It’s Time to Reframe January Resolution Mentality

Be Present. Be Consistent. There’s No End of the Rainbow.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the January resolution thing. Instead, the past few years have been about doing right for myself everyday. I have used the phrases “BE PRESENT” and “CONSISTENCY” to help me do that. I live in the present (not the future, nor the past) and eat, sleep, exercise, see friends and family with consistency to create and cement that healthful lifestyle I can be proud of.

But this year seems different. I find myself leaning even further away from all the change talk. Make no mistake. I believe in self-reflection but for whatever reason, I keep seeing this New Year’s resolution thing as a fundamentally negative take on how we (you, me and everyone) are doing in these hard times. Are we fishing for or focusing on what needs to change versus celebrating what we HAVE been able to accomplish?

I would like to reframe the need-to-change mentality, to embrace being comfortable in our skin and being happy with ourselves. We all are trying and are all good enough. It’s a slight, but significant shift from the negative to the positive and implies our lives are always moving and changing. THEN, if we want to move differently, we ID that one small thing and try a different approach. Explore what a small shift in direction will do to your movement. Is it better?

Celebrating who we are and taking a slightly different step to make ourselves even better tomorrow than we are today–I think that’s what we should be focused on.

Here’s how it might go:

1. Stay positive. Be happy with yourself and your current daily routines.
2. ID one thing you might try to do a bit differently.
3. Give it a go–see if you like it.
4. Do it again and again.
5. Experts say that habits are built in small incremental bites. So, change one little thing that feels good, all the while feeling good about yourself. Just one little thing to make you even better than you are today.

Some small shifts to consider:

1. Move from cow’s milk lattes to oat lattes for better skin.
2. Add lemon to your first water of the day for stronger digestion.
3. Eat one hour earlier for improved digestion, sleep and weight loss.
4. Shut off your show and all screens by 9 p.m. for better sleep.

It’s the little things that make you better! For me, this way of looking at New Year’s resolutions is much more positive and helpful.

For more info on feeling your best through smarter food and lifestyle choices, check out our bio-individual custom programs. It’s a personal puzzle, but we can assist in figuring out what’s best for your body. Book a free 20-minute consultation with Healthy Nest Nutrition owner Robin Hutchinson to see if our programs are right for you.