Starting Off Strong

We all know the clichés around the New Year and resolutions; “Everyone has great intentions but give it a few weeks and the follow-through fails.”

And while that may be true for some, the truth is, the start of the New Year is a great time to implement some new and improved habits that stick! Don’t let some people’s cynicism keep you from starting on the road of healthy changes or new challenges.

To help you get started, check out the following tips:

Start simple

A lot of the reason resolutions fail is that people try to change their entire life in a week! Change takes time, especially when it comes to our ingrained habits. Instead focus on keeping your goals a simple as possible. Then add in more goals and habits as you master each new challenge. For example, if your goal is to eat healthier, identify some simple changes you can make to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Instead of jumping in on the newest fad diet and completely altering your life all at once (something that has a high likelihood of failure… and will probably make you miserable), you could start by ensuring you always include a vegetable or fruit with every meal. Or maybe choosing to eat off the smaller sized plates in your dishware set to help regulate portion sizes. Once you’ve mastered that, you can add in something new like cutting down on sodas or desserts, etc. You can do this with almost any goal, not just health and wellness goals. A huge plus side of this approach is that it helps you change your internal narrative naturally over time, something else that is vitally important to creating habits that stick (but we will get to that in a minute).

Make it easy to do the right thing

Our brains are wired to look for the paths of least resistance. While in some situations this can be helpful (creating efficient workflows, etc.) this tendency is often the death-knell to our good intentions. We make up silly excuses and get tripped up by the smallest of obstacles. If you are like me, something as ridiculous as having to walk into the other room can keep me from completing a task, let alone the effort it takes for something like getting ready for and going to the gym. This is why it is very helpful to look for ways to make it easy to do the right thing. Sure, ideally overtime we build up our tolerance for discomfort but especially in the early stages of creating habits, don’t make things harder for yourself. Maybe you have heard of the people who sleep in their workout clothes so that they can roll right out of bed and get to it? This is an excellent example of removing obstacles — however small and seemingly inconsequential! — so that the path toward your goals is that much easier to execute. If you have never tried this strategy before you might be surprised how effective it is! Other examples, can be getting some basic home workout equipment so that you don’t have to get in the car and drive to the gym for your workout (this is another reason why running is such a popular form of exercise! Just lace up and run right out your front door)! Other wellness examples could be stocking your shelves with healthy snacks instead of junk food, doing some basic meal prepping so that nutritious food is more accessible throughout the week, or even parking your car farther away in the parking lot so that you are getting more steps in.

Be aware of your internal narrative

This is something that many people neglect to address when they jump into their resolutions. They see themselves as an unhealthy person (maybe they even bragged to others about how little they cared, that they don’t eat vegetables, etc.) so things that are associated with healthy living feel not only foreign but inauthentic to them. Maybe they try something for a few weeks but internally they feel like a fraud and they subconsciously expect themselves to fail. This is not only a recipe for defeat, it is a cycle that builds on itself. A fresh failure will reinforce that old narrative that they have identified with and will make a new attempt in the future even more difficult. Instead, practice some self-reflection and take stock of your internal narrative. What do you tell yourself about yourself? What kind of person do you see yourself as? What about that person do you like? What about that person are you hoping to grow, even change? What do you say about yourself out loud? If you always say (internally or externally), “I’m not a runner.” Or, “Running always hurts my knees so I don’t do it.” Or, “I hate vegetables,” or “I don’t read,” or “Everyone always leaves me,” you have just made some pretty strong declarations about yourself that will do nothing other than cut you off from growing in the future. Remember that you get to decide who you will be! Old experiences, habits, and narratives — either put on you by yourself or by others — don’t need to define you in the future.

Get some accountability

Perhaps this the most difficult of all the advice offered here. Getting other people involved immediately raises the stakes on any of our goals; this is the point of accountability! When we involve others in our goals and resolutions, we are forced to define our goals and commit to something; our lack of follow-through can no longer masquerade as indecision. There are many options for accountability: friends, co-workers, significant others, spouses, coaches, personal trainers, run-groups, online support groups, apps — there are lots of options! Some options provide passive accountability, like a running group or a workout class — you know that people will wonder where you are if you don’t show up and that can make all the difference in making sure you go; other options provide more direct accountability, like a friend, life-coach, or personal trainer — they will follow up with you directly on how your goals are going, and may even provide instruction. Just make sure if you are asking a friend, co-worker, family member, etc., that they are truly okay with providing accountability for you. Also be sure to define your goal clearly and request what your hopes would be for their role in that (“would you mind asking me at the end of the week if I did x, y, z,” etc.) and check back in on how things are going down the line.

While it may be true that a lot of people’s resolutions fail after a few weeks, it is also true that this time of year can be an incredibly helpful catalyst to change. Everyone has the ability to move forward into being more of the person that they hope to be and with a bit of strategy, honesty, self-reflection, and help from others, these changes and habits will only come easier and easier!

Some of My Favorite Health Apps

There are so many great apps to help keep you on track on your journey to a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few of my favorites.

AllTrails

AllTrails is a great resource for trails near you. I use it in Cleveland to learn more about local trails, but it's already super handy when I travel to discover new parks and trails. There are difficulty ratings, pictures so you know what to expect, user reviews, and a star rating system. If you feel in a rut with your runs, check out AllTrails and find somewhere new to explore!

Garmin Connect

If you are a Garmin user, Garmin Connect has it all! This is where your watch will auto-sync to and you can check out all the data for your workouts and daily activity. It is a super user-friendly app, so don't worry if you're new to Garmin. Today's workouts show up at the top of the app each day and you can tap on them to get a map and detailed info, like pace, distance, elevation, temperature, performance indicators, and much more! I also track my water intake on my Garmin, so I can see my average ounces per day (If you watch Terra Girls, you know this is a challenge for me!). My favorite stat to check out is my activity over the last 7 days. I love seeing that I have switched it up this past week and did a few different kinds of activities. For example, today mine says: 2 yoga, 7 walks, 3 runs, 1 bike!

Metronome

If you've ever worked on your cadence while running, a simple metronome app is very helpful. The goal cadence for runners is generally 170-180 steps per minute. It's a challenge to gauge your cadence on your own if you're just getting started, but listening to a metronome app for a bit at the beginning of your run can get you started on the right foot (pun intended). Increasing cadence means you are taking more, shorter, quicker steps per minute, decreasing the amount of time each foot is on the ground.

Headspace

All around health doesn't mean just fitness. I am loving the Headspace app for short, mindful guided meditations. There are videos and classes, playlists for focusing or relaxing, a meditation each day that you can control the length of, and so much more! This is a great beginner-friendly meditation app, so don't be intimidated if you've never tried it before.

Libby

The only thing I love more than running is reading, and when I can do both, my day is made! Libby is a free app with free audiobooks accessible with your free library card! If your favorite book is taken, you can place it on hold and get notified when it's available, but to be honest, there are always great books available for free download anytime. I listen to books when I workout, walk the dog, and do chores around the house.