New Year's resolutions fading away already?

How many of us ring in a New Year with a brand new gym membership and a brand new workout outfit? Since we plan to be going to the gym several times a week, we surely will need more than one or two T-shirts and shorts. New sneakers? New I pod playlist?  And of course an all new commitment to healthy lifestyle and kicking the extra pounds to a curb once and for all.   2013 is going to be our year.  It will be the year during which we finally overcome our shortcomings, our lazy moments and most of all we will stop making lame excuses. 

Who are we kidding?

Between Dec 31st and January 1st there is only one difference… a date on a calendar.  The number on the calendar changes and the “idea” of a new beginning gets born just a few short seconds after midnight, but nothing else really changes.  It is just as cold and dark outside, our busy life has not all of a sudden become free of running around, our children don’t require less of our time, our jobs don’t become less demanding, dinners will not make themselves and the laundry will absolutely not take care of itself.  So how do we expect to be able to stick to a whole new commitment of getting in shape and getting healthy and at the same time continue fulfilling our other roles?   It’s no wonder that majority of New Year’s resolutions become our failures before we even get to flip the first page in the calendar.

I used to make those resolutions every year and could never follow through long term on any of them. Until one day, several years ago, my New Year’s resolution was to never ever make another resolution in my life.  I have been keeping that one with no difficulty whatsoever. I have stopped assigning deadlines and dates to when I am going to act on any particular decision.  If my life is very busy and it’s freezing cold outside and I don’t want to go to the gym- I just don’t.  If I feel like my body is exhausted and need a break, I give it a break.  But if I have some free time and extra energy and a thought of a workout tumbles through my head, I just put on sneakers and out the door I go. No planning, no waiting until a big day, no postponing until everything else gets done. 

Nothing ever gets “done” in my life, things come up all the time. If I wait until I “catch up” and have some free time, it will never happen.  Now that I recognize and understand the concept of prioritizing,  my life has gotten way easier.  I no longer beat myself over not going to the gym or not sticking to my version of a healthful diet.  I just accept it for what it is and move on with my life.  I don’t wait till the end of the year, or the end of the month or even till Monday to start fresh again.  Every moment of my life is another chance to do better and to make smarter choices.

I have seen this kind of approach from the students of my Nutrition class over the last few months.  They signed up in early October, knowing that the Holiday season was just around the corner and that life will get rather busy and chaotic.  As we continues with our classes through Halloween, Thanksgiving and all the way up to 5 days before Christmas, they were all truly committed to the journey. None of them used excuses to skip a class, all of them took time to appreciate themselves for staying true to what they believed. Each and every one of them made me very proud to have been allowed on their health journey.

None of them needed a special date, or a special “resolution” to make it happen.  They saw an ad for my class, listened to their inner voices to join and just did it.  No postponing, no planning for a better time, no waiting for some big inspiration. I am very proud of every single one of them as they symbolize a real deal commitment to better healthier more energized and fulfilled life.  It’s a commitment like that that will make a difference in life, not a desperate New Year resolution.

Having said all that, I wish that all of you reading this dig deep this year and find the inner strength (that I know you all have) and make your deepest dreams and desires come to life.   Happy and Healthy 2013!

Iwona Leger, RN, MSN,  Health Coach, owns Love and Peas Health Coaching and runs individual and group coaching sessions. She is very passionate about disease prevention, lifestyle and diet modifications, as well as stress reduction techniques.

For more info visit www.loveandpeashealth.com

New Nutrition Immersion classes start January 8th and January 10th. All are welcome.