One Year To A New You!

Habits are a fact of life; so much of our life is spent on automatic pilot thanks to the establishment our routines.  The routines you control your life by are directed by habits, cultural and situational need.  When habits become routine they run the risk of becoming addictions. 

Not all habits are negative; they become bad when they completely take control of your life and turn into addictions.  The best way to change a bad habit is not to stop it, but to replace it with something else that gives you an equal reward.  For example, I had a HUGE soda habit.  In fact I was to the point where I could not get through the day without my large “refillable” cup from the deli; a cup that I would refill at least 3 times during the day just to keep me going.  I knew I had to break this habit, but going cold-turkey left me overly stressed, snippy, and with a major migraine as I went through the caffeine withdrawal, and inevitably, I would fall off the wagon and end right back into my soda habit again.  This time to transition me out of drinking sodas, I switched it with flavored loose-leaf teas (for the caffeine), and flavored packets to add to my water.  While I have not completely given up sodas, I no longer need them to function, and I am now drinking more water, which is better for me.

The point of Transitions is to slowly transition into a lifestyle I can live with.  Will I be at my goal weight by the end of 1 year?  Probably not,  at this point I am only 20 lbs. into the 140 I need to lose.  But by the end of this year, I will be in a position to actually see that goal is feasible!!

Transitioning to a healthier lifestyle is more than numbers on a scale.  It is about setting realistic goals for real life changes.  This isn't about making a list of what I can't have any more.  It is about making a list of what I need to do to make things better for me.   For example, if I want to have less TV time in my life, instead of having a goal of watch less TV, I can set a goal of go to the gym 4 times a week, or "find a volunteer project for every Wednesday night."  Simply by doing these steps, I have decreased my TV time, without leaving myself open to the temptation of sitting on the couch trying to figure out what to do with my time during my regular shows.  As I slowly replace the unhealthy habits in my life, with healthier ones, then the scale ends up reflecting the loss without me having to focus on trying to lose the weight.

The trick to figuring out how to set goals is to figure out where you want to be by a certain time.   Then work it backwards to where you are now. Make a list of what your better life looks like.  Then look at what is in your life now that is holding you back from where you want to be.  That is how you determine what goals you will set for the next year. 

For this week, figure out what your “Major” goal is.  Can it be broken down into 12 steps?   Can each of those steps be accomplished in 1 month?  If not then figure out how many steps you have to break your goal into, then break it down further into monthly and weekly steps… this way you have a road map of what you are working on. Then most importantly... PUBLISH your goals.  If you put it in writing and share it, then you have the accountability to others to push you/ encourage you as you work towards a better you.