Did you know that by today, at lease one-quarter of those who set New Year’s resolutions have already given up? And by the end of January, that figure doubles!
As I write this, I'm at my son’s gymnastics class, where there’s also an indoor walking track. I’ve sat here weekly since September and the track is busier than I’ve ever seen it. There are about 20 people walking, some in pairs, some alone. It’s hard to believe that in just a few weeks, only half of them will still be cruising around the track.
There are many, many reasons why people give up on their goals so quickly. One reason is that it’s common to think that one needs to change everything all at once to be successful. That mindset means a New Year’s resolution focusing on health improvements might look something like this:
No sugar
No carbs
No processed foods
No alcohol
Drink 3L of water daily
Exercise 7 days a week
Get 8 hours of sleep
Does that all seem doable in one shot? Of course not. This type of New Year’s resolution is destined to fail because it’s too extreme.
Have you ever approached your goals like this? If so, there’s nothing to be ashamed of—it’s what we’re led to believe we have to do to achieve the results we want.
But what it really does is freak our bodies and brains out, especially when you’re already in a stressed state. And if I know you at all, it’s that you’re stretched thin, you feel like there’s too much on your plate, and it’s hard to prioritize yourself.
Keep in mind that the only thing that aiming for extreme overnight changes will do is add more stress. And when your body is stressed, it goes into fight, flight, or freeze mode. In fight or flight mode, cortisol ramps up and your health goals are sabotaged from all directions.
When you go into freeze mode, you’ll find yourself overcome by an unshakable case of procrastination-it is: Create a menu for the week? Maybe later. Grocery shop? Ugh. Too overwhelming. Food prep? I’m just going to take a short nap, then I’ll get to it…
Sound familiar?
To be successful with change, it’s crucial to start with tiny shifts that are so miniscule that your body and brain won’t register them as a threat. My son’s food allergy is the perfect way to illustrate the truth behind this.
When Broxton was 10 months old, we discovered he was allergic to eggs. Not get-a-rash kind of an allergy but a full-on system-implosion kind of reaction. We were prescribed an Epi-pen and kept it close at hand at all times.
Imagine then how scary it was when we began working with an allergist who said, “You gotta start feeding him some egg.” He assured us this was safe, because the dose would be so tiny that Broxton’s body wouldn’t register it as a threat.
We started with one batch of 24 cupcakes containing a single egg. We split one of those cupcakes into 32 pieces and that’s what we fed him the first time. It was terrifying to wait the 45 minutes after Broxton ate the cupcake to make sure the doctor was right. But right he was. Broxton was fine.
We continued with that dose of 1/32nd of 1/24th of one egg for three weeks. Then we doubled the amount. After three more weeks, we doubled it again. And we did this on repeat until Broxton could eat one whole cupcake! A truly life-changing result that I never thought possible.
Here’s how you might apply this approach to your own health goals:
You want to lose 10lbs in the next six months. You want to do this because while you want to feel more comfortable in your clothes, what you really want is to feel like yourself again—light, free, energetic, optimistic, and excited about living your life on your terms.
You know you need to eat differently to achieve that goal. But you also know incorporating more movement into your days would help. And while you know you can do anything, you know you can’t do everything.
So, you decide to start with your nutrition. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, you focus on just incorporating a high protein breakfast into your week.
You do this for at least two weeks, tracking your consistency using your calendar (doesn’t ticking that goal off feel SO good??). After two weeks, you’re feeling confident about your ability to continue this on repeat.
So, you decide to add another simple, straightforward action—just putting some veggies into your morning snack. And week after week, you build on your success, proving to yourself that you CAN do each thing, before you incorporate something else. This system of slow and steady will truly help you win the race, just like it did when it came to my son’s egg allergy.
Keep that analogy in mind as you work on your goals over the next few weeks and months. It might seem like moving at a snail’s pace means you’ll never achieve your big, life-improving goal. But I can tell you that if you dive in and try to do everything at once, your body and mind will implode, guaranteeing that you won’t achieve what you want.
Remember that every small step you take is progress. Start small, focus on consistency, and trust in the process. You’re not in it for fast results, you’re in it for forever results.
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