeping a promise to yourself is one of the most important things you can do. It doesn’t matter how big or small the commitment is, just set something you know you won’t be able to flake out on. Success comes when we are able to keep our commitments, whether they be to ourselves or to others. The truth is, if we aren’t good at keeping promises to ourselves, then we’re going to be less likely to keep promises we’ve made to someone else.
All too often, it’s easy to let ourselves slide to the bottom of our list. As women, and especially as moms, we tend to put the needs of everyone else above our own—we think it’s what we’re supposed to do because it is our job or responsibility to look after everyone else. And frankly, at the end of the day we’re tired, so the last thing we want to do is one more thing. Plus, it’s easy to let that “mom guilt” or feeling like you’re being selfish suffocate you into pushing yourself back down on your list when you do start to make steps to rise to the top.
This year, dedicate time to you. There’s this saying that you can’t take care of anyone else if you can’t take care of yourself. It’s true! In order to be the best mom, wife, friend, business owner, etc. that you can be, you have to make sure that your bucket is being filled, too. You owe it to yourself to make time for you; time to relax, time to learn, time to de-stress, and time to do the things you enjoy.
Shift Your Thinking
Mindset is key. Practicing gratitude can actually help energize you. It’s all about perspective and the thoughts we allow to take up space in our minds; choosing happiness, and learning to live with that belief in all that we do. When we wake up in the morning with an open mindset and practice gratitude first thing, it can set the tone for how we will feel all day. It doesn’t mean that life won’t throw you lemons from time to time, it just means that when it does, you’ll be ready to catch those lemons instead of letting them hit you square in the face, and then curling up and not knowing what to do about them. Shifting your thinking can open up doors that you always thought would remain closed. You just have to choose to see them differently, and make a conscious effort to shift your thinking when you start to notice it going down a rabbit hole of negativity again.
There are so many positive things that can come out of doing these three things; and if weight loss or adopting a healthier lifestyle is on your New Year's resolution list this year, then you can accomplish whatever that goal might be. Just apply these three principles to whatever your goal is, and get ready to celebrate all the victories along the way.
Natasha Funderburk is a wife, #boymom, NASM-Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Consultant, and ACE-Behavior Change Specialist. Her passion for health and wellness stems from a history of personal trauma and overcoming a binge eating disorder. She strives to be a light for as many people as possible, and has made it her personal mission to teach healing and confidence through movement and nutrition. Throughout her own journey, she’s lost 75 pounds and kept them off for over ten years, and has worked with thousands of clients to help them establish healthier relationships with food and exercise to live happier, more balanced lives. When not watching her son play baseball, she can be found lifting weights, writing, drinking all the coffee, and conducting living-room dance parties.
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